Praveen Malhotra, Meenakshi World School, Shares How Her Association With Classical Music Has Helped Her Understand The Potential Of Each Child In Her School

Online, May 25, 2013 (Newswire.com) - To the layman, music is just a series of seven basic notes - Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni. Only the discerning know that there are 'sharp' or 'flat' notes, taking the total number of notes to 14. The permutations and combinations of the basic, sharp, and flat notes lead to an intricate web of thousands of ragas, which make Indian classical music so rich and varied. As an adept vocalist in the Indian Classical mould - with a degree course of six years from the Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad - this is something Ms. Praveen Malhotra, Senior Co-ordinator, Meenakshi World School, understands very well. What makes Ms. Malhotra one of the most sensitive and empathetic principals is her firm belief that children are like ragas; if tuned perfectly, they can create magic!

"My successes and challenges in my previous assignments have endowed me with a strong desire to help educators and students achieve the highest standards in education. My understanding of child psychology has made me deeply passionate about my work. At Meenakshi Global School, we've been able to achieve high achievement rates in all areas in a very short period of time because of team-work, motivation, a positive outlook, handling situations effectively, coordination, enhancement of personal skills, establishment of formal work relationships, organisational efficiency and - most importantly - a vision and responsibility to prepare a wise and strong community for tomorrow's world. As the head of this young institution, I have to be balanced about educators' evaluations, the students' discipline, academics and co-curricular activities."

An MA (English Literature)-B.Ed from M.D. University, Rohtak, Ms. Praveen Malhotra's 18 year career started out - interestingly - as a Lab Technician in a Blood Bank. When Ms. Malhotra embarked on her journey as an academic in 1997, teaching Music for Class X-XII and English for Class V-VIII in Meenakshi Public School, little did she know then that her journey as a teacher would come a full circle in 2009, when she would take over as the Sr. Coordinator of Meenakshi World School. In the intervening period, Ms. Malhotra has taught a variety of subjects in institutions like Ryan International School (IB curriculum - PYP), Scottish High International (IB PYP), Vivekanand Sr. Sec. School, etc. What distinguishes Ms. Malhotra from the usual heads of schools is that she is delightfully tech-savvy and is completely 'hands-on' with the school administration software of the completely digital campus of Meenakshi World School in Sector 10A, Gurgaon.

"As an international school, we have plans to spread the importance and awareness of a global education through several sources. The school growth plans are all set to catapult it to the highest level by fostering a positive educational culture. To bring quality, I sometimes have to be a critical thinker also. The hardest part of my job starts when I start implementing the same. Change, by definition, is hard to accept. But after the initial hiccups, not only have I found that my staff and teachers take to cutting-edge technological and pedagogical tools, but they also excel and innovate with what is given to them. This is of great value to the students, who are already well embedded in a technology-driven environment."

Ms. Praveen Malhotra, who is currently pursuing a PhD from Kurukshetra University, is often commended for her high energy levels, motivational and positive attitude, sense of humour, determination, and focus on goals. She credits the complete trust and support of her management as being the reason for the meteoric rise of Meenakshi Global School on the Gurgaon horizon. Within barely five years of beginning operations, this ISO-certified school has gained a reputation for being one of the best day-boarding schools in the region. Its affiliation to the Trinity College London for communication skills -where GESE and ISE prepare the students for excellence - adds value to the education experience, as do the inclusion of MCIL and APPSA.

"All this has helped us get out of the stagnation of the current educational system, which is so focused on the 'right answer' and 'the right way' that it tends to forget that there are multiple ways to come to the same conclusion. Unfortunately, this way of thinking is then passed down to the youth of this nation, stripping them of the ability to think outside the box. There is a need to prepare capable psychologies to make the whole world happy."

Ms. Praveen Malhotra believes that this clear focus on tracing and encouraging individual abilities in children has helped Meenakshi Global School build a 'value-for-money' fee structure, well designed infrastructure, highly efficient staff and an updated, 'knowledge society compliant' environment.