A psychology and special needs education graduate of Mumbai and SNDT universities, and the University of San Diego, USA, Sonya Ghandy Mehta served with the top-ranked The Shri Ram School, Gurgaon and Indus International School, Bangalore prior to being appointed head of the Assam Valley School, Balipara in September 2013.

Are you satisfied with the Union Budget 2018-19 allocation of Rs.85,010 crore for education?

Finance minister Arun Jaitley has given education the priority it deserves in this year’s budget. From a thematic point of view, the Union budget has focused on two key areas of education — integration and accountability. I believe the government’s intent to treat education holistically without segmentation from pre-nursery to class XII is the right step. I also welcome the finance minister’s announcement to revitalise the infrastructure of higher education institutions and revise the cess on education and health.

How satisfied are you with the quality of exam boards’ syllabuses/curriculums and prescribed textbooks?

The curriculums of all boards are a mile wide and an inch deep. This is counter productive to learning. Textbooks, which encourage independent thinking, are available in the market. But independent thinking can only be practised when the curriculum supports applications-based learning. 

What is your solution for upgrading board syllabuses and curriculums and textbooks?

The 21st century job market requires workers who can apply their learning to real-life situations. Given the poor employability of graduates today, I believe employers from different sectors should be consulted before designing school curriculums. Education should focus on developing skills such as problem solving, creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, ethics, action and accountability.

What are your Top 5 suggestions for reforming K-12 education?

Teacher education. Teacher education programmes should be rooted in the 21st century and must have a research component. 

Learning to learn. Current books-based, theory-oriented teaching systems don’t promote independent thinking. Schools need to focus on experiential learning.

Varied education. In a diverse country like ours, one-size-fit-all education doesn’t work. Therefore, vocational and agricultural education must be integrated into mainstream education.

Education infrastructure. In any knowledge society, adequate attention must be given to infrastructure development of education institutions.

Research in education. A spirit of enquiry and scientific temper should be encouraged from the youngest age.