Ludhiana: Govt school principals back from Singapore with novel strategies
Singapore’s education system continuously evolves, whereas here, stagnation is a challenge; to tackle this, he will share his learnings across 27 schools in his block and explore new ways to keep teachers motivated and students engaged
After a week-long training in Singapore, government school principals from the district are ready to introduce changes in their schools to enhance learning and boost students’ confidence.
A group of 36 principals from across the state, including 9 from Ludhiana district, attended training at the Principal’s Academy, Singapore, from March 9 to 15. Inspired by their experience, they plan to implement new strategies in the upcoming academic session.
Focus on reading and public speaking
Charanjeet Kaur Ahuja, principal of Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS), Cemetery Road, plans to set up a stage inside the school library. Students will share key lessons from books they read, helping them build confidence and improve communication skills. She also observed that Singapore’s education system promotes lifelong learning, with opportunities for adults to upgrade their skills.
Similarly, Shallu Chaney, principal of GSSS Katani Kalan, wants to ensure students actively engage with books. Students will be required to share lessons from their readings, which will be considered in their internal assessment. “By making students self-reliant, we encourage self-study,” she said. She also highlighted the skill-based approach in Singapore compared to India’s theory-heavy curriculum. However, she noted that parental involvement in education is easier there, as most parents are educated, unlike many migrant laborer families in the state.
Empowering schools with more autonomy
Smriti Bhargav, principal of GSSS Girls, Gill, was impressed by the structured implementation of Singapore’s education policies. She noted that each school has a curriculum planner who designs learning strategies independently. “Here, schools should also have the freedom to plan their academic calendar, keeping students’ interests in mind,” she suggested.
Encouraging research and critical thinking
Manpreet Singh, principal of GSSS Barsal, plans to introduce a daily research-based speaking activity. Each student will be given a topic, conduct independent research, and present their findings the next day. “This will help them develop analytical and public speaking skills,” he said. He also aims to motivate nearby primary schools to adopt similar practices.
Singh said that Singapore’s education system continuously evolves, whereas here, stagnation is a challenge. To tackle this, he will share his learnings across 27 schools in his block and explore new ways to keep teachers motivated and students engaged.