Imparting value based education

Hyderabad: Starting the journey with 30 students in 1986, the Howard Public School at Himayatnagar, Hyderabad has come a long way in achieving accolades and patronage of the parents with its value based education system. Talking through the journey of the school in conversation with The Young Hans, the Founder Principal T S Sashikala said that the school was started in 1986 by Sri Satyanarayana Education Society. Some of the doctors came together to do service to the society by imparting value based education to the citizens.

The school started with just 30 students and reached to a stage now where there are about 2,000 students. The school presently has four branches in the city. The management people are philanthropists, who work on service motto. The policy here is stress less on income and pay good to the teachers, who are highly qualified, said Sashikala.

Principal Sashikala is a doctorate in education has done her research on utilising the expertise of the senior citizens post retirement. “Even though they have experience with them the senior citizens are sidelined in the name of retirement... in fact we should use their expertise and I do follow their advice whenever there is any issue,” said Sashikala. She has been awarded the best teacher award by the CBSE board in 2006.

Q: Tell us about the school?

The school has three blocks one for activities, second for KG section and third block for high school. The uniqueness of the school is that the focus is on all round development right from studies to extracurricular activities. We do not stress out the students for 100 out of 100 but on all round development of the child by giving them opportunities. We have a counsellor, who specially suggests the parents what needs to be done to improve their child.

The school encourages parents to meet the principal whenever they want to have discussion regarding the studies of their children. We have earmarked half an hour time everyday at 3.30 pm for interacting with the parents as we believe that every child is different and parents needs to be explained on what needs to be done for development of their ward.

Q: How do you encourage Students?

The school encourages students not only in studies but also in extracurricular activities such as art, music, dance, public speech, club activities etc. The goals and targets set for the students are to encourage them to excel in academics, sports, games and co-curricular activities. The mission of the school is to create a happy safe and encouraging environment in which children bloom with confidence and develop to their full potential and contribute to the society and successful in their lives.

True to the mission and the goal set by the school, the children apart from academics are motivated and encouraged to participate in all the co-curricular and extracurricular activities. Not only with the school but also outside the school in various competitions conducted by Government and Non-Government as well as CBSE.

Q: What do you have to say on the IIT and EAMCET programs of corporate schools? Does HPS too have such Programs?

The principal says that there is no need for burdening the students with studies all the time like the corporate schools. The children should not be burdened with studies all the time... they should not feel overburdened. Our school timings are from 9am to 3.30 pm. There is nothing like IIT, EAMCET etc, which the corporate schools have, she said.

Q: How was the performance of Students in the last board examinations?

Our students excelled in the recent examinations as more than 10 students had achieved 10/10 CGPA. The highest percentage was 96 per cent and the least was 50 per cent.

Q: Achievements of your school Students?

The school students have achieved awards on numerous occasions. The school students won cash prizes in the ‘Expression Series’ conducted by CBSE consecutively from 2014 to 2016. Student Nandita got cash prize of Rs 10,500 in the ‘Lekha Rachana’ conducted by the Postal Department.

Master Lalith Kishore bagged silver medal organised by Hyderabad District Taekwondo Association and won Gold Medal in 4th Greater Hyderabad. State level gold medal won by Aditya Gupta in Shuttle and Dhruv Soni won national award in Photography contest. One of the students Vaishnavi had participated in ‘Paduta Teeyaga’ event in TV.

Q: Any outdoor activity by the school children?

Children are encouraged to participate in community service through ‘Interact Club’ where the children contribute the proceeds collected to orphanages and old age homes. Our students raised money from the community to provide school desks for children studying in Government High School.

BY K Chandrasekhar