“Teaching is not about answering questions but about raising questions – opening doors for them in places that they could not imagine.” – Yawar Baig

A team comprising of eighty-five Government School Teachers of Badamba Block under Cuttack district of Odisha, led by Ms. Sujata Priyadarsani Panda, Block Education Officer, Badamba visited SAI International School on Monday, January 27, 2019 as part of an exposure visit.

The State Government selected SAI International School for the visit, for being a home-grown School that attained International acclaim for its innovative teaching methodology, global exposures given to students, addressing the potential of each child and instilling values of humility and integrity through the Guru Shishya Parampara.

The team was given a guided tour both of SAI Angan and SAI International School, where they visited different segments like the Classrooms, Radio Orange, SAI TV, Music rooms, Atal Tinkering Lab, Art Lab, Sports Lab, Science Park etc. Later Chairman Dr. Bijaya Kumar Sahoo addressed the gathering in the Sushila Devi Auditorium.

In his address Dr. Sahoo recalled the time when students from each and every Zilla Schools of the state had made the state and nation proud with their talent. He said that the schools are same, the students are same, but the method of teaching has weakened which affected the system of education in Odisha. He spoke about the importance of teacher-student connect and said that the role of teacher is extremely crucial for a child. He added that no technology can replace a teacher from the classroom. Through video clippings, Dr. Sahoo inspired the teachers to strengthen their connect with students, understand each student and create platform to inculcate empathy in them.

“In our Schools our focus is solely on scholastic activities but here I realize you give importance to co-scholastic activities as well and have all facilities for that”, said Shri Kedarnath Dalei, Cluster Resource Centre Coordinator, Badamba. Ms. Panda, BEO said that “I am really inspired by SAI Angan, it is a place where every classroom and even the walls tell a story”. Shri Saroj Kumar RathSharma of Govt. UGHS added that, ‘the purpose of this visit is to understand the various innovative practices of the school and try to implement some of it in our schools.” The inquisitive teachers also asked about various flagship events of the schools like UNWIND, SAITED, SAI Treasure Hunt, SAI Asirvada etc.