Education Stalwarts 2021 | Dr. Chandrakanta Pathak, Principal and CEO of HVB Global Academy | Leaders in Education

Dr. Chandrakanta Pathak, Principal and CEO of HVB Global Academy, one of the top Leaders in Education is with EducationToday sharing her experience.

As an individual brought up in the Indian school system, I have experienced first-hand the traditional teacher-centric model of education that viewed students as passive recipients of knowledge, demanded blind obedience, promoted rote learning, exerted inordinate pressure on children to perform, and disregarded diversity in students’ needs. There is an aversion to novel ideas in this model, and unfortunately, it is this model that has been prevalent in India schools. As a result of this, students do not get opportunities to discover their hidden potentials and realize them as useful skills. I have closely observed how these imperatives imposed on children have stifled their overall development, restricted their career prospects, and compromised their well-being for decades. 

The problem is compounded when we consider the disparity between the evolution of the challenges we face as a society and of the education we provide to our children to face those challenges. For instance, almost all aspects of our lives have changed over the last ten years: our shopping preferences have shifted from small local family-owned shops to big departmental stores in malls to, now, the convenience of vast online retail stores such as Amazon and Flipkart; smart-phones and social media have redefined how we interact with family, friends, relatives and colleagues; production of goods such as automobiles, furniture, clothing and even food are being rapidly automated. Algorithms based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) can now compose poems, write stories, trade stocks at speeds several orders of magnitude greater than humans (High-Frequency Trading), and learn to mimic artistic styles of virtuoso painters such as Van Gogh and Johannes Vermeer in just six hours. 

Our society is thus undergoing tremendous transformation at a rate unprecedented in the history of mankind. A striking consequence of these advances is the rate at which knowledge and skills that were once considered useful and employable are being rendered obsolete. Juxtapose this realization with conventional school curricula that have mostly remained, in relative terms, stagnant for over a decade and we begin to see the reason for growing anxiety among students and parents. Almost all modern challenges are essentially interdisciplinary in nature and, therefore, demand a more inclusive and holistic approach to education. In contrast, conventional school curricula offer subjects that rarely venture beyond the bounds of traditional disciplines, thus circumscribing their utility in the face of real-life challenges.

During my 37-year long journey as an educator and a leader in the field of education, my decisions and actions have been motivated by these reflections and realizations. It has been my lifelong ambition to seek viable ways to remedy these issues in our education system. I am acutely aware of the pressing need for a significant revision of our educational philosophy. Since the inception of my tenure at HVB Global Academy, my team and I have been working relentlessly to reimagine the ethos of teaching and learning in our school so as to make education egalitarian and a means of growth and development rather than an impersonal activity with the solitary goal of scoring points. Recently, these years-long efforts have culminated in a new way of looking at and understanding the relationship between the processes of growth, development and education.

Given the state of things, it is obvious that quality education must be commensurate with the complexity of the challenges we face today and are likely to face in future. For this, we must first deliberate on these challenges, thereby elicit the types of skills that would enable our students to successfully address these challenges, and then incorporate these skills into the school curricula. My reflections have lead me to the realization that there are five key dimensions along which we must effect, measure and track students’ growth and development. They include: Intelligence Quotient (IQ), Emotional Quotient (EQ), Digital Quotient (DQ), Social Quotient (SQ) and Consciousness Quotient (CQ). While IQ and EQ are popularly known, DQ, SQ and CQ are new additions in keeping with the novel challenges we face today. DQ refers to the awareness of and competence in tools and skills of the digital world; SQ refers to the state of mind and skills required to collaborate in groups, form reliable long-term social relationships in a world where social media has made life increasingly disconnected and isolated; and Consciousness Quotient (CQ) refers to the ability of being mindful, reflective and deliberate—much needed qualities in today’s fast-paced, data-driven world. Together, these form the components of what I refer to as the Happiness Quotient (HQ). 

HQ is the thrust of all of our teaching-learning activities at HVBGA. Aligning our education philosophy and classroom practice along these imperatives has enabled us to actively and effectively ensure students’ development in all key areas that are integral to modern life and associated challenges. As a result of these progressive developments, HVBGA was recognized as ‘Great Place to Study (GPTS)’ at the 5th Global League Institute Certification at the prestigious House of Commons, UK, and as one of the best international schools in Mumbai. Over the years, many organizations working to bring progressive changes in the society have been kind enough to recognize my efforts through several features and awards such as the Women Leadership Award for Excellence in Education at the Femina – 5th World Women Leadership Congress Awards, Times Power Women 2018, in the field of Education by Times of India, “50 Effective Principals” by the esteemed jury panel of Education Today (2019), Most Inspiring School Leader by PSQUARE INTERNATIONAL (2020).

At this point, I must admit here that a necessary requirement to bring about a fundamental change and for that change to sustain is the help, support and cooperation of the stakeholders involved. Bringing about a fundamental change in one’s way of thinking and working is not an easy task. I am fortunate to have been blessed with a team of dedicated teachers who are always willing to learn and grow. Positive changes that I have been able to bring about in the field of education over the years would not have been possible without their belief in my vision and their active efforts toward materializing it. Constant moral support from my family has played a crucial role in keeping me motivated to continue to march forward with resolve in the face of difficult challenges, of which there have been many over the years.

The world is always in a state of constant change, and we will always be in need of visionaries who are able to see beyond the existing cultural and intellectual imperatives that dictate school education. I would urge the young professionals aspiring to contribute to the field of education to acknowledge and accept that our approach to school education needs regular revision. To this end, we must first accept the practical utility of vast knowledge and a wide range of skills that have remained outside the bounds of formal school education, and then apply our creativity, cognitive and social resources to find ways to incorporate these knowledge and skills in formal school curricula. Future is complex and uncertain, therefore, abundant in opportunities. Syncretism of creativity, critical thinking and collaborative effort is necessary to realize these opportunities. Herein lies the guiding principle to reformulate modern school education.

Do check out experiences shared by our top 50 leaders in education. All of the Leaders in education who have shared their experience with us have been motivating and life changing.

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