Novel changes led to RKM success

KOLKATA: Mock tests before the higher secondary examination, a special class before the D-day by each teacher and allowing students to stay back in the hostel to prepare for the examination after classes got over contributed in Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya Narendrapur record the stupendous results at this year’s HS. A whopping 19 pupils from the school bagged the top 10 slots.Of the 80 students who appeared for HS, 70 scored over 90% and the rest over 80%.
Bilwasiva Basu Mallick, the boy who topped the HS this year, says the mock tests introduced this year at RKM made a decisive difference. “The mock tests assisted us to clear our doubts. I scored high in these tests that boosted my confidence and gave me a fair estimation about my preparedness,” he said.
Also, before the HS, each teacher held a special class with students in which they were given tips on how to write the answers in a manner that impresses the examiner and secure good marks. After correcting a few answer scripts, an examiner will know the examinees are from Narendrapur RKM Vidyalaya,” said headmaster Maharaj Ved Purushananda.
There was another crucial departure at the school from previous years. And that was to give guardians an option to keep their wards at the school during the study leave prior to the exams so that they could concentrate on studies and get help from teachers as well as fellow students.
“This was never done before and it worked wonders. Students were divided into two batches. One comprised students who prepared to appear in various engineering joint entrance examinations and the other for those who wanted to pursue medicine. In the three months before HS, mock tests were held and students were encouraged to read text books. Also, stress was laid on scoring well in language papers since students focused on engineering and medicine tend to concentrate on science subjects, neglecting the languages,” said Bengali teacher Aloke Dutta.
Ten students at the school have scored a perfect 100 in Bengali, something that surprised teachers as well. Students said the new question format which include multiple-choice-questions and short answers helped them score full marks. “Bengali is a subjective language and if an examiner feels then they may reward a student will full marks which is their prerogative,” Swami Purushananda said.
The headmaster also pointed to the 10 minutes of compulsory meditation after the daily prayers, explaining that it helped increase students’ concentration. “Many former students have mentioned that the meditation was extremely effective,” the headmaster said. The serene atmosphere inside the campus also contributed to the success.
Though tuitions are not a norm among RKM students, there is one exception. Private tutor Anup Samanta helps students with Mathematics. Thirteen of the 19 toppers from RKM Narendrapur attended his classes. Of the 35 students from the school, 30 have ranked within top 15 and scored high in the subject.
“While teaching algebra and trigonometry to the very students when they were in class VIII, I introduced some principles from HS-level chapters that they could easily relate to. Hence, when they were studying these chapters in XI and XII, it was nothing new to them,” shared the teacher who himself studies for three-four hours a day to come up with fresh, challenging mathematical problems that are not found in the textbooks.