Guruvani: 'Instilling ideals is a big challenge'

What is the biggest professional challenge that you face in your role as a principal?Principal being head of an institution faces challenges similar to any other institutional head. The principal faces a mix of issues: its core function of teaching/ learning, managing human resources/ facilities, the evolving regulatory environment and dealing with sensitive issues of security and sensitising children to social ills. Of these, the biggest challenge is to imbibe desirable attributes of an exemplary citizen in students who come from diverse backgrounds. Though it is a part of teaching/ learning process, absence of prescribed curricula with respect to character building necessitates innovating effective methods for instilling ideals.Once a teacher, always a teacher. Do you agree?The saying “Once a teacher, always a teacher” is true in all its facets. Teaching is a job of nation building. The teachers realise this while practising their profession. They develop character and the nuances of effective communication besides the subject they teach. The traits so picked up become habits and eventually the person themselves. Success has become an obsession with people of all ages nowadays. Comment.There is a famous saying that “Nothing succeeds like success.” The pursuit of success sometimes becomes an obsession. I feel that on one hand pursuit of excellence is desirable but on the other chasing success, devoid of real work, would be a shallow exercise. Hence we teach children to pursue excellence and assure them that success will follow. It is also important to enjoy what we do: pursuit of knowledge or our profession. Therefore, making the right choices becomes an imperative, especially in today’s environment of diverse choices available to the people.What in your view is GenNext’s biggest strength? Which are the key areas of improvement?Gen Next’s biggest strength is easy availability of information which empowers them. Therefore, with these resources the younger generation identifies opportunities early and is focused on their goals.Given the diverse needs of today youngsters, what emphasis do you put on teacher training?The diverse needs of youngsters pose challenges in terms of choices available and information explosion/ social media. The youngsters are obliged to participate in this evolving environment and keep abreast with technology. In this backdrop, social behaviour of youngsters and their interpersonal skills get reoriented. Teacher training must account for these changes/ aspects and fill gaps in achieving sound personalities.What according to you is the role of media in education?Media in its electronic mode has an immense capacity to reach one and all in society. The media must orient itself towards knowledge dissemination and also project social issues responsibly. The media must orient itself for social harmony and be devoid of biases. A responsible media is sure to educate society with desirable outcomes of harmony.Tell us about your leisure activities and how you spend time with family and friends?One of the things I love to do is reading as I believe it’s a great way to improve writing skills as well. Being a lifelong learner, this habit updates me about the world, whether it’s human relationships, some aspects of the physical world or intriguing new ideas.I like to spend quality time with my family/ friends which helps me to create wonderful memories that last a lifetime.Sr. Divya Thomas, principal, Jesus Mary Joseph Senior Secondary School, Paschim Vihar