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Ed leader – Abhilasha Singh, Shining Star International School Abu Dhabi

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 Abhilasha Singh. She is the Principal of Shining Star International School Abu Dhabi. Shining Star International School is a high performing International School in Abu Dhabi, fully accredited with CBSE. Our students receive a sound and holistic education across a wide range of subjects and extra-curricular activities, which helps them to develop and hone a broad range of skills.

Here is a edited short excerpt of the one-on-one conversation of Abhilasha Singh with Deepti Beri, Director at Curious Times. Also, watch the full video of the conversation at the end of this excerpt.

When did you decide to step into the world of education? What motivated you to become an Educator? I started my teaching career about 23 years ago. As an army wife, teaching was the best option as a career for me. But when I started teaching, I realised I absolutely loved it. And there was no looking back. I learned a lot from many educators and teachers along the way. You see your work through your students and I feel very motivated by them.

About Shining Star School Abu Dhabi. Shining Star is a fairly young school but we have made rapid strides. I have been the principal since 2019 and yes, COVID-19 changed a lot of things. But it’s been a busy time and the school has been doing so well.

Challenges faced during the pandemic. We were somewhat prepared already, as a global school that does a lot of volunteer work with schools in different countries. So, creating a system for online schooling was not that difficult. We were already trained on many online platforms and that really helped us make a smooth transition. Teachers here are also trained on many Microsoft platforms, so it made things easy. We also made training courses for parents. The government of the UAE also provided a lot of help.

Thoughts on NEP 2020. It could not have come at a better time. Right now, we are more open to change. We are at the education reimagination phase. We have revised and incorporated the new changes in the curriculum and we are looking forward to it.

Learnings for India. The difference between India and the UAE is that the growth mindset in the UAE is very progressive and is a great learning opportunity. I feel that the Indian education system is more rigid and we should be more flexible. We have to create competent and independent learners and so for that, only focus on academics will not do. Empathy should also be at the heart of education and that’s something we are trying to do in my school as well. Indian students are well known for studies globally but there is also a need to learn about much more than the syllabus.

What do you think is the role of the teacher today, with so much change in technology and its importance? Share your message with the aspiring teachers and leaders of tomorrow. Teaching is a work of heart, a calling. Teachers should join teaching as a choice and as a first choice. Teaching is important for nation-building. So, today, teachers should be facilitators and guides, a friend and philosopher. You must teach and also confirm that learning has taken place. Teaching is also a demanding profession today. So, teachers need to step up and raise independent thinkers. The new generation is much smarter than us. So, stepping up is important.

Share your message for your and Curious Times students. We get this life once and it’s precious. We must be empathetic, kind and help those who are in need. Be a global changemaker – think global, act local. Ensure that you are doing your bit to achieve global goals. Don’t just live for yourself, live for others.

Abhilasha Singh, Principal

Shining Star International School Abu Dhabi

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