Six months back I took over as Senior Principal of Bhilai Steel Plant(BSP)'s number one school - Senior Secondary School, Sector-10. The offer came two months prior to that, literally as a bolt from the blue. But the gut feeling was that I should say YES. And I did in less than a day, though I had never thought about moving to Education from core engineering.
In fact in my twenty years at BSP, I had worked in different sections of Distribution Networks (DNW), later Power System Department (PSD). The very nature of the department meant that I had the opportunity to have worked with all the departments of BSP, except Education. In the interregnum I had completed by Masters in Business Administration from IGNOU and later a Diploma in Training and Development from the Indian Society for Training and Development. These two distance learning courses and my foray into quizzing and writing thanks largely to my mentor, V Ravi, had helped me develop my skills as a trainer.
I must confess that I was feeling a bit bottled up in PSD for the last two years or so. The job was too repetitive, in spite of the opportunities that I had to work on more than ten projects, thanks to the expansion in my area of work. The areas I worked in - Blast Furnaces, Power Syystem Operation and Steel Melting Shop-II hardened me no end. The urgency, the pressure and the quest for perfection taught me a lot.
When I look back at the last six months, I can say without doubt that I have never felt more satisfied or happy in my life. For someone who wanted to become a journalist but was forced to become an engineer due to parental pressure, the present job as school head is a near dream-come-true. I love interacting with children and engaging myself in solving their myriad problems. In my career I have never worked with more qualified and knowledgeable people, i.e., teachers and what they can achieve is beyond their imagination. Hope I can motivate them.
The school is also the centre of a number of activities of the Education department and that makes the job more meaningful. With its expansion project on its way to final approval, SSS-10 will have an excellent infrastructure. I have been lucky to have joined in the aftermath of the visit by SAIL Chairman in June 2010, which has resulted in pouring in of resources for renovation that the school badly needed.
Very shortly SSS-10 will admit students in Class-IX on the basis of a Talent Reward Test (TRT). We are also going in for Accreditation to Quality School Governance norms laid down by NABET-QCI.
One key area where I am focusing my energies is ensuring that the open learning environment is backed up by discipline. This means focussing on time-keeping and regular attendance.
