[caption id="attachment_142716" align="alignleft" width="199"] Paul Joy[/caption] Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — Paul Joy, who has been headmaster of open school at the International Indian School Jeddah (IISJ) for 17 years, is bidding adieu to IISJ and will be going back to India after completing 33 years of service as an educator. But Joy, popular with staff and students and also in the community, will be continuing from where he has left out. Though he will not be in the regular grind of teaching, he will still be among children but wearing a different hat — as a counselor. "I'll continue to be with children when I go back to India. Children anywhere need counseling. We talk about counseling in the 11th and 12th standards. No, we should start in the early classes. And CBSE is very particular in giving a lot of emphasis to counseling. They say that every block needs a counselor. "Children have lot of issues. So counseling at this stage is very important. Since I've already started in this field I'll like to continue with that when I go back. I want to be in counseling and I've already talked to some people in India in this regard — to be active in counseling, aptitude and career guidance," Joy said. He also urged community members here to continue this here too. "I'll request educationalists and social organizations here to arrange for continuous counseling and career guidance sessions for expatriate students. Bring qualified people to pass on their expertise to enable children to make a career choice in which they would love and excel," he said during a felicitation ceremony by Navodaya Jeddah. While speaking about his experience as the headmaster of the open school, Joy lauded this system calling it a source for children to continue their education during times of difficulties. "Open school itself is a formal education in an informal way. Children in remote areas who cannot attend schools or have facilities near them benefit. For them, what we do is we give them the formal syllabus of the school, give them the course materials, and they study and get coached at home with some teachers available and then sit for the exams. The advantage is that they are in touch with the system. And when they go to India they get a proper certificate from the school and get admission anywhere in the country. Believe me, parents are so much relieved," he said. "IISJ is the only school that has the open school system from LKG to eighth for the last 33 years. For the last five years we have started NIOS (National Institute of Open School) which is the biggest open school system in the world and with government of India is keen on education, especially girls, is a good system. For any dropout, they just need to take the class X exams only with an affidavit from the Consulate. The interesting thing is in CBSE there are compulsory subjects, but in this only English is compulsory and you choose the other subjects you want to be examined. Since it is under the HRD Ministry, a certificate is provided on passing," Joy added. He said he was lucky to have come to this blessed land, which gave him the opportunity to meet a lot of new people. He had special praise for the school Principal Syed Masood Ahmed for his diligence and openness to allow all to work with a free hand. He praised his colleagues for their constant support in enabling him to become a better teacher and human being. He lauded the Indian Consulate for their constant guidance and help in growing the community school and stressed the various members of the managing committees were instrumental in making the school what it is today. "I am happy that I was a link between the school and the community for these three decades and am really blessed that I could be of little help to many." On smart classes, he said it is an interesting way of learning, but problems with smart classes are many. Efficiency of the classes is directly proportional to how well trained teachers are, as they are the one using it in class. Another criticism is that smart classes have made some teachers complacent who only rely on them without preparing for teaching lessons or skipping the explanation part altogether. That is necessary for weak students or those who are not so proficient in English, he added. However, it has also become a status symbol for schools in India to flaunt during admission season, and the schools were charging exorbitant fees under the guise of smart classes, he said. Joy graduated with Physics and Chemistry from St. Albert's College in Ernakulum, Kerala, and did his training in Kottayam before moving to Mumbai (earlier Bombay) looking for a job. "I worked in small schools before working in St. Xavier's Khanjurmarg. I was with them for two years." Then an advertisement for a teaching job with Saudi Telecom was what led him to Saudi Arabia. "It was a job for a trainer. They were looking for a trainer to train their managers. So I landed the job with Saudi Telecom to teach basic telephony and English and was with them for two years. "It was a start to my journey as an educator. I am happy that I continued to teach instead of shifting streams. My experience with the children has been really rewarding as I could contribute to their growth in a small way. The interactions with them made a big difference in my life, I taught and learned from them." Joy is a social worker and the president of Kairali-Socio Cultural Organization during his stay here. He is an eminent quizmaster and was an advisory member of Sera, Kalasahiti and other educational organizations in Jeddah. He joined IISJ in 1985 as physical science teacher and his wife was a teacher at IISJ for the last 26 years He has a son, who is pursuing PhD at Teaside University, England and daughter, who is an engineer in Dubai.
