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Articles
2013 - New Year message - Orchid Staff
31 st December, 2012. 

My dear  team members, fellow colleagues,  Faculty, staff , administrators and members of the Governing Board PNES,

A very warm New Year greeting to you all!

As I reflect on the past years ( nearly a decade) that I have served this organisation, so many of our achievements (and our shortcomings) spring to mind. 

However, despite the overwhelming challenges that we, as educators (to include faculty, administrators, staff, Governing Board members, and students) have faced and may continue to face, I believe that our Institution continues to move towards the mark of “good to great to excellent”   that we all  dream about. 

And contrary to what some of our own critics may say, I sense that a renaissance at PNES  is in the making (as the poet Bob Dylan said in one of his ever green verse: “Yes, the times they are a changing…and we all do need to lend a hand.”

As I look back on the   growth we experienced these  years—and the challenges, especially the ones that make us  feel like giving up–  we have to remember the larger cause we are serving, that is beyond the individual interests and gains. 

 I am certain that the ideal educational institution has one indisputable feature:   continued association to the organization based on shared vision and common belief system.  

So, colleagues, in an effort to remind us , I  hereby send you this New Year message ,  to you all,  my ideas on what constitutes an ideal  educational institution.

What does an ideal educational institution ( be it a school or  college  )  look like?

Why wouldn’t we all want to transform  Orchid Community   into a more ideal  one ?

Why don’t we become our own bench mark and raise the bar in educational landscape?

Please allow me to   articulate my perspectives, a vision, if you will –A model that I invite all of you to critically reflect upon.  

Some of the specific areas   we ( TOS and NKOCEM) already have achieved  and  I am sure you all will recognize the  specific areas in which  we are  not measuring up to  our own ideas of quality.

 Three characteristics   that I envision are presented here : 

 -An educational institution ever focused on education itself. 

1. Education is all about reform -   reshaping individuals so that each might realize the best that is in her or him. Innovation is inherent in reform. 

2. Education is grounded in subject matter knowledge, and all knowledge has reform in mind. 

3. Education   that defines learning as something that is not put into students, but is, instead, drawn from students.

 

-  An educational institution wherein all educators understand and embrace this concept of education. 

These educators are: 

1.  Rooted  in their disciplines or their specialties and are ever-perfecting their craft, yet has wings and branches to connect to other to bring a whole system. 

2. Conscious of the core valueand objective  of education in a democracy wherein the educator has the responsibility to develop good citizens. 

3. Conscious of the arduous task of educating students who may not be sufficiently aware of the aforementioned ends of education (reform, knowledge, and civic responsibility). And, given Gandhi’s truth that the chain is not stronger than its weakest link, we must acknowledge that some of our students require our redoubled attention to these ends.

4. Motivated by a deep sense of responsibility for the perfection of his or her respective work as it contributes to the well-being of  self and others. All educators mutually support one another with dignity and respect. 

5. Individuals who act on principle and not selfish interest: all are focused on the common good. 

6. Educators who have high expectations for all students; demand that each student performs his or her work to the highest standards of literacy and scholarship. 

 One trademark of an  excellent institution  is a peaceful and collegial environment between employees and employer, leaders and team members.    I find this to be a great achievement that confirms to  the vision idea that all are focused on positive and respectful interpersonal relationship.

I wish to thank our faculty, team leaders,  as well as the members of the Board of Trustees for this accomplishment. 

However, I am well aware we need to continue to work on clear lines of communication between all parties. We need to hold one another accountable and communicate issues openly. 

-An educational institution wherein all educators have a mature understanding  of the fair  allocation of resources necessary  and responsible utilization of these resources. 

 Everyone knows the value of resources – be it financial or material or human resources.    We have worked hard to earn every bit hence judicious utilization of resources is  absolutely necessary.  

Today, no institution in this universe appears to thrive financially without having  to work hard on appropriate allocation and respect for the resources given to us. We need to put our efforts to save resources   in all forms . Mere signage and other token efforts will not  take us long.    Our measures in effective utilization of the abundant resources given to us are falling short or lack consistency in efforts.  I invite all of you to reflect on this and urge our team to be very mindful of the wastages we incur. All these are hidden costs that eventually are considered wasteful expenditure. 

Whether it is ISO or other affiliation or accreditation, let us go beyond the   minimum standards. Let us not merely fill the criteria to get these certificates. Let us embody the quality standards they are meant to measure. We must engage in constant and self-criticism in order to continue to meet the standards of accreditation. Meeting the expectations of   is a necessity for the ideal  educational institution  and many of its recommendations should be viewed as values that are already part of our ideal identity, such as sound planning, measurable student outcomes, and clear communications. 

We need to continue to work strategically   as we plan for the future.  When the faculty is empowered to make decisions backed up by the administration, a level of trust grows which allows for greater innovation and more effective teaching. An individual who feels empowered and involved in the decision-making process will not only have greater job satisfaction but will also be better able to accept decisions with which they might not agree.

The leadership in a quality  driven system provides teachers, staff, students, and parents with frequent communication about what is happening. Rumors and gossip are rampant in many  organisations. Many of these rumors can lead to disgruntled employees. If the system is not communicating the reasons for decisions or upcoming changes as soon as they can, then rumor mills will take effect the results can be devastating. Therefore, it is important that the leadership at every level models frequent communication and has an open door policy so that teachers and staff can come forward with questions and concerns as they arise.

We have much to be proud of  . If we can critically formulate ideas and practices,  an educational renaissance ( Orchid renaissance) may indeed be within our grasp.



Thank you! 

Lakshmi