HT Pace’s Sarthak event: Academicians push for inclusive teaching for students’ holistic development

Academicians focused on bringing an inclusive approach in teaching practices during the “Sarthak” event organised by HT PACE, in collaboration with Chitkara University, on Saturday.

The discussion, which centered on “Preparing students for the future: Skills and competencies”, was held at Hotel Fortune. The guest speaker on the occasion, Robin Sawan, delivered a presentation.

After the lamp lighting ceremony, Hoshiarpur’s Sahodhya Association president and Dasuya’s Darshan Academy principal Rasik Gupta, who was accompanied by HT Media Ltd. business head Chhatra Chhetri and Chitkara University director of strategic initiatives Preeti Chaudhary, said school heads needed to be regularly updated about circulars and directions issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to prevent students from facing inconveniences.

“It is our responsibility to understand and decode the circulars cautiously before issuing further directions to the students,” Gupta added.

In a lecture, Robin Sawan said developing skills and competencies was essential for the students’ future.

He further highlighted that in the fast-evolving world, students needed to be taught and briefed about rapid technological changes, job market evolution, globalised workforce, lifelong learning, creative problem solving and fostering resilience in uncertain situations to handle setbacks and adapt accordingly.

“The key skills for the future are critical thinking, innovation, communication, collaboration and emotional intelligence. On the other hand, the competencies essential for the future include technological literacy, cultural competence, global awareness, ethical decision making, lifelong learning and entrepreneurial mindset,” Sawan said.

While addressing the gathering, Chaudhary said the focus should always remain on positive advancement in the education sector.

“Teaching is about creating knowledge to enable students to create a niche among themselves. Moreover, MoUs with foreign universities will help them in getting exposure in the global era,” Chaudhary said.

Gurmeet Kaur Gill, CBSE resource person and principal of Dashmesh Group of Schools, Mukerian, said in contemporary times, teachers should act as researchers and must take feedback from the students to understand behavioural changes and other aspects for their holistic development.

“It is surprising that many teachers are reluctant to gather feedback from students due to which they struggle to understand their psychological aspects,” she said.

Rashmi Maingi, principal of SVJC DAV Public School, Dasuya, said, “Since we cater to the students belonging to rural backgrounds, it becomes difficult to execute plans related to inclusive teaching. The teachers, however, should try and give their best.”

Shalu Gupta, principal of Apex International Public School, Nakodar, said the principals and teachers should create an atmosphere of curiosity among the students.

Gurmeet Kaur, senior executive, DC Model International School, Ferozepur City, said they have not yet received approval for direct admission for Class 12 from the CBSE. “This delay is impacting our ability to complete the submission of LOC process for the students,” she added.

Chhetri said that Hindustan Times would ensure the queries related to the CBSE received from the gathering of principals and directors were forwarded to the board’s regional officer for redressal. “We focus on empowering students with critical thinking, adaptability and digital skills to ensure that they thrive in the future,” Chhetri said.

CBSE regional officer Rajesh Gupta said the conference would be beneficial for the principals and stakeholders.

“We have already issued directions to principals to carefully fill the registration details of students from Classes 9 to 12 as per instructions from the board’s headquarters in New Delhi. Any kind of correction and subject change, after the finalisation of the list of candidates (LOC), will not be entertained and no window will be provided for the same. Therefore, the schools have been directed to submit the data carefully to avoid complications. They should also report technical and other issues to the Regional Office, Chandigarh, for early resolution before the finalisation of the LOC on October 4,” he said.

HT PACE Chandigarh head Monika Chopra highlighted the initiatives taken in organising quiz completions and students’ visits to industrial units. She discussed how the school edition paper was delivered to 350 schools in Punjab and 45,000 copies were sold.

“More than 30,000 students participate in the movie fiesta segment of HT PACE every year,” she said, while detailing about HT PACE’s future endeavours through a presentation.