Guruvani: ‘Elders’ role vital in mentoring kids’

What is the biggest professional challenge that you face in your role as a principal?

The biggest challenge I face today is to meet up to parents’ expectations. Nowadays parents’ expectations from a school go beyond the traditional elements of academics and curriculum. It also includes good infrastructure, modern facilities, plenty of extracurricular activities, experienced and qualified teachers, and fine parent-school communication. Parents want a safe school with a stimulating learning environment where children should fall in love with the very idea of learning itself. The demands are too high and it is a challenge to excel in each aspect.

Once a teacher, always a teacher. Do you agree?

Yes! Absolutely. Nothing brings satisfaction and content the way teaching profession does.

Success has become an obsession with people of all ages nowadays. Your comments?

Yes, success has become an obsession with people nowadays. They are ready to take up any challenge without considering whether it is realistic or unrealistic, ethical or unethical. In the quest for success, people risk their health and even make sacrifices.

What emphasis do you put on teacher training?

It is very important to continuously train the teachers to upgrade their skills, master new knowledge and develop new proficiency to cater seamlessly to the 21st-century learner. Teaching and learning go hand in hand, and it is important to equip the teachers with up-to-date information to meet the demands of high-quality education.

What in your view is GenNext’s biggest strength? What are the key areas of improvement?

I feel that the GenNext is innately confident, overambitious and tech savvy. They can, however, be more realistic, patient and ethical.

How can the elderly contribute to a student’s growth?

The elders can play a pivotal role in a student’s growth with their experience and knowledge. With the elders mentoring, sharing of real-life experiences and perspectives, students can become more pragmatic and connected to the real world.

What according to you is the role of media in education?

The media plays a key role in today’s era. It’s the medium of transfer of information on a mass scale. Because the power of media is so extensive, it can be used to educate people in identifying the right path of progress, share meaningful information and supplement classroom education.