Blended and hybrid learning, as we all know, is unquestionably here to stay. The future of education depends on strengthening and implementing student-centered learning, where the need of the hour are schools who envision giving back to the society – tech-savvy students, who are ready to take their spots in the world outside. Thus, progressing on this very mission of focusing equally on all round development of students, be it inside or outside the classrooms, St. Joseph’s College, Nainital has been operating as a premier brand since its inception.
Established in 1888, St. Joseph’s is one of the 21 educational Institutions in India conducted by the Christian Brothers. While the main object of the Congregation of Christian Brothers is the provision of general and religious education to their Catholic pupils, their schools are open to boys of all denominations to the extent that accommodation is available. There is no Interference whatsoever in the religious principles and beliefs of non-Catholic pupils.
Popularly known as SEM, St. Joseph’s College, Nainital is a Boys boarding/residential cum day school, renowned for its implementation of various other pedagogies in education to make teaching and learning more engaging. SEM endeavors to provide the best to all its students, with inclusion of technology, while engaging more & more students to participate in co – scholastic activities. SEM aso hosts various virtual music events – vocal & instrumental, artwork, sports coaching and provides students ample space to exhibit their hidden talents though social, inspirational & motivational themed assemblies.
A Universe of Possibilities
Believing in the aspect of staying prepared always, SEM and all its teachers utilize digital tools such as Zoom, Google Meet and have curated a range of materials in the form of online video lessons, voiced explanations and real – time class conduction. These efforts ensure that all students are in-sync with what’s taught in the classroom, gaining more than just good learning, but working towards building good characters.
“As the most important school-related factor influencing student achievement, we, at St. Joseph’s College understands that Teacher quality matters”, stated – Rev. Br. Hector Pinto, the Principal of SEM. Continuing on his above statement, he added – “Thus, we engage in extensive research to guide such critical decisions as whom to hire, retain, and promote”. Also, through a brief Q & A session with the Rev. Br. Hector Pinto explained how the onboard faculty members are given equal importance through the various Faculty Development Programs. He also explained how these FDPs assist teachers in moving further ahead to make growth oriented positive classrooms, and learn in detail about NEP and its proposed integration in the existing curriculum to make learning engaging and rewarding.
Being a boarding school facilitates SEM to understand Extracurricular and Cocurricular activities and provides an opportunity to correlate academic skills with the real-world context. In this pursuit, SEM incorporates a featured & creative curriculum to help the students to learn better Social skills, Critical Thinking & Teamwork and constantly strive to encourage students to take part in multiple activities. Additionally, SEM has created multi – activity clubs to encourage student participation, among which the SEM Astro Pathashala, SEM Makerspace (The Tunnel), SEM Excursion Club, SEM Dance & Drama Club are a few.
Towards a Better Tomorrow
Despite COVID-19 pandemic causing disruptions in normal life, including closure of schools and impacting millions of children across the country who are enrolled in schools. To mitigate the impact of the pandemic, St. Joseph’s College remodeled and reimagined the way of teaching. SEM incorporated Digital media as one of defining inclusion in the sports teaching. And, with health, gamification, and wearable technologies SEM was able to uplift the performance of all its students. As physical education plays an integral role in developing healthy habits later in life, St. Joseph’s College has incorporated technology to reshape the gym class model, turning the education experience from a sedentary lifestyle into a deeply involved physical experience.
COVID also pushed St. Joseph’s College to adapt to innovative ways of including digital teaching techniques to engage students better. From creating a Digital teaching ecosystem of Online Classes, Online Assignments to promoting collaborative learning, the impressive ICT-enabled infrastructure enabled even moving the PE classes to the online mediums, and were readily available on SEM’s YouTube Channel. SEM’s up-to-date amenities and facilities consist of Smart Boards in classes and sports arenas. The school’s magnificent buildings and campus have been featured in Indian films, such as Masoom, ‘Koi… Mil Gaya, and in various web series.
Furthermore, trying always to keep all its stakeholders informed about the developments happening at SEM, all the parents are motivated to actively involve in their respective child’s education. Also, the School’s ERP Systems (ECare School Management System) serves a pivotal role in establishing regular communication with our stakeholders in every aspect of their wards. In addition to this, the School Management System sends out periodic reports, attendance, notices, circulars, home assignments, mock tests, keeping parents aware of their child’s overall development, in turn, keeping them connected all the time. SEM also has Parent-Teacher meetings at least twice a year.
SEM is also a hub of various outreach programs. Be it giving out free education, boarding and lodging to the underprivileged children of neighboring villages, and free education to those students whose parents (Working father or mother) died during COVID- 19 pandemic, at SEM concessions and scholarships are given to those students whose parents have lost jobs during pandemic. Also, allowing the students to think beyond the classroom and evolve an empathy towards the society, community service is an important part of the school life at St. Joseph’s College. Lastly, in associations like Wipro Earthian Sustainability Program, Social Justice & Advocacy SEM tends to allow students to propagate resilience through their endeavors in community service either by displaying the art or sharing & caring or by other social service acts.
Rev. Br. Hector Pinto – Principal
Born on 21st April 1965 at Bondel, Br. Hector completed his primary education at St. Lawrence School, Bondel (Mangalore) and secondary education at M. G. C. High School in 1980. He joined the Brothers’ community and completed his Pre-University education at St. Joseph’s P. U. College, Bajpe. He completed his NOVITIATE ( Brothers’ training) at Shillong, and went ahead to finish his B. A. degree from St. Edmund’s College, Shillong and B. Ed. degree from St. Francis College, Bangalore and henceforth obtained his M. A. degree from Karnataka University. He began his career as a teacher at Bajpe, and still continues as a go-to person for all the students and teachers of SEM, helping and leading towards a better future and life.
