Dr. Madhav Deo Saraswat
Principal, The Scindia School, Gwalior

An English, Hindi and Sanskrit alumnus of the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Agra, Dr. Madhav Deo Saraswat acquired over three decades of teaching and admin experience in reputed schools (The Doon School, Orchid International, Nasik) prior to taking charge in 2015 as principal of the vintage The Scindia School, Gwalior (estb.1897). In the latest EW India School Rankings 2019-20, The Scindia School is ranked India’s #1 boys boarding school.

Scindia School’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.

We have successfully struck a fine balance between meaningful engagement, counseling and communication to ensure all our stakeholders — students, parents and staff — remain calm and unruffled. In a way, the disruption has proved to be a blessing in disguise. It has pushed us to urgently train our teachers in online pedagogies delivery to which our students have reacted enthusiastically.

Major challenges confronting Indian K-12 education in the Covid era.

The challenges before Indian education going forward are manifold. Among them:

• Reconciling the syllabuses and learning systems of the country’s 33 state and national examination boards
• Given the vast income disparities that are endemic in Indian society, how will children from socio-economically disadvantaged households have access to digital and online learning opportunities?
• There is also a huge shortage of good quality teachers. This is because the teaching vocation is neither well-respected nor well-paid
• In case the lockdown of education institutions is prolonged, it’s going to be a tough job for school managements and teachers to convince parents that a year lost academically, is not life lost.

State governments fees waiver/deferment directives.

If schools don’t collect contracted fees, how do they pay their teachers? It is undeniably true that many parents have suffered huge business losses and some of them may not have the means to pay the annual fees that many private schools levy at the start of the new academic year. In our case, the chairman of our board of governors has written to all parents informing them of fees reduction in the recently concluded year. We have also reached out to the parents and deferred fee payment dates. We have been overwhelmed by our parents’ support and understanding in these trying times. I am fortunate to be supported by an empathetic and pragmatic board of governors and a co-operative parents community.

Top 3 K-12 education reform recommendations.
• The Union HRD ministry should set up a national committee to examine ways and means to standardise learning and assess students across India. The multiple examination boards countrywide are only widening the gap between the haves and have-nots
• Indian society has to find solutions to make teaching a respectable profession and ensure some standardisation in remuneration. This is important to attract the best university graduates and improve the quality of teachers
• A national consensus on making education and health the top priorities of the Central and state governments, needs to be evolved.

Future direction of Scindia School.

As the Covid-19 pandemic and national lockdown has shown, the best laid plans can be reduced to nothing. Therefore, it’s important to build flexibility into all plans and vision statements. In my view, a great school has to nurture students with strong moral fibre, and capability to understand and appreciate Indian culture and heritage in the global context.