Sometimes, it doesn't matter how many students you teach, but what kind of impact you have as an institution that determines your legacy.
With their inclusive, personalised education programmes for children with learning disabilities, along with their regular programmes, VIBGYOR Group of Schools started its 13th branch in Bengaluru's HSR Layout recently. Currently catering to more than 16,000 students within the city, the Group aims to continue its growth story with the focus of making Bengaluru an education hub.
Ashish Tibdewal, CEO, VIBGYOR Group of Schools, talks about how different the school has been and their plans to open in Tier II cities like Belagavi, Hubballi and Mysuru. Excerpts from the interview:
What kind of programmes do you offer for children having Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) like dyslexia?
We are an inclusive education institute where we have a specialised cell called the Personalised Learning Centre for children who suffer from Specialised Learning Disabilities. This centre will have counsellors and certified educators to help children work on their reading or learning disabilities. We categorise them into different levels like critical and so critical and based on this level, we take various measures to improve their skills. At present, we have 1500 children with special needs and they study with other children in normal classes.
How do teachers help children cope with exam stress?
We have a 'No Homework' policy for Classes I to VII. All the activities have to be done during school hours. For Classes VIII, IX and X, the focus of learning shifts from holistic learning to academic learning so that children can concentrate more on studies and do well in exams. Apart from that, we have career counselling for students to make them realise and choose subjects in which they are interested and stronger. There is academic counselling for students and various activities are given to overcome their stress and fear during exams.
Does your school also provide experiential learning programmes for children?
Our curriculum is designed in such a way that most of the chapters in the textbooks are taught by conducting activities. For example, if we have a chapter on the museum, the very next day after theoretical lessons, children are taken to a museum to teach its importance. We have Chemistry and Physics labs to make students experience various phenomena in Science.
Are there any Exchange programmes that you have tied with different countries?
Yes, we do have Exchange programmes tied up with schools of Germany and France. Every year, based on the all-around performance of the student, we send them to these countries to study in their schools for 15 days. They stay at their homes in German or France and study their culture. Similarly, there are children from different countries who come to our school to study and stay in our students' homes to study our practices and culture.
From one branch to 13 branches in Bengaluru, how has the journey been?
In 2004, we opened our first school in Mumbai. The first school in Bengaluru happened in 2007 and in all probability, we will be opening schools in Tier II cities like Mysore, Hubballi and Belagavi. We will continue to grow by providing quality education, experiential learning and various other programmes to benefit children.