Sunday 05 / May / 2024
Muscat: Indian schools in Oman will only move towards full reopening after all factors concerning student and teacher safety have been looked at in collaboration with those involved in their operations.
Dr Sivakumar Manickam, who was recently elected the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of Indian Schools in the Sultanate of Oman, added that the COVID-19 pandemic has taught educators that learning techniques for school students need to be modernised where necessary.
“The board will develop an equitable school reopening strategy that will include the entire stakeholder framework of our schools to establish a safe environment for teachers and students that will bring in trust and confidence,” said Manickam, who is currently the Head of e-Learning at Oman Dental College, a position he took up in September 2010.
He was previously employed as the Head of the senior section Physics Department at Indian School Muscat, where he first joined as a physics teacher. He retained a key interest in developing quality education at ISM even after leaving his teaching post, having served as a member of the school management committee, and the academic advisory council of the Board of Directors of Indian Schools.
“I had to resign these positions prior to running for chairman,” revealed Manickam, who was one of the main developers of the ISO-VLE (Indian Schools Online Virtual Learning Environment) that has turned out to be instrumental in imparting education to Indian school students across Oman during the pandemic.
“I spearheaded this project and trained teachers to handle online-based teaching,” he explained. “Immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic began, our schools were able to quickly adopt these new technologies and deliver uninterrupted education. Almost a full academic year has been completed through this mode of teaching, and schools are now returning to blended learning with a mixture of online and onsite teaching sessions.”
“School education is now being redefined with the growth of artificial intelligence, robotics and biotechnology,” added Manickam. “Preparing our children for such a rapidly changing world, post COVID-19, requires relevant and modernised education. This does not mean, however, discarding traditional teaching techniques and replacing them with computer screens.”
“What it does mean is that we must deliver to our children core subject knowledge in a way that incorporates this ever-developing technology, which is efficient and engaging, in order to equip them with the knowledge and digital skills that the future will demand,” he said.
On behalf of ISM alumni across the world – many of whom were taught by Dr Sivakumar during his tenure at the school, Mukund Manohar, president of the Indian School Muscat Alumni Association (ISMA), wished the new chairman and his board team all the success for their tenure.
“It is a privilege to have committed individuals who are taking time out of their work and personal life to serve the community and add value to the school system,” he said. “We look forward to their fresh perspectives and valuable insight, and the Alumni are ready to serve and assist them in their noble effort.”
“We wish them good luck in their pursuit of school board service and gracious thanks for their dedication to providing quality education for the Indian community in Oman,” he added.
