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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 try 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 Paramita Chaudhuri . She is the Coordinator of Shri Shikshayatan School . It aims at the all-round development of the child/individual. It focuses on the current needs and aspirations of a society, its inherent values, concerns as well as broad human ideals.

When did you decide to step into the world of education? What motivated you to become an Educator?

While I was in school, I was inspired by some of my teachers and I decided that teaching, particularly school teaching would be my profession in the future.

Share some of the challenges you have faced in your career journey. How did you convert those challenges into the pillars of success?

It has been 25 years of my career as a teacher and I find there has been a paradigm shift in the method of teaching. If we focus on the last one and half years, teaching from the classroom has moved to virtual. For someone like me, who was technologically challenged, taking classes over the virtual platform was quite a challenge. However, keeping the students in mind, I was able to adopt and adapt to the technology within a short time, and was able to fulfil the need of the hour. So, for me, the shift from the ‘chalk and talk’ to the virtual platform was the biggest challenge. But I am proud to say that, I have been able to deliver successfully in this area for my students – the ‘digital natives’.

What are the changes have you observed over the years in the field of education? Are you happy with these changes?

25 years ago, teaching was teacher-centric. Over the years, changes have taken place and it has now become student-centric. Rote learning has given way to critical thinking, problem solving , experiential learning and competency based learning.
With the 21st century skills, students develop self-reliance and are able to do research based leaning, where the teacher acts as the facilitator. These skills are imperative for the future generation, to cope with the modern challenges and to understand the global needs.
As an educator, I am quite happy the way teaching and education have changed.

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?

With the onset of NEP and the inculcation of 21st century skills in teaching, i feel that there must be a parity and correlation between schools and higher education. Let there not be any learning gap when students pass out from school and join colleges. Higher education should give equal importance to skill based subjects, which are often not there.
As educators we motivate the students to look for out of the box fields which are growing today and will have future prospects. I wish the government and the parents would realize this need of the hour and facilitate for the students in higher education.

Share your message with the aspiring teachers and leaders of tomorrow.

Teaching is a service oriented industry. We build the future generation for the country. Some might think it cliché, but it is true.As tea chers and leaders, we must always think of our most important stakeholder – the students. We need to continuously think towards their needs and keep changing our strategies and pedagogies with the changing times. When students pass board examinations with excellent results and join well known colleges/universities, that is the greatest incentive for a teacher.

Share your message for your and Curious Times students.

Education should not be restricted to the text books. You need to go beyond the classroom and delve deeper into the subject, as learning is never a waste. Develop the modern skills required to meet the challenges of the 21st century, comprehend the global needs and issues. Finally, become a good human being. Always remember, the sky id the limit and you can fulfil your dreams!

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