Hindustan Times (Chandigarh)

Bhavan Vidyalaya’s formula for assembly line of toppers

This year, the school produced five tricity toppers with 99% marks

- Tanbir Dhaliwal

PANCHKULA: Rigorous academics, back-to-back practice exams, revision classes, career-oriented workshops, with a tinge of extracurri­cular activities, make Bhavan Vidyalaya what it is today: a premier education institutio­n with a long-standing legacy of producing toppers.

This year, the school has produced five tricity toppers with 99% score in the CBSE Class 10 examinatio­ns, and one tricity topper in humanities from Class 12. A similar trend was observed in 2019 and 2018 when the school had produced two national toppers and three tricity toppers in Class 10, said principal Gulshan Kaur.

Bhuvi, a tricity topper, said, “Our syllabus ended by December and over the next two months, we gave at least three pre-boards and took revision classes. By the time board exams started, we became so used to

It’s not a one-year job. The hard work starts right from the beginning, when a child joins school. It all depends on planning and concerted effort. GULSHAN KAUR, principal

We had tests throughout the year — unit tests, semi-finals, three pre-boards and by the time boards came, the exam phobia was over. RASLEEN KAUR, a topper

examinatio­ns, there was no fear; we had a great hold over all subjects.”

RIGOROUS TESTING, CONCEPT BUILDING

From the beginning of the session, they had weekly tests. “Whatever we learned in a week, we were tested on that. It ensured that we revised our subjects on a daily basis,” added Bhuvi.

Another topper, Rasleen Kaur, said: “We had tests throughout the year. Every week, we had ‘office tests’, then unit tests, semi-finals, three preboards and by the time boards appeared, the exam phobia was over.”

Stating that the warmth and dedication of the teachers of Bhavan were “unmatchabl­e”, Rasleen said: “You could ask any number of questions and they wouldn’t get irritated. They told us not to focus on marks but on improving the mistakes. They wrote detailed remarks on the answer sheets to help us improve further.”

MULTIDISCI­PLINARY

Rasleen, who is into acting, dance, public speaking and badminton, gives the credit for her multidisci­plinary academic life to the teachers: “They teach you how to strike a balance between studies and extracurri­cular activities.”

Principal Gulshan Kaur, Bhavan Vidyalaya, Panchkula, said the main focus of the school was the holistic growth of the child. “It’s not a one-year job. The hard work starts right from the beginning when the child joins our school. It all depends on planning and concerted effort. It’s not that easy to produce toppers year after year,” she said.

On taking frequent examinatio­ns, she said: “Drilling helps in honing the skills but more focus is given on concept building.”

Krisha, a Class 12 topper in humanities, switched schools a year prior believing Bhavan to be “academical­ly more focused”. “It is very strict when it comes to taking leave. You can’t just take an off. The school really tests your limits, but that’s what makes Bhavan what it is today!”

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