SKC now joins the league of new breed of schools

Right Education Forum, Maharashtra- Shivam is all of 13, and he is busy in school preparing for the entrance exam that he has to appear in 2020! Welcome to the _new breed of schools_ like SKC at Vasai that offer a two-in-one package: an education that integrates all the boards while also equipping students very early to crack the umpteen entrance exams they will encounter in the future.
These _integrated institutes_ go beyond curriculum as they offer a mix of state, CBSE and ICSE content, implement customized designed contentbooks & textbooks and follow an intensive teaching methodology. And the spectre of the entrance exams has spawned a slew of such schools in the country over the past few years.

"Each board has its own strength. State boards are content oriented, CBSE has more of applications and ICSE is more indepth. We at SKC offer the best of three. We have special content and student workbooks prepared by idiscoveri education" says Fr.Melvyn Dsilva, academic director of Stann Knowledge Campus - Evershine city, Vasai East in Palghar district. The results of the recent CET only underlined why these integrated schools and colleges, a concept borrowed from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, are much sought after for worried parents. Both the medical and engineering toppers in 2015 were products of these _integrated institutions_. And it's not surprising to know why. One only has to look at the training modules of these institutions. The teaching here is intense, starting from as early as Class one. Apart from customized textbooks that have a mix of state, CBSE and ICSE content, the training is vastly different from other schools. Take SKC, where each teaching period is followed by a working period, where they keep solving problems and these inturn are sandwiched with lots of games, activities & skill training periods. There are exams everyday of the week for one subject. The teachers are trained by their main faculty who themselves are great teacher trainers with proven, established track record in the field of teacher education.

"Each class is divided into six, depending on the childs performance. After cumulative tests held every month, they are promoted to the next level," says Rajiv Mishra, school leader from Singhania school which has also had a humble beginning in Thane, but now has an established reputation like SKC in Vasai & Bombay Scottish in Mumbai.

"We follow the CBSE curriculum, but give additional training for objective questions. The trick is about using short cuts and attempting all questions. Unless students are given exposure to this, they will not be able to do well," says Dorothy D'Souza GM, John cathedral school , Fort in Mumbai. Here, the exams are conducted for various levels, including boards, Olympiad and JEE. The trick lies in the speed it takes to solve the questions. "It is like the Masterchef reality shows we love to watch. The key is to know the content and the concept, keep everything organized and the structure ready, know the steps and how fast you can do it," says C Laksh, who is part of Deeksha Network, which trains students at the HSC level. The students are made to do around 30 model papers in 45 days after the HSC exams. "Children have to work hard. There is no alternative. We expect them to do at least three hours of homework daily."
But what about the pressure it puts on children? Fr. Melvyn counters: "Once the students start enjoying the content, they will not feel the pressure. They will in fact start loving exams. And at the end of the day, the parents have no complaints when they see the good marks and edge they have over others".

Integrated institutions like SKC 8to8 were introduced with the idea of discouraging students from going to separate coaching centres after school or college hours. It has the advantage of not only saving time, but also having the same teacher offering training for both the exam patterns. This two-in-one formula works well for parents. The focus is clearly to crack the competitive exams with greater thrust on quick response and timing to solve problems. Mr. Pinto , the Chairman & managing director of SKC adds - "While the students are streamed and coached in this particular aspect of the skill of topping at competitive exams, they are also groomed for Holistic development through various activities & Skill training. At SKC, we ensure Complete transformation of the child and also ensure that he/she has a wonderful experience."