Global GURUKULS

Global GURUKULS
Geetha Rao & S Nandagopal | TNN


Perhaps the need for international schools has never been felt more urgently than now. Today, families move not from city-to-city, but from country-tocountry.
And an international curriculum allows for easy transition. In addition, Bangalore is becoming a world-class city, and a sizeable population here seeks international schools because they can afford them. Period.
WHAT’S AN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL?
Says Bindu Hari, senior principal and director, The International School Bangalore (TISB): “Parents must do their homework. They must look for parameters like international student profile, teacher profile and curriculum in these schools.”
TISB has children from nearly 40 countries. The principal, Matthew T Sullivan, is from Britain and the school has a sizeable international staff. Day scholars number 500. At Indus International School, there are 720 students from 30 countries. Forty per cent of them are from foreign countries and 30-40 per cent are Indians. Many parents work in the IT, ITeS and banking sectors. Pritam Benjamin, principal, Inventure Academy, says, in addition to an international curriculum, the school must also offer sub-skills like confidence, presentation and public speaking that make the child self-reliant. The school must also offer a level of infrastructure, opportunities and an international education that helps them go abroad and study.
SYLLABUS
While some schools offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP) for class XI and XII (‘grades’ as it is called), others offer the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) up to class X as it enables students to appear for a public examination in class X. Some schools offer a combination of IGCSE and ICSE up to class VIII, which continue into ISC and IGCSE to class XI and XII.
CLASSES
Classes are concept-driven, rather than textbook-driven. The curriculum demands a hands-on, application-oriented and problem-based approach.
The teacher is a facilitator here, unlike in conventional schools where the teacher’s word is final.
There may not be implicit obedience, and the teacher encourages debate, allowing students to disagree.
It’s a real challenge for teachers. So, they
undergo induction programmes and also staff orientation courses throughout the year. The programmes are mostly related to the curriculum, but also delve into soft skills like assertiveness.
Teachers find that they must cater to students of different abilities. For example, a class may have students who can’t speak English and those who are very fluent in English.
A system of multi-level teaching in a single class is a prerequisite.
Hence, the International Baccalaureate (IB) has made it mandatory for schools to spend substantially on teachers’ training and development throughout the year.
The student-teacher ratio is 1:7 in the primary sections and 1:9 in the higher grades. A class usually has 25 students, enabling personalised attention and care.
DIVERSITY
The diversity in a class is a challenge. So when you ask the class to solve a problem, the Indian student might come up with two solutions, while Russian and Chinese students find different solutions altogether. Heterogeneity stimulates innovation. Says, Lt General Arjun Ray, CEO, Indus International School: “Because of diversity, children learn tolerance and acceptance. If your workplace is going to be diverse, it helps if children grow up in this environment.”
FEE
Fee ranges from 1 lakh to more than Rs 4 lakh per year. It usually takes care of food, boarding and books. Again, this differs from school-to-school.
EXAMS
The IB exams have two parts — core subjects and extended subjects. Each subject has three components — multiple choice, structured questions and in-depth application-based open-ended questions that demand free-response answers (held on different days). The answer papers may be sent anywhere for correction — from Australia to the UK.
Class XI and XII students have to submit two research papers — Theory of Knowledge, which is a 2,000-word thesis, and another research paper of 4,000 words on a particular subject.
Students have to field questions from extra-curricular activities like music, art, theatre and sports.
Unlike the credit system in the US, the marking is based on a point system — with 7 points for each subject, which adds up to 42 for six subjects, and 3 points for the extended essay. For the essay, students must hypothesise, give data, interpret it, design an experiment if necessary, draw conclusions, and state the scope for further research.
THE CUISINE
With so many students from all over the world, the food is as diverse as the student community. The menu ranges from Thai, Italian, South Indian, North Indian to Continental. Coke and pizzas are banned in some schools, energy drinks banned in others, but a wholesome pizza cooked at the school kitchen is allowed.
toiblr.reporter@timesgroup.com
HOW TO START AN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
One needs a NoC from the state, and approval from the IB and Cambridge to follow their curriculum
The IBO headquarters is located in Cardiff and the Asia-Pacific regional office is in Singapore
IBO representatives come down for a five-year detailed review, which goes into all aspects of schooling. There’s an inspection during exams. The IB has a validation system, where officials follow a teacher around, look into lesson plans, how different levels are catered to, etc.
UNIQUE FEATURES
Proctors work with teachers and counsellors and deal with breach in discipline and errant behaviour
In some schools, there is an attrition rate of 15-20% throughout the year. Students drop out when their parents are transferred
A teacher must have a neutral accent. A teacher with a strong Indian accent is given accent training at school, like at a BPO. The teacher must also have the ability to understand foreign accents
Many schools have a strong community orientation through their outreach programmes, where students work in villages. For foreign students, and Indians born and brought up abroad, this is a challenge because a majority have not a seen a village before. Schools need to take parents’ permission before visiting a slum.
Schools celebrate national days or ethnic days at the assembly. Students come dressed in their ethnic wear, and make a presentation on their country and culture. The menu that day could include items from the cuisine of that country
Cricket has caught on in these schools, but soccer is popular among US students
These schools have student-exchange and staff-exchange programmes. At Treamis World School, students from Grade VII to IX go to a school in the US, and staff from there come here for a workshop and planning the curriculum together, says Dakshayini Kanna, director.