A state-of-the-art school that balances the best of “international education steeped in strong Indian roots”. That’s the kind of school Shashwat and Shivika Goenka have in mind at RP Goenka International School that is all set to open on Diamond Harbour Road in 2023. They roll out admissions today and chat with The Telegraph exclusively, on their vision for their passion project.
Congratulations for the RP Goenka International School...
Shivika: This process started a couple of years ago, before Covid. It’s a project that is close to our hearts. The group has always been passionate about education and this is something we did to give back to the city. We wanted to create a truly international school that we felt was missing. We wanted to give children all the opportunities that are available in this day and age in terms of state-of-the-art infrastructure, faculty and we want to create a new benchmark of excellence in international education in India. It will be from kindergarten to the 12th standard. Next year we are launching nursery to grade five, 2024 would be secondary grade and by 2025, it’ll be a full school.
You both have studied abroad. What from your schooldays have you brought to the school?
Shivika: I did my schooling in Singapore, at an international school. We have digital technology, a robotics lab, a design technology lab, an innovator’s lab. That is something we got inspired from there (abroad). We’ve got what we felt would be a great addition. We also have great faculty. In my school, the student-teacher ratio was low. For each teacher, we had only about seven-eight students. That increases personalised learning. Every child is different and every child’s learning too. We are trying to get the best of both worlds. International education steeped in strong Indian roots.
Shashwat: One of the most important things we wanted to do was create an environment where students are happy and they’d want to come every day. Then, we wanted to give them exposure beyond what a traditional school offers. That’s been the philosophy in its entirety, right from the breakout spaces, to the play areas, to the design of the classrooms which are flexible, to the entire curriculum in itself. Therefore, the choice of doing an international curriculum which allows you to have this level of flexibility. And, you are not testing kids and comparing them against each other. The real growth is comparing the child with the previous achievements of the child. That also helps build that confidence in kids.
There are so many platforms to learn from now. How have you inculcated that in your approach to education?
Shivika: Covid has brought about a change in education; the hybrid model is around now. We are aware that technology plays a significant role in children’s education today. So, we have interactive smart pods in every classroom, digital management systems, a technology where the parents can be involved in a child’s learning....
There is so much stress on mental health. What is the approach on that front?
Shivika: Mental health is so important. There are counsellors in every school now. You need someone to get the students to open up. We also believe meditation is so important. There is so much clutter in this day and age. We have yoga and martial arts. We are looking at making it a holistic school.
What about extracurricular activities?
Shivika: We’ll be having co-curricular engagements. So, we’ll be offering a lot of creative activities, art and craft, calligraphy, dance, photography, speech and drama, film-making, pottery, music and more. There will be a lot of sports too, like badminton, chess, cricket, football, gymnastics, karate, kick-boxing, rock climbing, squash, swimming, table tennis, yoga, Zumba, martial arts.... We also want the students to do a lot of community service. So, there’ll be fundraising, environment clubs, field work, networking with children from different backgrounds.
What is needed in this day and age to tap into a child’s potential to the fullest?
Shivika: When we were growing up, it was a lot of rote learning, but now I think it’s a lot more experiential. The inquiry-based system is really coming up. The teaching methodology has changed. Now the idea is to make them understand conceptually so that they can apply to their day-to-day life.
What are you doing to ensure that the school bags are not super heavy?
Shashwat: It’s not textbook learning. It’s experiential where you arrive at an answer. So, the number of books is much lesser. You’ll have worksheets. There is a limited concept of taking the work home.
What did you enjoy most about your schooldays?
Shivika: Looking back, I have fond memories of my schooldays. I think I was a good kid, a shy kid. I wasn’t only academically oriented. I liked art and also a lot of extracurriculars too.
Shashwat: I liked school (St. Xavier’s Collegiate School) and loved the people at school. The teachers were nice, which helped me become grounded. The school definitely taught great values. I wished the school had a lot more to offer and readied you for things that you would face in the real world, which I guess traditionally didn’t happen. And, we are looking to change that.
Do you think a solid education is even more important in the times we are living in right now?
Shashwat: Absolutely. It is extremely important, especially in the post-pandemic era when a lot of kids are Covid babies and have spent a large part of their childhood cooped up in their homes. So, a holistic education approach becomes important. We are looking to do something which is transdisciplinary. It is learning about the same concept in multiple ways. It is a 360-degree understanding of concepts.
In this day and age, education spans beyond the school into what you do at home and how that merges back into the school. You are not really learning from a textbook any more. You are not necessarily learning what is right and wrong, in terms of there is only one right answer, but it is about how to think and develop their sense of critical thinking so that they can arrive at their own answer.
We are trying to equip them with a huge deal of problem-solving skills, which will equip them to be leaders of tomorrow. A lot of what we learnt is not even applicable to what we do today. Today we can’t anticipate what knowledge we’ll need in future. We live in a world where knowledge is available at your fingertips. So, it’s not about the knowledge but about how to use that knowledge to deliver on things you need.
Shashwat, what of your grandfather’s and father’s teachings have stayed with you?
Shashwat: I think to be honest and upfront. Be genuine and authentic and we would expect the same from our students. As a family, education is something we hold close to our hearts. From my grandfather’s time, there has been a lot of emphasis on education, not just for family members but making it possible for the larger world. Between him and dad, we set up the IMI Delhi Institute 40 years ago and then got it to Kolkata and Bhubaneswar as well. Dad has been three terms chairman of IIT Kharagpur....
Some on-campus facilities
Dance/drama/music rooms
Robotics and AR/VR Labs
Art studio
Sports field
Indoor sports hall
Swimming pool
Practice cricket pitch
Running track
Squash court
Indoor sports hall
Yoga and MMA studio
Breakout spaces
Design and technology lab
Libraries
Quick Facts
Academic year: July 2023-June 2024
Teacher: student ratio: 1:8
Admissions open: August 25, 2022 for Nursery to Grade 5
Email: admissions@rpgis.in
For more information: https://www.rpgis.in/