THE immediate problem facing the International Indian School Jeddah (IISJ) is the pressure from overwhelming student admissions, for which the only solution is the procurement of land and the construction of a purpose-built premises, which could well happen within a year, said IISJ principal, Syed Masood Ahmed, who officially took charge on July 1. “A location in the vicinity of the Boys Section has been identified and we are exploring its legalities, such as, whether the premises can be taken in the school's name or not. If it materializes soon, construction may not take more than a year,” said Ahmed. He said that hundreds of students who have not been able to get admission to the school are waiting in the hope of new premises. Renting additional premises was considered earlier and an agreement had been signed, but “it was not approved by the Ministry of Education as these are residential places lacking the basic amenities a school must have, such as, a large playground, etc.,” said Ahmed. He said shift sessions had also been considered but “were not approved due to apprehensions, such as, unsuitable climatic conditions, etc.” Estimating the ideal class size at 30, Ahmed said overcrowding in classes may not be a problem in higher classes as students are ‘mature', but that it may have a negative impact on the teaching-learning process in lower classes. As the largest (and oldest) community school in the Kingdom, he said the goals of IISJ cannot be too ‘idealistic', though, he said, there are ‘higher academic targets to be achieved'. Referring to the Class 10 and 12 board results this year, Ahmed said there were qualitative as well as quantitative improvements, which were due to ‘some planning'. Commenting on the academic problems related to NRI (non-resident Indian) students – their inability to qualify for professional entrance exams in India – in particular, he said: “There are two problems: first, children face a lack of exposure here; there's hardly any interaction and they live in a confined world. Second, the attitude of students as well as some parents is such that studies are taken very casually and leisurely. They do not comprehend the extent of competition that they will face in India”. He said the change in attitude should be brought about “vis-a-vis the school itself”. Steps taken in this direction include holding regular parents-teachers meetings, the response for which was not “as good as it might be”, Ahmed said. Another key factor, he said, is the expat lifestyle, in which “the father is always busy, and mothers have to do all the work, because of which the parents cannot spend quality time with their children and monitor their studies”. Commenting on the issue of private tuition, he said that this cannot be controlled but can be minimized by providing a suitable alternative, such as, school-arranged special classes. “Classes held after school hours are generally not looked upon favourably by parents who say that such classes are taxing for their children, who they say are tired after school,” Ahmed explained. Teachers, too, are often criticized by the parents, and the IISJ is trying to remedy the situation. “A system called TET, Teachers Evaluation Test, was introduced last year. Based on its feedback, teachers can modify their methodology. Moreover, in-service training for teachers will be a regular feature now,” said Ahmed. For someone who started in the teaching profession ‘by chance' in 1994 at IISJ and within two years converted to the profession ‘by choice', Ahmed said “the fulfilment of his responsibilities matters foremost and the post (of principal) is secondary”.
