till my appointment, all the Heads of Modern High School had been either English or American. On questioning such a policy, I was candidly told that it was to ensure a complete absence of regionalism. MENTOR’s Ms. Renu Srinivasan speaks to Mrs.Devi Kar, Principal Modern High School for Girls, Kolkata who shares the strategies she used for bringing change in the school handed over by her predecessor. Reminiscing 8 years later, she is happy that she achieved what she set out to do, and even more ….
“It was in the new millennium that I accepted the post of Principal of Modern High School for Girls. Till then I had worked in a CNI school which was also my alma mater”
“I have observed that MHS holds a very special place in their hearts and is given the highest of priorities in spite of the large industrial empires they are associated with”
“We hope to soldier on, keeping before us the core values of truth, beauty and kindness”
Cherishing traditions:
So it turned out that I was the first Indian principal of a reputed all-girls’ school which was largely known for its academic pursuits and distinguished alumnae. Some of our ex students in fact had become nationally and even internationally renowned. I wanted my vision for the school to excite all concerned. My intention was not merely to begin with a new package of programs but to infuse a new spirit and outlook. Yet I was determined to preserve the school’s identity and its cherished traditions. The existing broad aims of the school, such as ‘giving a full and liberal education’ and ‘developing good citizens’, were of perennial value but had to be made meaningful in the context of the 21st century. In other words Modern High School students had not only to be truly international in outlook but their standards had to be comparable with those of students in any part of the world.
A special place….
Modern High School was founded in1952 by Mrs. Rukmani Birla who wished to combine in the institution the best of the east and the west in those early, heady post-independence years. After her demise, her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Nirmala Birla – our present Chairperson- took over the reins of the School. Our founder’s daughter, Mrs. Ganga Somany, has remained a governing body member. They have always given their r support, encouragement, appreciation and time unstintingly. Personally, I am indebted to them for the precious freedom afforded to me, as we could go ahead with all kinds of innovative measures without the hurdles of red tape.
Envisaging change:
The kind of change I envisaged had to be gradual and I favoured an approach that was based on the principle of ‘shared responsibility for a shared vision’. In the five-year plan that I drew up for the school , I had indicated the importance of ‘bridging’ .We had to ensure a smooth transition from level to level and from the high school to the world beyond. In implementing change, I would exercise caution, respect the commitments of the past, adopt a critical outlook but would be bold - or even radical - when required. The pace would be challenging but not uncomfortable. I was clear that I did not want anyone to feel either threatened or complacent. However, I was emphatic about two things - that the school would expect courteous behaviour and discipline from all at all times. I realized that all this demanded constant cycles of thinking, listening, talking and reflecting.
Focus on strengths:
Perhaps it was my optimism and stubborn tendency of focussing on strengths rather than weaknesses that helped me cope with the initial period, along with the wonderful people I worked with. Nothing of course could have been done without a generous dose of blessings from above. Let me share with you the factors that helped me effect “the changes” that are being talked about today...
- The Last Headmistress:
Mrs. Wilson-de Roze, was highly respected in the educational world. She was upright, scholarly, kind and extremely diligent. She retired with grace and dignity and handed over a school that was shipshape. Records were easily accessible, documents meticulously filed and even the godowns were neat and tidy. She had always given me tremendous strength and support and still does so from the USA where she now lives.
- The Teachers:
Most of them had served the school loyally for many long years. Several among them were ex-students of the school. None of them had known any other Head and were as apprehensive as I was, about the impending change. It may not have been easy for them to adjust to a “new age”. Miraculously, not one of them made a fuss.
- The Students.
The pluralistic nature of the student population - children of doctors, engineers, teachers, government employees, intellectuals, entrepreneurs and well-known business houses - lent richness to the fabric of school life. Many of them were second and third generation pupils and were fervently devoted to the institution.
- The School:
The School in itself was a fine secular institution. Significantly for me, it was ready for change.
After having enumerated all of these factors; towards the end of 2005, when I perused my initial five-year plan, I was quite startled to see that each and every target that had been set out had been met. In addition, we had changed over from the regional Board to the Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE). I had not included this in the official document because almost everyone I spoke with at that time, had said that it would be “unrealistic” for me to attempt it. The changes had taken place so unobtrusively that I had not realized that they were already in place.
Strategies that went in place:
First, the vision was consciously explained along with every policy decision to the teaching and non teaching staff, parents and students. Also, the “extended family” comprising alumnae and former teachers, was included in our life and activities. This resulted in a close-knit school community functioning as a single team.
Second, the communication channel was kept open throughout. Problems were patiently heard, ideas were welcomed and suggestions exchanged through meetings, interactive sessions and dialogues with staff, parents and students. In addition, connections were established and net-worked with the outside world which reaped rich dividends.
Embracing changes:
The curriculum and assessment system were overhauled. We embraced the concept of continuous evaluation using a variety of tools in place of formal written examinations each term. Teachers attended refresher courses and computer-training classes. They learnt to use technology very effectively in the classroom and otherwise. Today they have also got into the rhythm of self evaluation and self improvement. A very successful technique that is regularly practised, is inviting colleagues to attend lessons and holding feedback sessions immediately after. An extremely competent administrative team was gradually formed. The team meets every week to review and plan. Co-curricular activities were increased very substantially and were allowed to multiply but only if they demonstrated that they were contributing meaningfully to the total education. The infrastructure was spectacularly enhanced. A whole new floor came up, housing a hall, a new set of laboratories, reading room, offices and staffroom. A splendid auditorium rose out of our old “shed”, a state-of-the art gymnasium and an attractive canteen emerged on our
Continuing Education:
Modern High School runs a unit called the Modern Academy of Continuing Education (MACE) which was established in late 2005. MACE offers counseling and a wide variety of courses, workshops and talks, which people of all ages are eligible to attend. The teacher-training department of the unit is run in collaboration with the University of Calcutta under its outreach programme.
The School today:
We are quite unabashed about being primarily known for our academic excellence. But we hope that this is not equated with good examination results only. I think we can honestly claim that almost all aspects of a rich and holistic educational programme have been integrated into our curriculum. “Fitness for all” is the goal of our physical education course. Most students enjoy playing games but many take up sports and athletics very seriously and special coaching is provided to them. Art, Craft and Music hold important places in the curriculum. As subjects of study, they include a formal “appreciation” content. On the application side, students volunteer to make backdrops and props for school programmes, create articles from recycled material, write lyrics and compose music.
Enrichment galore:
Hands-on “science enrichment” courses are offered to children to take science beyond text books.. We have tried to make community service a part and parcel of each and every student’s life. Certain organizations are supported on a continuous basis while collection and distribution of clothes, woollens, books and medicines are arranged regularly. A roster is maintained for students who go out on field work.
A whole volume could be written about our school’s commitment to environmental issues and love of nature. We actively practise energy-saving, conservation, rain-water harvesting, recycling, gardening and bird-watching. At this juncture, it would be interesting to mention that one of our students has been selected to be the sole representative of India at the World Humanitarian Forum in Geneva this month (June, 2008). She will address G8 nation heads and others including Mr. Kofi Annan, on the effect of climate change on the vulnerable people of Sunderbans.
Democracy at its best…
The conventional way of describing any school is in terms of examination results, quality of teaching, awards received, facilities offered and infrastructure. Objectively speaking – and at the risk of sounding immodest - we would pass with distinction, any rigorous test in all these categories. But perhaps it is the other unquantifiable qualities of our school that contribute to our identity. They are, according to keen observers, our Indianness along with our global outlook ( we were one of the first schools to win the International School Award from the UK education ministry for the same ), our progressive curriculum (e.g., the introduction of communication skills and media literacy as subjects), an all-inclusive admission procedure as religion, community, caste or income are not required to be mentioned in our application forms and mother and father have equal status as guardians of the child. We believe that we practise genuine democracy and students take great pride in the fact that they are included in the policy–making process. Most importantly, our carefully constructed strategies have resulted in a genuine effort to pursue excellence in different fields rather than promoting petty competitiveness.
Much to be done…
An important part of our mission statement is ‘continuous improvement’.. Our belief in self criticism and self evaluation is apparent and is even reflected in the pages of our school magazine. Thus we are strongly aware that there is much to be done. After all, the journey never ends. |
