Amulya's Feedback to School Education based on Experience of sending 3 kids to this School for 20 school-man years

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Milestone 2018
In a conservative society there are certain
values that people strongly believe in. They
follow a particular system and are very rigid.
Anyone who dares to move out of the system
is considered an ‘outlaw’. I was never affected
by these values in my entire life except for
one particular occasion. Our family had just
moved into a new area. It was afternoon and
I was in the stationery. One of our neighbours
standing right beside me started a
conversation. He asked me about how many
siblings I had. I answered “two, my sister and
my brother”. He assumed that I had an elder
brother, so I corrected him by saying that “I
am the eldest and my brother is the
youngest“. Right after I said that his expression
changed. He took a deep sigh and told me
“Oh! So you are the eldest, it would have
been better if a son was the eldest but it's
fine.” This response shocked me, being the
eldest daughter of the family I was always
loved and taught to be humble, polite, soft-
spoken and well- mannered because my
siblings would soon follow my footsteps and
I had to set an example, but it never occurred
to me that an eldest daughter was not right!
Despite his preference and belief, I believe that
I am capable of doing equally as good as the
eldest son of the family. I am a woman and I have
my own ways.
So, my dear girls this is for you:
I came into this world like every other being.
Some say I am a treasure, some say I am a burden.
Some acknowledge me as repulsive, some as
exquisite. I am judged everywhere I go and there
is more to that. But I also get flattered and
praised. All the judgments and the praises are
the very reason I rise above. I may look weak but
I do not hesitate. The history speaks itself of all
WOMAN
the great things that I’ve done from shedding
blood in the war to stepping in the moon, what
haven’t I achieved? I have a resolute heart and
I shall conquer everything that I dream. I will
protect my loved ones facing every difficult thing.
I will be bold, independent and chivalric. I can
be sweet and bitter. I am sometimes brave as a
tiger. I have the ability to make others happy. My
existence is important. I have lots to achieve and
I shall achieve it all. I am a fighter, a warrior. I am
a woman, a strong woman.
Arpana Singh
Batch of 2016
OLD BOYS' AND GIRLS' CORNER

3. Refused to take part in the song competition.
When Principal Sir asked for an explanation, I
replied “Because I have too many certificates at
home”. Ankit took over my place, and won. He’s
one of the top contenders for The Voice of Nepal.
My arrogance became my friend’s opportunity.
Win-win!
Got my grades back though: 9 CGPA!
Year 11 (2011):
The most challenging year! Our Principal, Mr.
Raju Peter sir, gave me the best present that
year. One week suspension for indulging in a
fight! It was like a good anger management class.
Percentage dropped from 86 to 36. All hopes
for the captaincy ended. I also lost in the song
competition that year. Year of depression.
Year 12 (2012):
Wake up call, time to bounce back. Indulged in
studies for most of the year. Ended up with 78.2%
in the board exams; also being the English
topper for that year. Won the song
competition that year as well. All’s well that
ends well.
Emotional year it was. It was time to part with
friends, my family and especially my second
home. We still group chat every week in spite of
our busy schedules.
If I have to narrow it down to one thing that I
miss the most about my school, it would definitely
be Shiva dai’s Samosas. I’m very serious when I
say this. Man’s a maestro.
Lastly, on the final day of our school I told my
friends that MIS will never be the same without
us. When in reality, we were never the same after
our school days ended!
Pranav Pacchai
Batch of 2012
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Itchya Karki completed her high school fromModern Indian School. In 2010,she moved to Canada
where she completed her Honours Diploma in Medical Aesthetics. She also worked in Canada as
a beauty therapist. After six years on foreign soil, Itchya decided to return home and start a career. She
is the winner of The Super Model Nepal 2016, an actor, WOW cover girl, host of ‘The Evening
Show’, beauty therapist and an entrepreneur.
AMBITIOUS AND BUBBLY

4. 80
Milestone 2018
Growing up, one of my fondest memories is my
high school. MIS has always been so close to my
heart. The friends I made here are like family to
me. Running around the corridors, the yummy
Samosas and Chhola Bhatura from the canteen
dais, trying to escape homework to gossiping
with friends. I loved coming to school especially
when I came across two of my favourite people.
Their names might be familiar to you, Annie
Fitzpatrick Ma’am and Padma Ma'am. They were
more like family than class teachers. I could share
and bond so well with them and it was such a
great experience for me. School was like a second
home to me because of them. Thank you teachers
and thank you MIS.
Itchya Karki
2009-2010

5. Milestone 2017 is an annual magazine of the
Modern Indian School, MIS, for the year 2017.
I have been reading this Magazine, word by
word, top to bottom for the last decade or so,
because a lot of my dreams for my children and
our Nepali children are invested in this Magazine.
First, all three of my children had their schooling
from here, from grades V to XII, and the youngest
graduated in 2015; still I read this magazine
because of my love for the school and fondness
to see it grow to its maximum potential.
This year, I was given a complimentary copy of
this Magazine, even two years after my children
graduated for two reasons, I think: one, the Chief
Editor, Mrs A. Bomjan Fitzpatrick, loves me; and
two, the School Principal, Col. (Retd) Raju Peter,
respects and appreciates my contributions to the
school.
Last year, Mr. Raju Peter invited me to present
my suggestions for the improvement of the school
based on my experience as the parent of three
wards who had done exceedingly well in school
and after and because many teachers felt that I
was the "Ideal" parent in terms of continuous
interactions and constructive comments. In this
invitation to speak before the entire faculty on
"School Improvement", which I am told is the
first time, the school has ever invited any parent.
I gave an hour talk on what could be done to
improve the school, given its assets, its experience
and its shortfalls. The title of this presentation
was MIS IMPROVEMENT, Making the Best
School, Even Better.
I’m writing this note because the school seems
to have incorporated many of my substantial
suggestions in the academic year of 2017. Good
things do happen and this can be seen in the
Milestone 2017.
A major suggestion I had been offering the school
was that the school was not living up to its
potential given its physical assets and the will
and commitment of the School Management
including the Owners and the Principal and his
staff, primarily due to bottlenecks in organizational
deficiencies. Almost 15 years ago, when I first
enrolled my wards in this school, I was impressed
with the spacious classrooms, buildings, buses
with seats students could sit on, instead of
cramming in the aisles, two computer laboratories
with 30 computers each, science laboratories
chock full with instruments, charts, display
materials and a full staff of dedicated well-trained
teachers but somehow they were always on the
run, just to finish the course and there was nary
the resource do little else, in terms of extra-
curricular activities than the barest minimum.
For instance, all those buses were used only to
visit sundry fun and learning places in Nepal and
Kathmandu valley, Parks, Zoos, Museums,
Factories, other Schools etc. For a long time,
security issues held them back, but always, it was
the heavy course content that teachers and
students were focused upon securing maximum
pass and grades.
However, all the suggestions I had made over
the last 15 years, seemed to suddenly bloom
intro fruition since 2017. Students went to USA,
Godavari ICIMOD Knowledge Park and factories
in addition to all the other activities the school
has been doing before AND securing excellent
grades and pass rates.
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Milestone 2018

6. How did the school make such a quantum leap
in productivity with the same number of teachers
and Principal ? Perhaps, I would like to think,
due to a small suggestion I made during the
Workshop. This suggestion was to encourage
the students into pre-emptive learning, reading
before class, all the chapters of the entire course,
doing all the exercises on their own and leaving
the teachers to only concentrate on problem
chapters and problem solutions. This is a radical
pedagogy because, the students gain quantum
leaps in self-confidence, by doing things on their
own. They develop habits of independent
academic study instead of waiting for the teacher
to spoon-feed each chapter. It also frees the
teachers from much of the mundane class
preparation every day, and frees their time and
intellect only to concentrate on challenging
concepts and invest in strategic reviews. The
extra time and energy and passion can then be
re-channeled into organizing the huge jump in
activities, which I say is more than the double for
2016, with the same amount of teachers and
they enjoy: the students, the school becomes a
much livelier place and much more bang for the
buck!
I may be totally wrong, in taking credit, for
sparking this change, but Positive Change there
is and it is not just incremental but revolutionary
in scale. I thank and applaud the Principal, the
Chief Editor and all the Teachers and Staff, the
Students and the Management for the super
achievement in the year, 2017.
So now, is the school perfect? Nay. Two issues
stand out. One, the cafeteria seems to be the
anchor of love and pleasurable memories for
almost all students who are graduating: the rush
for "Eh dai, samosa, Eh dai samosa", not only
the excitement of the rush, but also the taste
amplified by the perpetual famine students are
in, and the excitement of something exciting
over the boring classes and straitjacketed
discipline, but after all is said and done, it does
taste damn good and whenever I visit the school,
my children ask me to bring back samosa for the
taste and the triggers of all the nice memories,
I guess. The cafeteria in the corrugated iron shed
really needs a physical structural upgrade in line
with the rest of the spanking modern architecture,
but not the staff or the taste!
The second issue is MIS Alumni Association
Inactivity. The activity of the Alumni Association
is far below the expectations of all the Alumni
of MIS. Granted, some activity has been reported
in Milestone, but the MIS alumni expect at a
minimum: a) Once-a-year MIS Alumni get
together at MIS with programs and refreshments
and b) a Full time MIS Alumni Network person
who will update MIS alumni updates on MIS
alumni Facebook, webpage, with recent
addresses, phones, offices, and offers to help
neophytes with information, MIS updates, job
placements, hosting in different cities of the
world etc. My children often wonder about
whatever happened to the Rs. 500 charged for
Alumni expense. The money is not much, but
then, they feel they have gotten even less in
three years since they passed; at least the chance
to get together, when most are free, with the
school, once a year, is that too much to ask?
Above is a picture of me thanking the Principal
for his leadership to improve this School so well,
so fast. I am thrilled, I have made a small
contribution to education of Nepalese in Nepal.
Prof. Amulya Ratna Tuladhar
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Milestone 2018