Dalhousie Public School, founded over half a century in the time gone by, is a co-ed residential school. It nurtures over 1250 students, ranging from age 4 (Kindergarten) to age 18 (Senior Secondary) of which 1000 are boarders and others are day scholars. The teaching staff consists of approximately 95 experienced teachers most of whom reside on the campus. Both students and teachers are selected from different parts of India and also from other parts of the world thus providing an atmosphere of cultural diversity.
It is rightly said that “education is the foundation upon which we build our future”. Education plays a vital role in developing wisdom and intelligence that helps in being self-dependent in life from a tender age. The children need to be provided with quality education that would boost their confidence and help them become responsible citizens of the nation and the world at large. The ambience and grandeur of the Dalhousie Public School campus is breathtaking – it’s located in the heart of an oak & pine forest.
The educators at Dalhousie Public School are always looking for upgradation of their skills for better implementation of teaching strategies. They use different teaching strategies in the classrooms to ensure holistic growth of the students and to ensure effective teaching. The school encourages collaboration & helps them in developing decision making skills. The staff use student centric discussions that allow students to understand more about concepts via collaboration & cooperation. Collaborative learning is specially emphasized as it focuses on encouraging teamwork and partnership. Working in a group with different minds generates various perspectives & viewpoints that help students understand the concepts better and more effectively. Spaced learning methods help students in retaining information better. Teachers are also using flipped classroom strategy. Students prepare a topic in hostels during prep hours & present in the classroom in the form of presentations, debates or lab experiments. This increases student’s engagement and also boosts their self confidence.
Encouraging Education and Creativity
The school firmly believes that knowledge is gained with experience. The little children at Dalhousie Public School play with the clay, paper and colours to try to create what they have learnt. Experiential learning is a fundamental step towards creating smarter kids with skills. Every year Science and Social Science model exhibitions are organized in the school. Students are provided with every assistance for completing their projects. “We have well equipped Maths, Science, Computer and Social Science labs. In the beginning of the session, all subject teachers prepare the annual plan for teaching lessons along with the activities to be carried out” Shares Dr. (Capt) G. S. Dhillon. Dalhousie Public School being a residential school understands its responsibilities towards the overall personality development of students. Holistic development is crucial during the early childhood years. Dalhousie Public School Dalhousie provides an environment and learning atmosphere that supports holistic development. The annual calendar of the school reflects the exact dates for various extra curricular activities that will be conducted through the year. Most activities are in the form of inter house competitions. The various competitions are – debates, extempore, speeches, declamations, quiz, science and maths colloquium, mime, drama, dance, group song, card making, ICT, handwriting competitions, etc. Dalhousie Public School celebrates special days’ events – Earth Day, Environment Day, Sports Day, Yoga Day, Independence Day and takes the students for Nature Walks & Field Trips. Sports are an integral part of the routine in Dalhousie Public School. Games and Sports are compulsory. The day starts with PT and Yoga.
Dalhousie Public School gives top most priority to providing the student with best IT facilities. The school has three state of the art Computer labs which cater to the IT needs of the children. The most upgraded computers are used and school follows one on one sitting in the lab. The classes are conducted by the teachers in the computer lab and are supported by projectors with wall mounted screens. This enables the child to follow whatever the teacher is doing and they can implement it effectively. The school has been awarded the Computer Literacy Excellence Award by the Ministry of Information & Technology in the year 2007. To stay put with the latest teaching methodology the school has collaborated with Next Education, a Hyderabad based learning portal. All the classrooms are smart classrooms with modules and videos for all subjects and topics. The videos enhance the learning process of the child.
The transformation from offline to online mode of education has not been an easy task. The changes have been challenging for the mentors and learners alike. In past, we had always been advising children to stay away from mobiles and other digital devices, however, the Pandemic reversed this approach and students were made to use the digital devices for academic purpose. Shifting from online mode of teaching to offline in the post Pandemic scenario has had its own further challenges. The biggest challenge is to deal with the behavioural issues observed in the children besides, the learning gap caused due to Pandemic. “Impatience and restlessness is imminent in children’s behaviour”, shares Dr. Dhillon. No doubt, the Pandemic has had a negative impact on the teaching learning process yet this has enhanced the skills of the students in using technology for education and exploring various digital platforms for gaining knowledge. Slowly the world is getting over with the loss that the Pandemic has caused and we are hopeful that there will be no further impediments in the vital process of teaching and learning.
The School Principal, Coordinators and class teachers stay constantly in touch with the parents and keep appraising them of the performance, problems and achievements of their wards. Online as well as offline PTMs are held on a regular basis. This also gives the parents a chance to understand the school system better. Teachers are encouraged to learn new digital techniques and also attend mandatory CBSE workshops every year. Virtual and offline workshops and webinars are arranged for teachers for a thorough understanding of NEP 2020. Subject wise committees of teachers are established for feedback on current knowledge and skills. Dalhousie Public School has a very special scholarship scheme for its pupils, particularly the girl child. The school spends huge amounts annually to reward the students with scholarships, of which majority are girls.
Dr. (Capt.) G. S. Dhillon – Chairman & Director
The Chairman & Director of the school is Dr. (Capt.) G. S. Dhillon. He was commissioned into the second battalion of ‘The Parachute Regiment’ SPECIAL FORCES which is one of the oldest and most decorated Regiments of the Indian Army, in May 1974. During his Army service Capt. Dhillon served on the Chinese border and on the Western front. Even though Capt. Dhillon joined the Army as a graduate, but by the time he left the Army he had completed his Masters in English and Ph.D in philosophy, which is quite a rare feat for a young serving officer. Having taken premature retirement from the Army in 1986, he took charge of Dalhousie Public School, Dalhousie as the Principal. His educational qualification coupled with his experience in the Army has been a great asset to the school. Over the last more than fifty years, Dalhousie Public School, Dalhousie has emerged as the finest co-ed residential schools of India. Dr. Dhillon was presented the best Principal’s award by the ministry of HRD in 2007 & the ‘National Award for Teachers’ in Sept 2011 by the President of India. He believes in making education a positive experience for children. He combines his vast experience in creating an environment that promotes, tolerance, open mindedness and self-learning with a competitive edge while forging a meaningful connection with the world outside the school campus. Such comprehensive life skills program teaches young children to evaluate situations from both a logical and emotional perspective. Young people are brimming with untapped potential; they simply need dedicated minds which empower them to bring out the best in themselves.
