– Saurabh Modi, Founder-Chairman, Neerja Modi School, Jaipur As educators, we want children in our classrooms to be happy, of course. But, how do we rationalise that their contentment truly matters when it comes to learning and absorbing the knowledge being imparted? According to a new study by HGSE lecturer Christina Hinton, the answer to my question is well-defined: It matters tremendously. As Hillary Clinton has rightly said, “It takes a village to raise a child”, we constantly go beyond the office or classrooms to engage every child in her/his development and progress. The friendly staff at the gate, a smiling bus driver or a compassionate lunchroom faculty member play an enormous role in how students feel about their presence in the school. Plutarch said that “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be ignited”, and although what motivates each one of us to accept what we fill our minds with to achieve our dreams is different for each one of us, the underlying reasons are quite alike. We can reasonably debate that extrinsic motivations like grades, standardised tests, and financial rewards are purely provisional enticements that cannot deliver a sustainable structure for quality learning and careers. I also agree that student learning and performance especially in the current world of online learning will forever remain a challenge. How has the proliferation of online lessons altered the psyche of students or de-humanised the learning experience? Therefore, the pertinent question that surfaces is that as educators how do we motivate and engage our future world citizens to develop the willpower and determination to learn and succeed? Alumni engagement is vital At NMS, we understand how building significant association with students and alumni is central to the strategic growth and advancement of higher education programmes. Though alumni typically move away from campus to pursue a career, we ensure, through various programmes, that they stay in touch and build a global professional network. Presently, NMS students greatly benefit from mentorship from engaged alumni. Nothing inspires former students to stay plugged in with their alma mater and students like the prospect to build carmaraderie with other alumni. We have all grappled with a dearth of social interaction during the pandemic, and virtual community-building events are the perfect therapy for this situation. As we continue to discover new digital solutions to advance support to students who are learning remotely, as business leaders and educators, we have an opportunity to employ technology to shape engaging experiences and maintain a student-institution relationship across the student lifecycle and beyond graduation. Bringing peer mentoring into the larger picture Mentoring programmes have time and again established themselves as an important part of students’ lives. The role of a mentor is unparalleled and mentored students possess better attitudes towards their schools and teachers, build strong interpersonal skills for life, and most importantly have better attendance. This is precisely why, at NMS, we prioritise the need for peer mentoring systems. We all struggle with insecurities and…
