Celebrating Success at the Virmani Public School, Roop Nagar, Delhi

When I was invited to the Annual Day Function of the Virmani Public School, Roop Nagar by Mr. Anil Virmani, Chairman of the Virmani Education Trust, I simply had to accept it! I started my career in education as an employee of the trust nearly 29 years ago when I joined the Dhanpatmal Virmani Sr. Secondary School at Roop Nagar, Delhi. Both the Dhanpatmal Virmani Sr. Sec. School and the Virmani Public School (both sister schools) have been close to my heart since they nurtured me during my formative years as a teacher of English.

What I noticed when I visited the Vrimani Public School on the 17th of February was a total transformation, it has become a model of what an ideal public school should look like and what aspiring schools should look up to.

The colour decor of the classrooms was light and pleasing, the display boards were bursting with loads of exemplars of student work, a swanky and well-designed computer lab, and a pleasing and spacious library, all grabbed my attention! All the classrooms had a small metal placard mentioning the name of each member of the trust as a tribute to each member's contribution to the pursuit of education. All of these changes are the fruits of the efforts of  Mr Amitav Virmani, the Manager of the school, and of course the CEO of Education Alliance!

Dr Rekha Sharma, the Principal of the Virmani Public School oversaw the flow of events very efficiently. Her professional approach and growth mindset attitude have, without doubt also contributed to the school's transformation.

I was particularly impressed by how well-groomed our student guides were as they took Avtar Singh (the HOS of the Dhanpatmal Virmani Senior Secondary School) and me on a tour of the classrooms, labs and library. The students who were presenting their displays spoke fluent English and were confident in their approach.

It was simply amazing to see how one of the oldest schools in Roop Nagar has transformed itself, breaking out of the cobwebs of time and typical stereotypes that affect educational institutions, especially government-aided schools! It is truly a model and an example of how out-of-the-box thinking, rational policies, the System's approach and some effort can create models of excellence.

And the best of all was the release of a book titled, 'Tiny Tales, Big Dreams' by students of class 6 A of the Virmani Public School. Students of the class were encouraged to write stories on characters in the lessons they had read in English. In his address to the gathering, Mr Amitav Virmani attributed the success of the school to the positivity of the teachers and the 8 'Cs'. The eight Cs according to him needed for success include: Courage, Curiosity, Creativity, Critical thinking, Consciousness, Collaboration, and Consistency.