Rithu Dravid
Inventure Academy, Bengaluru, a premier international school, has been ranked number one in Karnataka and Bengaluru for the last two years and has also been included among the top six in the Co Ed Day Schools Category in India. The school was established in 2005 by Nooraine Fazal, co-founder and CEO, and an alumna of Boston University and Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru.
The motto of the Inventure Academy is to “Seize the Day”. In an interview with News Trail, Nooraine talks about what makes the school tick and how they inspire young learners.
What inspired you to move to education from sales and marketing?
In terms of my outcome, I see the need to make a positive impact or be a change maker and to build something from scratch. We need to address challenges in the education system particularly, in India which is at its very basic. India has one of the largest number of children in the world in and out of school who don’t get the right education or they attend school just to fulfil their dreams aimed to score marks.
My dedication started through my travels where I met amazing people from around the world. The thing that struck me about us Indians is that we are highly intelligent and great thinkers. The drawback being, we Indians relatively lack soft skills and this prevents us from taking the lead in organisations. With the strict regulatory measures imposed by the government, the MOUs with many organisations have been a failure. The plan to start a B-school never happened but I never gave up on that and continued to strive and succeed in this dynamic, competitive and ever changing world. Hence, we came up with Inventure Academy.
What is the vision of Inventure Academy?
We aim to measure our success by being able to excel in academics and in co-curricular activities and being fit for life. The freedom to instill in learners the ability to realise their potential, be socially responsible citizens and to be able to excel anywhere in the world has been our vision. The purpose of reinforcing this is done with at most planning using physical resources, creating time within a timetable, getting the staff required, a thorough planning process, spot analysis, and a student-parent-teacher satisfaction service all through the year. We take corrective actions when we go against our goals. The purpose of our existence is to enable every student to stay in a culture that is nurturing, fun and adaptable.
What is your strategy to contribute to the Indian education system?
The pandemic gave us an opportunity to explore technology, everything from classroom management systems to a differentiated learning system. It was fantastic to be more engaged with the learners and we built on it. We created more personalised learning pathways for students based on their interests, passion, goals, and other preferences. I think technology has been a backup in terms of learning anytime and from anywhere. The hybrid model of learning provides more flexibility. Students can opt to learn and connect from home or the school making. But nothing replaces the kind of learning one gets face- to-face, to be able to interat with other human beings. Right now, the pandemic is not really behind us, we will have to see how the students feel when the government makes it a uniform rule for students to be back in school. Physical classes enable personality development.
As an edupreneur, more so a woman, what are the challenges faced by you in this competitive field?
I think it’s a tremendous advantage being a woman, as you connect so much better with people. I have a very limited ego in many ways because I am not afraid of saying ‘I don’t know’ something and the humility to say I don’t have the answers. I do believe women do better than men. Women are compassionate and do a good job by connecting with people. I don’t think education is all about transfer of knowledge or teaching what is in a book. We need to be educators in a meaningful way. Women should have equal opportunities, which is greatly lacking. We talk about women’s reservation, women education through various schemes but still we are lagging behind in numerous ways. Organisations need flexible policies for women-related issues like sabbaticals for maternity care or looking after a loved one. We need to create entrepreneurial opportunities and equal employment opportunities as well. We should not be putting blockers, as every individual deserves a shot to live a life of dignity by choosing their life goals and potentials.
What are the scholastic and nonscholastic achievements that Inventure focuses on?
Most of us have the wrong measure of success. Good education balances both academics and interactive learning methods. A good school focuses equally on skill-based activities and academics. At Inventure Academy every student is provided with a platform which is talentbased. This brings out the ability of the student to foster self-esteem and the confidence to reap the immense benefits life offers. We conduct shows, concerts, events, community outreach programs like the Arogya Bhagya — a health camp event for the neighbourhood government schools. It catered to over 300 learners from these government schools. The Inventure community supports these less privileged learners. We help in creating a model for public private partnership and hope to support more such government schools. Education in the true sense is helping the individual to be mature and free, to flower greatly in love and goodness. That is what we should be interested in, and not in shaping the child according to some idealistic pattern.
What are Inventure’s future projects?
We are in the process of opening two schools, one at the Prestige Jindal City and the other in the north of Bengaluru. It is being initiated and we are looking forward to making this big. Keeping fingers crossed.