Schools should be recalled with fondness

Manisha Sablok, principal of Maeer MIT School on Paud Road has been with the school for over 20 years. She talks about the changes in the school and in the education sector over the past two decades.

Tell us about the inception of the school? How have things changed since?

The school was founded in 1990 by V D Karad under the group Maharashtra Academy of Engineering and Educating Research Pune. At the time, there weren't many schools in this area. The group had originally started with engineering colleges. Then they realized there were not enough schools for children. That is how the school came about. Now it is 21 years old and we have over 1,200 students.

We started with primary and pre-primary batches in the basement of another building. Now we have a large campus. We're very proud of the way it has been built; it's airy and sunlit. I've often been told that the school is like a 'hawa mahal' with a breeze always blowing. The campus is full of medicinal trees and the children have a huge ground to play.

Since the school's inception, we have also shifted to the new continuous evaluation system.

What about your personal journey with the school?

I joined the school in 1991, as a primary school teacher for the fourth grade. In 1992 I began teaching high school students. In 1997, I was appointed supervisor and since 1998, I have been the principal.

What is the school's philosophy? How do you balance academics and extra-curricular activities?

We want to provide children with value-based education. Our goal is that by the time the student passes tenth grade, he or she should be a confident personality. Now, personality comprises academics, extra-curricular activities, sports and other life lessons. Of course, in a school the focus is always on academics but luckily, arts, sports and other such pursuits form part of our curriculum.

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