My Expressions

Ed Leader – Dr. Anis Ahmad, Salmiya Indian Model School, Kuwait

Education is an integral part of a child’s upbringing. We, at Curious Times, have made it our aim to ensure that we also play an active role in imparting the right knowledge to all the Curious children. As such, we also are trying to ensure that we are always in touch with the leaders in education today and learning from them. After all, it is important to learn from the best.

So, today, we present to you a one-on-one conversation with Dr. Anis Ahmad. He is the Principal of Salmiya Indian Model School (SIMS) in Kuwait. SIMS is a CBSE-affiliated school that prepares students to understand, contribute to, and succeed in a rapidly changing society, thus making the world a better and more just place.

Also watch the one-on-one conversation of Dr. Anis Ahmad with Deepti Beri, Director at Curious Times at the end of this article.

When did you decide to step into the world of education? What motivated you to become an Educator? To be honest it was my father who forced me into this profession but once I was into it, I realised that I enjoyed it and found it fulfilling.

Share some of the challenges you have faced in your career journey. How did you convert those challenges into the pillars of success? The beginning of my career as a teacher itself was a challenge for me as I was compelled into this profession. But I was lucky enough to start my career from a residential school managed and run by the Ministry of Defence under the Government of India (Sainik School, Chittaurgarh). I had always wanted to be in a set up of the Armed Forces. So, to my pleasant surprise, I found that it was a pleasure to be there and I started enjoying my job. And there was no looking back.

What are the changes have you observed over the years in the field of education? Are you happy with these changes? As we know, changes have happened everywhere and the education sector is not an exception. When I look back at the almost 39 years of my career in education, I can see many changes. Most of them are positive and a few negative too. The syllabus/curriculum has been advanced and the teaching methodology has changed. New learning techniques have been introduced which are certainly good, provided they are used in a proper way. Even teacher training has been redesigned. The only negative change that I find is the relation between the teacher and the taught. I feel that the relationship has become more materialistic.

What changes would you like to see in the field of Education? What role can the various stakeholders like the government, teachers, students and parents play in this? Education is the most important sector that caters to the needs of all other sectors. Schools are the place where children are groomed for different sectors be it Health, Politics, Engineering, Justice, Corporate or whatever. I personally feel we must introduce more practical things rather than theoretical aspects. Learning should be more activity-based like how more advanced countries of the world have done, rather than rot learning. Governments have to draft the policy, teachers have to execute them, students have to adapt and parents have to understand the need. Moreover, parents should not force their own choices on children when it comes to choosing a career. We should have a system where we can identify the talents/ aptitude of children at an early age and give the child a chance to choose the career related to his talents and aptitude rather than forcing the choice of the parents.

Share your message with the aspiring teachers and leaders of tomorrow. Teaching is not a profession like medicine; it is an obsession and not a vocation. It is a life commitment rather than a livelihood.

Share your message for your and Curious Times students. Change is inevitable and we must learn to adapt to changes.

Dr. Anis Ahmad, Principal

Salmiya Indian Model School, Kuwait

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