‘Education is all about character development’

Born in Mumbai, Father Ivan Albert Perera, after his ordination to priesthood worked in various parishes of the Diocese of Jammu-Srinagar for nineteen years in Jammu region. Simultaneously, he got opportunities to work for sixteen years as principal of various schools run by the Diocese of Jammu-Srinagar Education Society.

In an interview with Shabir Hussain, he shares his views about the modern education system and his philosophy of education and how Burn Hall School stands out as the leading educational institution in the Valley.

What does Burn Hall stand for and how does it fit with your personal educational philosophy? Also, tell us why this name was chosen.

Burn Hall as an educational institution stands for quality education. It  promotes all-round development of the children and inculcates in them a growing consciousness of human dignity and a consciousness to work for the welfare of fellow human beings. The name of the school, Burn Hall, comes from River Burn in England. It was a practice that any institution built on the banks of a river was named after it and suffixed with the word ‘Hall’. Rev. Msgr. Shanks, the Prefect Apostolic, hailing from an area on the banks of River Burn in England, came to unified Kashmir in King’s time and in loving memory of his native land he named the school in Srinagar as Burn Hall.

What do you think is the most important task of the Principal?

The Principal is in Driver’s seat in the school and he should steer the school to new heights of excellence. He should take effective steps to ensure that students’ characters get refined and they get endowed with personal integrity and moral values. A Principal should help increase rate of literacy and, moreover, ensure quality education.

What is the role of technology in education?

Technology has become one of the most important and vital components to the success of a child’s education.

Technology has proven to help students develop better skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic. Technology gives educators one more tool to help them reach those goals. Students become adequately engaged and technology can often encourage parents to be adequately involved in their wards’ academics.

Not only does technology benefit the students, it also benefits the educator. There are so many opportunities for teachers to learn and acquire new skills over the internet and remain updated.

Technology, more specifically the assistive technology, is a boon for students with special needs, and students with disabilities have been able to achieve what was not possible before. Technology can create individualised learning environments for students and play a greater role in the lives of those with special needs.

Let’s talk about the balance between academics, athletics, the arts, and other extra-curriculars?

Education does not aim only at intellectual formation or literacy. It aims at making people educated in all spheres of life and helps them develop all inherent potentials. It’s very important to focus on the all-encompassing growth of a person in today’s ultra-modern world – it’s thus important to design and promote good co-curricular activities and give importance to academics as well. In fact, co-curricular activity sharpens the brain, makes the students alert, elevates their self-confidence and helps them to keep themselves physically fit.

How important is PR exercise for an educational institution like Burn Hall?

Education is a triangular process involving teachers, students and parents. However, it also includes the larger community which forms the context for education of the students and their interaction with teachers and parents. Public Relations come as a tool of conscious communication in this inter and intra-triangular process. This interaction is ensured through various channels of in-house and mass media of communication.

 At Burn Hall, we understand the potential of social media in public relations. We understand that this will go a long way in helping us to communicate with our community of students, teachers, parents and society at large.

Apart from being an educationist, you’re also a priest. Do you need some balancing act between the two? I mean can these two go hand in hand, your priesthood and the principalship?

Yes they very much go hand in hand! Actually teaching is an integral part of a priest’s life. Whether through formal or non-formal education, a priest is called to perform various roles in the society to uplift and emancipate the humanity from various bondages. In fact being a priest helps me to be humble, to be listening, to be patient, to feel for the persons, to keep cool in dealing with challenging and tricky situations. While administering the school affairs, I am required to decide diligently, act firmly and relate gently.

What is a principal’s role in helping students develop character and virtue?

A principal has to ensure that through the prescribed syllabus, the teaching faculty aims at developing character par excellence. The lessons are designed keeping in mind various virtues and principles of life. The principal will have to ensure that along with the skills of literacy, students get educated in various moral virtues and values of life leading to the formation of strong personalities.

A teacher does not measure up to your expectations, how do you address the situation? What process do you follow?

Situation determines the need and requirements of a student. I need to analyse if the teacher is able to meet my expectations derived from those needs and requirements. When a particular teacher is not able to come up to the expected level of performance, he/she is given effective assistance to overcome the lacuna in his/her teaching.

For the appointments of new teachers, advertisements about the vacancies are given in various newspapers and suitable candidates are called for class demonstration and an interview with a panel of members. This panel consists of various subject experts. The selection process ends with an interaction with the principal.  

What has been your experience with parental involvement in schools?

Parents are an indispensable element in the process of education. Parents have to accompany and support their wards through their journey of learning, analysing and assimilating. I come across many parents who are very vigilant and take active interest in the education of their wards.  They come up with many constructive suggestions and give adequate feedback. But there are also some parents who fail in their duty due to one reason or the other and their wards at times take advantage of the lenient behaviour of their parents. 

How do you ensure student discipline? What is your take on corporal punishment? Does it have any role in today’s education system?

Discipline is the backbone of an institution or a profession. All the students are inherently good and want to grow but they lack reasoning due to which sometimes they are found creating indiscipline. Issues concerning indiscipline can be easily handled by teachers and parents. We need to see and understand the situation and exhort students as the situation demands. We also need to help them understand why we need to maintain discipline. It is my experience that when we take pains to understand students, give them corrective guidance and accompany them through their problems and difficulties, they show positive signs of change.  I always believe that by shouting, yelling or beating we create fear, inferiority complex and resentment. 

How would you describe an excellent teacher?

One who shows his/her competency in educating the students leading to the formation of strong characters, all-round development as well as in handling various issues which matter in their profession.

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