1. Children are not just roll numbers, they are unique individuals.
Each child has a unique brain network that shapes how she absorbs and responds to stimuli. One way of teaching does not work for every child. We need to teach the way they learn, not force them to learn the way we teach.
2. Every child is talented. Schools just need to figure where that talent lies.
Schooling is a time when the child discoverers what she is good at. We should not make it an experience of finding out whether she is any good.
3. A school’s role is to develop whole individual, not just complete the syllabus.
School is not an assembly line of syllabus and exams. Schools help children make meaning of life and develop the muscle to lead life effectively. For this, schools have to expand beyond academics to include life skills, values, and habits.
4. Holistic development needs partnership between School and Parents.
Schools need to enroll and educate parents so that the child gets a seamless environment between school and home, which is conducive to her development.
5. Schools need an integrated approach centered on the child.
Schools need to begin with a vision of the child they aim to graduate and then design everything around that vision. Building design, pedagogy, teachers, curriculum content, activities and examinations – all need to be integrated to achieve this vision.