Dr. Kavita Nagpal, VP-Academics, North Zone, ORCHIDS The International Schools.
‘This year marked the first one to enable the facilitation of regular offline classes post-covid. Despite the challenges coupled with a plethora of problems initiated by COVID-19, the emergence of new opportunities has been on the horizon, and doors to innovation in the education sector have become wide open. The introduction of skill-based curriculums and programs, as opposed to subject-oriented learning, brought about a significant change in the education scenario. The schools also devised new programs to help the children get familiarized with the changes, ensuring a smooth transition from online to the offline medium during this post-pandemic academic season.
Orchids have implemented and demonstrated a holistic approach to learning ensuring to pique students’ interest in coming back to school and participating in these programs for their overall growth. OIS has introduced 5 unique programs in its curricula such as horticulture, astronomy, public speaking, financial literacy, and robotics. These subjects are also part of NEP (National Education Policy) 2022, introduced by the ministry of education, Govt. of India. Keeping in mind the shift from online to offline classes, the school predicted that it will have a huge mental impact on the kids, and hence OIS introduced the SOCH wing, a team of mental health counselors, where all the OIS branches will have at least one student counselor to keep a regular check on their mental health, especially students with special needs. The Get Fit program introduced by Orchids is yet another example that guides students for a healthy physique.
OIS has mapped mental, social, and emotional learning to be included as the key focus in the coming years. Technology will be utilized to the utmost capacity – virtual and augmented reality, and gamification has already taken a prominent place in the system. As skill-based education gains an acceleration in momentum, STEAM-based learning will see a significant push in the education sector over the coming years. With NEP coming into its foray, the curriculum will see major changes across schools as experiential learning gains more popularity. Making learning enjoyable will be the core intent behind programs to be introduced by schools in the near future. A value-based education will be the norm going forward.’
