Rashid Sharfuddin, Headmaster of one of the well-known schools in Uttarakhand, Selaqui International School, has written a paper, ‘Marginalised communities and educational exclusion in North India’. Under his leadership, Selaqui International School has been providing cogent education to students. Now amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the school is way ahead with new ideas and technologies and continues to provide quality education to its students.
When asked about the ways in which the school has been dealing with the pandemic, Rashid said, “We have always been very particular about using blended technology in our classrooms. It has been part of our education for the last 20 years. And it was much easier for us to shift to what we call the online mode. But the biggest challenge was to get the kids back home well in time, and that all happened very smoothly.”
Selaqui International School has a reputation for providing excellent results. Speaking about what mediums they adopt for excellent outcomes, Rashid Sharfuddin said, “We take academics very seriously. In fact, it’s a myth that boarding schools do not pay as much attention as other schools. And this fallacy has been strengthened over the years without realising that these schools’ results are actually not only of the schools, but also of a web of support system that has created at home tuitions. I think that it is important to realise this. But in boarding schools, we have to provide that support within the school. And we were quite quick to realise this. In the last three years, we have been debunking this myth that we can’t do well in academics as results in Dehradun have been among the best, if not the best. In fact, the last three years we have been doing extremely well.”
Rashid asserted, “Our batting average is almost 92 percent. And this is quite an interesting figure. The college placements have been improving over the years because we believe that not just the result we look at, we look at student till the time they finish college. That’s an interesting phenomenon that we have been marking and keeping track of. And, of course, it is possible because of sustained effort by colleagues, by students. We map everyone’s progress in a school in a month.”
He added that the school has redesigned the curriculum to focus on enquiry-based learning with research and technology as a strong component. On asked about the school’s philosophy, he said, “We look at sports, music, art as an essential part of the educational process and not a side dish. We are a small school with just about 300 students, but a really expansive campus with all facilities required for the development of a child.”
“It’s important that the school is able to provide the kind of support a child needs in his or her growing years. At the heart of syllabify education is excellence, happiness and nurturing of human values, is what we do as it feeds on these three philosophies,” he added.
It is important to mention that his school has adopted five schools around Selaqui where it engages in teaching, designing lesson plans with the teachers, helps in the use of technology, and building infrastructure. It also runs a school on campus for children of adjoining areas, children who are come from the working groups. This all managed by children. Rashid points out that every child is expected to spend three days in a village studying and supporting the economy and connecting with locals, and working in the field of soil conservation, water conservation, among others.
On the issue of school reopening amid Covid-19, he said that with proper social distancing, and taking full precautionary measures, schools can open. He also mentioned that boarding school should be among the first ones to open.
Finally, extending his support to the National Education Policy, Rashid asserted, “National Education Policy is a step in the right direction, but I also believe that the major concern is the implementation of the policies. I am excited that the policy talks about competency-based testing, no rigid separation of classes, etc. But the problem will remain unless we do not get young teachers in the sector.”