Bhaktapur NIST School is a modern institution that is committed to providing a value-based education, with a focus on the all-round development of its young students. The school has partnered with Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) to provide world-class education.

Dilip Rana is the Principal of Bhaktapur NIST School. He has extensive experience working with progressive education as the principal of various schools. He has taught students at different levels, including school level, A-Level, +2 Level, bachelor's level, and master's level. He has shared his insights on the progressive teaching-learning approach with College Readers and here are some excerpts from the interview:

All the prestigious schools in Nepal are transitioning towards progressive learning. What impact does this have on students?

We now observe visible changes in students who receive proper care from parents and are competent in the market. However, we lack appropriate data due to the absence of research.

What kind of school environment is necessary to ensure that students make progress in their learning?

Progressive learning refers to two-way learning systems that incorporate various teaching methods, techniques, and skills. Schools aim to produce skilled human resources by aligning themselves with the direction of society and the world. They prioritize training and skill development for teachers to support a child-centered education system. Leaders are developing a growth mindset through progressive learning, and it emphasizes the importance of updating ourselves every day.

We are now in the digital era, so the use of AI is mandatory. However, some believe that AI is hindering students' creativity and may misguide them. What is your opinion on this?

Every time a new innovation is introduced in the world, there are always debates about its advantages and disadvantages. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no exception. While AI has the potential to revolutionize education with its ability to teach students through games, videos, and audios, it can also have negative impacts if misused. For example, the use of Chatgpt can make students passive and dependent on technology. However, the same technology can be used to test for plagiarism. It is important for parents to limit their children's use of technology to ensure that its benefits are maximized and its negative impacts are minimized.

As the Coordinator of Quality Kathmandu Schools (QKS), what challenges do these schools face in making progressive education more effective?

Creativity plays a crucial role in progressive education. The availability of physical infrastructure is not a mandatory requirement. The most important factor is to provide a conducive environment for students to learn easily. In progressive education, we have access to a range of facilities and technologies that can aid in the learning process. However, these resources can be quite expensive. As people are becoming more conscious of their spending, they tend to make decisions more effectively.

What is the importance of parental and community engagement in ensuring quality education for students?

It is not enough for a child's development to rely solely on the efforts made by schools. The role of parents and the community is equally important. While parents and the community do not necessarily need to teach children, they should guide and motivate them. The community should set good examples for children to follow. Parents should dedicate time to their children, try to understand them, and motivate them to study. Children who receive guidance from their parents are typically more disciplined and excel academically. Since children learn from their parents, it is important for parents to behave properly in front of their kids.

How has Bhaktapur NIST school ensured students' learning and progress?

Our top priority is the students. We ask our teachers to understand the students first, including their behavior, interests, and family background. Our lesson plan is categorized according to the learning capacity of the students. We evaluate the needs of the students before making decisions about field trips, project work, and assignments. We strive to make students active learners. Therefore, we have launched project-based learning, where we assign projects to every class that lasts for 5 to 6 months. First, students identify the problem, then they integrate options to solve the problem by themselves. This helps to build up the helping nature of students. We have seen that the blame game is prevalent in society, and we aim to change this mentality of students by teaching them to determine their roles in every problem that arises in front of them.

Mental health is a significant problem among students today. We encourage students to try and fail several times, as this can help them realize the importance of hard work and dedication. This can have positive impacts on students' mental health and decrease the chances of depression, suicide, and drug addiction. We also encourage students to participate in sports to teach them the importance of teamwork and accepting failure. This helps them with their physical fitness too. We ensure that students are connected with their community.

How has Bhaktapur NIST School integrated skills, values, and technologies with knowledge?

We have been teaching high-level technology, such as coding, to students from grade 1 to help them master programming skills by the time they reach grade 10. Additionally, we teach them preventive measures to stay safe from the negative sides of technology. We are committed to reducing paper wastage using technology. Despite being subject-oriented, our subjects are vertically and horizontally linked. We focus on improving the presentation skills of our students and invite parents to attend these classes to learn about their child’s progress, ultimately boosting their confidence. We organize educational trips and hikes to teach our students about adjustments and the biological diversity of Nepal. We combine culture with knowledge and provide information about every festival celebrated in Nepal, including their history and significance. We also teach religious tolerance and unity in diversity. Through sports, students learn discipline, teamwork, resilience, engagement, and physical fitness. We communicate effectively with our students according to their age group. In our classes, all 30 students can give excellent presentations. We take feedback from parents and implement it accordingly. We believe that school is not just about academics.

What message would you like to convey to parents and students?

I have never pressured students. I believe in actions rather than commitments. I first complete the work and then present it to others. We don’t believe in advertisements. Last year, we had 125 new admissions without a single advertisement, and this year we have 300 interested students. We have earned the trust of students and parents by prioritizing genuine students and honest parents. Our focus is on progressing the academic development of students and the only thing we require is genuine input from parents and students. It's important that parents, students, and schools understand each other for the benefit of all involved.