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Books

Bland general successfully implemented

prescription MY GOOD SCHOOL: WHERE these well-worn prescrip-
PASSION MEETS EDUCATION
tions. The only two which
Sandeep Dutt Dutt finds worthy of
RUPA PUBLICATIONS mention are the Fab India
HE OBJECTIVE OF Rs.295 School in Bali, Rajasthan
this second edition Pages 169 (“a shining example of the
Tof My G ood S chool aristocracy of service”) and
authored by Dehradun- the Doon School, Dehra-
based Sandeep Dutt, dun. But this judgement
described as a school is suspect because the
coach, bookseller, runner, indicated above. Then „is book is very former was conceptualised
mountaineer and social follow several chapters on reluctant to give and constructed by Dutt
entrepreneur with the how children learn best credit to schools that and the latter is his alma
mission “to help schools (through a learning needs have successfully mater.
deliver better”, is to advise analysis) for teachers; implemented the well- Curiously, India’s
parents to choose qual- choice of curriculum (the worn prescriptions globally respected schools
ity schools, promoters to relative merits of CBSE, written by the author such as Rishi Valley (estb.
build great schools and CISCE and state boards 1926), Lawrence Sanawar
school leaders/principals presumably for promot- (1847), Woodstock (1852);
to nurture admirable ers/parents) with the cultivating children’s read- Bishop Cotton, Shimla
institutions. According to author expressing his ing habit; innovation and (1859) and Sherwood,
Dutt, a My Good School is preference for CISCE; design; the importance Nainital (1869) among
an institution that enables building schools with of teaching handwriting; others, don’t merit men-
“young people to follow quality (ensure you have every school staging its tion. Nor does the author
their passions in Service, a teacher development annual day; value of liberal of this manual attempt to
Skill, Sport and Study”. programme, practice arts education and open- make a distinction between
Quite rightly Dutt recog- diversity, inclusion and ness to new pedagogies day, boarding and inter-
nises that there’s more to belonging) for promoters/ and ‘learning approaches’ national schools which
K-12 education than mere principals; making sure is useful. But the problem self-evidently require to
academics and advocates that learning is enjoyable is that the prescriptions be assessed according to
holistic, all-round educa- for children (“fun is an are old hat and have been differing metrics.
tion, a pedagogy on which essential element of any reiterated time and again. More curiously, Dutt
a global consensus has learning process”) for Obviously without much is contemptuous of the
emerged. principals/teachers; the effect because comprehen- comprehensive annual
In the introduction the importance of education sion, reading and numera- EducationWorld India
author recounts that he and emotional support cy skills in the overwhelm- School Rankings (EWISR,
often meets people who at home (“parents must ing majority of India’s 1.5 estb. 2007) which rates
own a tract of land which find time and be intrinsi- million schools — in- the country’s top 2,500-
prompts them to con- cally involved and grow cluding 450,000 private 3,000 schools under 14
template promotion of a up with the children”) for schools — are poor. This parameters of educa-
school. “The challenge is parents; the importance is repeatedly underlined tion excellence (teacher
A
not in owning or setting up of classroom enthusiasm by the nnual S tatus of competence, teacher
a school, but operating it (“if the teacher is enjoying Education R ep ort (A S ER ) development and welfare,
well and delivering quality their (sic) work certainly of the highly respected leadership, infrastructure,
education. We need to the students will love the Pratham Education Foun- co-curricular and sports
understand the purpose process of learning”) for dation. education etc) and ranks
of the school before we set teachers, and why teach- Therefore clearly the them in three main and 11
out to build it with brick ers are averse to change problem is not the quality sub-categories (to elimi-
and mortar,” writes Dutt. (lack of appreciation, loss of school improvement nate apples and oranges
The purpose of a school of self-esteem, out-dated prescriptions, but how type comparisons). The
is to provide children the syllabuses and tools of to implement them. In annual EWISR is based on
opportunity to do commu- delivery). this regard, this book is the perception of 12,000-
nity service, learn a skill, All this and other ad- very reluctant to give any 15,000 carefully chosen
play sports and study, as vice on the importance of credit to schools that have sample respondents

78 EDUCATIONWORLD MARCH 2021