Global standard education, a DPS STS mission
Vice Principal Madhu Wal tells The Independent as the school completes 10 years of excellence in Bangladesh
Mubtasim Fuad, Dhaka
Delhi Public School (DPS) STS Dhaka was established by the STS Group in 2009 with a vision to provide globally benchmarked quality education. The DPS STS School provides science, technology, engineering and mathematics equipment to children of Grades I to VII in the Science and Technology classes. The partner school of the British Council, Dhaka, ensures a global standard of education and also develops students as independent learners who have independent study habits.
The Independent talked to the Vice-Principal of the school, Madhu Wal, who herself is a postgraduate in English Literature from Miranda House, Delhi University. She is a former head of the English faculty at famous schools like Mayo College, Ajmer, G.D. Birla Memorial School, Ranikhet and Lawrence School, Lovedale.
Q. Could you please briefly share the vision of DPS STS School and its education policies?
A. We feel a school is known by its products i.e. the finished product. Thats why we want to create visionary global citizens having sound knowledge and wide exposure and who are tech-savvy, so that they are very confident. They are very smart and, simultaneously, broad-minded, while being rooted in the local Bangladeshi culture. The important thing is this blendthough they have a global vision, they can fit in at any part of the world and feel comfortable. We place a lot of emphasis on Bengali as a language and on the history of Bangladesh, and we encourage children to go out for a lot of field trips. Our objective is to prepare students to face the challenges of the future.
Q. What do you think are the issues that need to be addressed in Bangladeshs educational system? And how does DPS STS School address these?
A. In the current educational parlance, learning to learn is very important. Which means that the students need to develop themselves as independent learners and have independent study habits rather than being spoon-fed and being dependent on private tutors and coaching centres. This is one drawback which I find in the general education system over herethe students are too much dependent. I believe students need to be disciplined and committed; only then can they be good at academics. They also need to develop 21st century skills like collaborative learning, analytical skills, application of knowledge to real-life situations, etc. We encourage creativity and originality.
Q. As a Cambridge curriculum-based school, tell us the factors that differentiate this curriculum from other curricula.
A. The Cambridge International curriculum sets a global standard for education and has universal recognition. The Cambridge curriculum is flexible, challenging, inspiring, culturally sensitive, and yet international in its approach. Cambridge International helps students become confident, responsible, reflective, innovative and engaged, and ready to tackle the demands of tomorrow, not just today. Other curricula also have very good content. Im not saying that their content is not good. But in the Cambridge curriculum, it is the teaching technique that actually makes the difference.
Q. Extra-curricular activities are vital for broadening the horizon of knowledge. What are the extra-curricular activities offered by DPS STS School?
A. I think we have an edge over the other schools here. We are offering a very diversified programme of extracurricular activitieswe prefer to call these co-curricular. We dont consider these to be extras, we consider them to be part of the learning process. We organise the highest number of field trips, overseas as well as within the country: we are the first school ever to go to NASA. We have a debating club, we have Olympiads like Bangla Olympiad and Science Olympiad. We have a very strong music department with specialised teachers, and we teach both Bangla music and western. We also have a very good dance department. We have a fantastic art and craft department. We also have a very strong emphasis on community club activities.
Q. In this tech-based era, where kids become exposed to technology earlier than everespecially with smartphonesdo you think this has a significant impact on creativity at an early age?
A. Yes, it has a significant adverse impact on creativity at an early age. It is even known to affect the cognitive development of children. Communication skills, conversation, cognitive skills, understanding are all adversely impacted. Of course, technology has its advantages, but I personally feel its affecting their imaginative minds. Its also blocking their reading habits.
Q. How is Cambridge at the primary and lower secondary levels essential for the preparation for learning with understanding and the key to success at the IGCSE and A-Levels? How does Cambridge in the pre-primary programme develop a student and provide a well-balanced academic and extra-curricular education?
A. Earlier, it was called Early Year Foundation Stages (EYFS). Now this lays the foundation stone for future learning because there is a strong emphasis on higher levels of essential core subjects that we focus onour literacy, numeracy, science and ICT. The children are also exposed to physical development through indoor and outdoor activities. The students get to play an active role in the classroom.
