Education helps to prepare a human for life, not only to do a job for a living but also to develop a human being to be happy and fulfilled in life, says Purvesh Sharma, COO, Pragyanam, a K-12 school of Footprints
Can you describe your journey with Footprints?
Footprints started in 2013 with the vision to get the world’s best practices to Indian preschools and the journey was tremendous. We got an overwhelming response from parents and from all the franchises across India. Of course, Covid was a roadblock but there was tremendous growth too.
How can we shift our education system from rote learning to innovation?
There are multiple ways and the first thing is the primary curriculum. In Footprints, we got HighScope curriculum from the US. It is the world’s best curriculum which focusses more on active learning where children engage in different activities to stimulate their growth and development in all dimensions. The second thing is the focus should be more on activities like music, dance, sports, theatre, visual arts and reading. These are primary channels for developing human beings comprehensively and not everything can happen in the classroom.
What role can NEP play in increasing innovation among students?
We support National Education Policy and the changes the government is suggesting. It gives more freedom to students wherein they have the option to choose subjects. But during our time there was very limited scope. Now students have room to express themselves and their creativity. And the government’s plan to promote entrepreneurship will give a big boost to students.
What is your philosophy on education?
The purpose of education is to prepare a human for life, not only to do a job for a living. It is to develop a human being to be happy and fulfilled in life.
