A girl should compete on her ability and not gender

by admin

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, we bring you some of the most notable and distinguished women eduleaders from the education industry to share their incredible journey, insights, and experiences. Here are the excerpts from the interview

Poly Pattnaik
Founder, Director and Principal
Mother’s Public School, Bhubaneswar

A girl in our school finds as much opportunity as is available to a boy. Fortunately, the enrolment of girls is as high as the boys and the eco-system in the school with regards to the nurturing of the students is non-discriminatory. Whether it is academics or sports, if a girl shows promise, the school has the inherent support system.

Leadership positions such as school captain, sports captain or house captains are given to deserving candidates whether it’s a boy or a girl. A girl here competes on her ability and not on her gender. We conduct special counselling sessions from time to time for girls to make them aware and vigilant for challenges likely to be faced by them in the world outside thus raising girls who can take care of themselves with more confidence.

Learning is setting up the school

I was very firm about my priorities. The humble thatched spaces that were used as classrooms in the initial day’s nurtured kids had teachers who would mentor them to discover the world. Even now I carry the firm resolve to give the best education to the students, making them not just academically competent but being instilled with a strong sense of values.

I took sturdy and small steps right from the beginning. Initially, the classrooms had no doors, the infrastructure was basic, and the focus was sharp. Good teachers and happy children were a priority.

Long hours for kids at school meant nutritious, fresh food given at proper time. Sincere dedicated staff members made it possible for us to be a loving home for all our kids. Respect for my teachers and immense gratitude for their constant contribution makes my journey a lot smoother. Patience was my constant strength. I could neither charge high fees nor hope for sudden influx of students yet we carved a place by the recognition our students got in general school forums.

Regulatory and administrative compliances were a massive challenge. Women as driving forces in a workplace weren’t very rare but it wasn’t commonplace either at that time. The paperwork and the approvals involved meeting people in power at no fixed appointed time. Gender imbalances and inequalities are often normalized and it is expected that we take that in our stride.

A major challenge was the integration of the community around the school in crowded locality led to unwelcome incursions into its premises. Job opportunities were created for them and there were continued efforts to negotiate with them rather than reach out to the law.

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