Government school thinks out of the box and scripts success story

As far as government schools go they have to face mighty odds to see their day to day operations including, lack of funds, teacher absenteeism and the bureaucratic tangle. But here is an example of a school which decided to rise above the mundane and truly commit itself to educational excellence and deliver truly jaw-dropping results.

The government senior secondary school (Class XI and XII) in Malpura has not only produced the Class XII arts topper this year but also given a 100 % result two times in a row now. Funded by parents, alumni and citizens this is the only government school which is under CCTV surveillance, has 3 smart classes, RO drinking water plant, fully functional science labs and a general library.

The popularity of this school can be gauged by the fact that it 1,200 students from 7 districts in 4 streams-agriculture, humanities, commerce and science study here. What sets this school apart is its custom designed pedagogy where the progress of the students in all 4 streams is monitored and promising students are identified. Special guidance is then provided to these students to enable them to make it to the merit list.

This year’s arts topper Rakesh Gurjar joined the school in 2014 and performed better than others in arts stream. Principal Girdhar Singh personally monitors the progress of such students. The monitoring process identified Gurjar as the most promising student in humanities. "I formed a team of teachers to work on his weak areas. In pre-board, he secured 85% and we set a target to increase his overall percentage by 10% in the board exams," said a visibly excited Girdhar. The strategy worked and Gurjar scored exactly 10% more than his per-board score.

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Though there is no way to verify the claim, however, the principal said that the school produced the highest number of IITians from any government school. The school records show that in the last 5 years alone 52 students from the school have cracked IIT. "Last year, we had 5 students, one of whom got selected in IIT-Mumbai," said the elated principal, who is hoping 10 students to crack IIT this year.

The school follows the same strategy to nurture success stories in science and commerce streams. Intelligent students are identified in Class XI science and based on their choice guided for IIT. The school has specially trained some of their teachers to prepare students for IIT. "We follow an integrated process by preparing them for IIT," said Singh, whose wants to now increase the number of success stories in the medical entrance exam also.

While the strategy to identify and nurture talent is in place, the real change happens in the way the education is imparted to students by focusing on graphics, illustrations and data. The teachers have been trained to use props for teaching complex concepts at the expense of the school.

"The traditional learning has been a failure. We spend a significant part of our donations in teacher learning programmes," said Singh.

The private funding from parents and alumni has also ensured that the infrastructure stands head and shoulders above many private schools. For all 1,200 students, the school boasts of proper seating arrangements, i.e., table and chairs. School has 40 small and big classrooms with proper lights, fans and board

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Image used for representational purpose only.