| | 8 October 2016HIGHERReviewIN MY VIEWSuccess has a New Definition By Atul Temurnikar, Chairman and Executive CEO, Global Schools Foundation (GSF), SingaporeTo be a holistic leader, we must sharpen our values and be a real change agent to bring in positive changes in our surroundings. For this, we need conducive learning environment in order to hone our skills and be feature ready for challenges. This is only possible if delivery mechanism of courses is updated to adapt holistic learning. As a child, during elementary years, we learn many things while playing outdoors and indoors. As we grow (in primary years), our focus is narrowed towards learning in the classrooms. We are attuned to concentrate on our scores. This leads to change in our perception i.e. instead of education for knowledge, we insist on education for ranks and grades. As we progress further to middle school, most of our intelligence starts being quantified in grades and numbers. If a student is a topper then they are expected to be more intelligent than the others who are probably good in areas like, sports, arts, music, etc. but academically may not be at par. Students by and large get into the categories and are judged on how successful they will be in future. So what can be done to avoid this vicious circle, where talent and intelligence are not judged purely in terms of grades? Free from resultsAttention level for the students in same class varies. Some students can grasp the information immediately, whereas, few may need more examples or a different way of explanation for the same topic. It is almost an impossible task for a teacher to ensure after completion of a chapter that all the students might have understood the content. From past many years, exams are set as a parameter to know if he/she got the knowledge to get promoted to the next grade or level in respective institution. In the entire process, system insists on rote learning but the broader perspective of the world around us is independent of such learners. There are many instances when talented students despite of weaker academic records have done exceedingly well in their respective careers. He is a prominent member of the education industry in South East Asia, Middle East and India and serves as a founding Trustee and Executive Chairman of Singapore based Global Schools Foundation (GSF), a not-for-profit organisation. An engineer by qualification from `Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology' (Nagpur, India), Temurnikar completed his Masters in Management from the University of East London. His career saw him venturing into the education sector after a 14-year stint in information technology (IT) firms like HCL and IBM.Atul TemurnikarCan a perfect score secure your seat in world's leading university? It can certainly increase your chances to get an admission in the college you wished for. However, for most of the leading universities and colleges, an ideal candidate is the one who is talented not only in one field but is nurtured in a holistic environment.
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