Promoted in 2018 by the Delhi World Foundation, the CBSE-affiliated Delhi World Public School (DWPS), Ajmer has established an excellent statewide reputation within a short span of time through the provision of holistic 21st century education rooted in Indian values and culture to its 900 students.

Despite being a fairly new member of the DWPS family, the commitment and excellent crisis management skills of the school management and staff  – led by principal Bhanu Pratap Pant – came to the fore during the Covid-19 prompted extended mass closure of educational institutions.

Ensuring a holistic virtual learning experience

Since the announcement of the abrupt national lockdown in March this year, the school management and staff have been working tirelessly to ensure learning continuity of students. Initially, the school extensively leveraged its Next Learning platform to ensure a seamless online learning experience for students and thereafter, it started deploying the Google Suite digital platform to ensure holistic online learning. Through Google Classroom and Google Meet, the school staff have not only been delivering academic content and effectively assessing learning outcomes but have also conducted several co-curricular activities such as dance, music, elocution, Handwriting competition, French Quiz, Shloka and Doha Recitation, Chota Chef, among others. 

Designing a safe campus in the Covid-19 era

With the Centre recently giving a nod for schools to open in a phased manner,  the school has implemented stringent health and safety measures on campus to mitigate the spread of the virus.

“Safety of our students and staff is the paramount concern of the school and we have left no stone unturned to ensure that there is a least chance of catching the infection from the school. Everyone entering the school is checked at the gate for temperature by thermal scanners and in case detected as having fever, is denied entry. Face masks has been made compulsory for all entering the school campus. Hand sanitisers are provided to all at the gate and various other places in the school campus and social distancing is mandatory. Work spaces — offices, reception area, class rooms, buses etc – are sanitised daily and bags, stationery and ID cards of students will be sanitised with the UV sanitiser machines. The SOP’s followed in the school provide a safe and secure environment and have been highly appreciated by the parents too,” says Bhanu Pratap Pant.

A third-generation scion of a family of illustrious teachers of Mayo College Ajmer, Pant has a rich experience of close to three decades in teaching and school administration. He served as a principal for over fourteen years in the country’s top ranked residential and day schools before assuming office as the founder-principal of DWPS, Ajmer in 2018.

Pant is a recipient of the prestigious ‘Sarla Chopra National Award’ for contribution in the field of education and ‘Eminent Education Award’ of the National and International Compendium (NIC).

Fostering internationalism and community spirit amid the pandemic

Under the British Council ISA project, various activities were undertaken by the school to promote internationalism and to reach out to the wider global community. In all, seven projects have been selected and are slated to be completed by the students during the current academic year.

Through various artistic performances such as dance, music and art and craft, DWPS teachers and students have been committed to spread awareness in the larger community to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. Their videos have also been updated on the school’s social media page.

“Charity always begins at home. We lost one of our parents to Covid-19 and many parents because of the lockdown have lost their jobs and are facing financial crises. We have been counselling them to be strong and patient in these testing times and offering them assurance that no child will be removed from the school during this time. To ease parents’ financial burden, we have announced a substantial Covis-19 concession for all the students,” says Bhanu Pratap Pant. 

“The overwhelming response of our students and parents has been inspiring us to continue delivering holistic education amid these testing times through the concerted efforts of the school staff and management. We have come to believe adversity leads to the emergence of true champions! Remember that you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think. Believe in yourself, stay positive and stay safe, ” he adds.