Suma Das has been the Principal of Pawar Public School Bhandup, Mumbai, for the past 14 years. She is a renowned educationist who has received several awards for her contribution in the field of education.
Suma Das has taken several innovative measures to provide quality education. During her tenure as the chief administrator of Pawar Public School, she opted for a dynamic curriculum to cater to the varied needs of students. Teachers were encouraged to go beyond textbooks and syllabus and address with an aim to develop students into global citizens who are free from bigotry, hatred and violence. The emphasis is on promoting learning through understanding concepts. Suma Das encourages her teachers to integrate co-curricular activities to help develop skills, creativity and thought process of students. It is not an accumulation of information that the present education system calls for, but enhancement of perception.
Believing that learning is an on-going process and that one must always update and upgrade oneself as a part of the dynamic modern education system, the school arranges various workshops and seminars by in-house and external experts for teaching and non-teaching staff. Enrichment programmes for teachers are held on a regular basis to keep the teachers abreast with latest techniques and methodologies. Peer teaching, micro-teaching, circle time and interaction period with respective classes are undertaken to enable teachers to grow together.
Right from pre-primary to secondary, children are empowered with skills, knowledge and right attitude to bring about positive change in the society. Students are actively involved in decision making, event management, and also learn about group dynamics through various extra-curricular activities. The academic calendar includes various activities and events like Flipped Classroom, Integrated Teaching, celebrating ‘No Bag Day’, celebrating colours in the form of Colour days in Pre-Primary and Primary, Language Day, Youconic- the youth fest, Model United Nations (MUN), Project Display, Eumind, Freebuskers, Radio Jockey, PPSB News Desk, Ambassador of Environment and also various activities involving different clubs and community outreach programmes.
Through the following measures, Mrs Suma Das intends to incorporate further changes in her institution to make education more purposeful and functional
Shift from ‘digital class’ to individual child using ‘tabs’ to not only reduce the burden of carrying heavy bags but to further focus on teachers’ role as facilitators thereby tapping the pupils’ innate quest to acquire and seek rather than rote learn.
Research based pedagogy is one of the pivotal changes that the school plans to incorporate in the coming years with emphasis on implementation of more creative, collaborative and exploratory activities to promote deeper and experiential learning.
Shift school assessment system from summative to formative so as to implement a holistic approach by including multiple methods such as quizzes, role plays, groupwork, portfolios and extensive project work. The school has taken several steps to ignite the spark in young minds to think beyond and become independent in the path of new learning to touch many lives and remind us what true leaders are all about.
To implement a holistic approach by including multiple methods such as quizzes, role plays, group work, portfolios and extensive project work
