Students no longer have to choose between studying for Board exams or preparing for competitive tests. They can do both that too stress-free, Dr Sridhar G tells Deebashree Mohanty
Do you think that a student faces a dilemma when it comes to taking his competitive tests and preparing for his Board examsIJ
This is a huge problem and we are looking at all possible ways to reduce stress among school children. Though the board and competitive exams have identical syllabi, the kinds of questions asked are very different. Board exams primarily test if students understand topics as a Science student. On the other hand, engineering exams want to know if these students can effectively apply these concepts and ideas to solve real-life problems.
Very often schools today are exhorting parents to get students to pay equal, if not more, attention to board examinations as they fear that school results suffer when parents and students put all their energies behind cracking entrance exams. It is the student who faces the dilemma the most. We are here to provide to a solution.
How do you think we can address this problemIJ
We believe that everyone in the education system is committed to the principle of providing the best education in schools and in a manner that it delivers the best results in both Board Examinations and competitive examinations. Ace Creative learning is bringing relevant, performance based, holistic, result oriented education back to school through which students are able to both prepare and perform in Boards as well as compete successfully in competitive exams.
The key lies in seeing one as a step up from the other and combining preparations for the two exams in one continuous examination format. We have the Deeksha Network schools that calibrate teaching in the Class XI and XII students in a manner where they go logically from strong fundamentals to the application based knowledge required for entrance exams.
Tell us more about ACE...
Ace Creative learning is a pioneer in integrated learning systems in schools and colleges. It was established in 1998 with an aim to bridge the gap between schoolwork and preparation for competitive exams and reduce the stress on students.
Ace operates through three distinct teaching environments — Deeksha Network, Ace Academy and Ace Online.
Tell us more about the Deeksha Network...
In the Deeksha Network colleges, academic, technology and life-skills — are incorporated in a typical day at college to enable overall development of students. Students are not only prepared to face board and competitive exams to the best of their abilities, but they are equipped with essential skills to take on the life.
Deeksha Network conducts classes in association with PU colleges where ISEET and NEET programs for science and certified junior accountant program for commerce stream are simultaneously covered with the conventional PU curriculum during the college working hours. Several colleges in Bangalore, Mysore, Tumkur, Mangalore, Hubli, Kolar, and Belgaum in Karnataka, and Pune and Mumbai in Maharashtra are members of this network.
What about ACE onlineIJ
Through online classes are offered to train students for competitive exams remotely through digital classrooms. lectures are beamed from Bangalore, and students can attend the lectures from their homes or a remote classroom in any part of the state. In addition to classes, assignments, tests, and discussions are also monitored online
What about resultsIJ
Over the last three years 76.6 per cent of the students at Ace scored above 60 per cent in the class 12 board exams and about 40 per cent of the students scored a distinction. In competitive or entrance exams, students from Ace have secured ranks 109, 229(State rank 2), 369(State rank 2) in the All India Ranking for IIT-JEE for the years 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively. AIEEE saw students securing the first rank (State rank) for the years 2010, 2011 and 2012. In Medicine, students from Ace secured the ranks 4, 19 and 1 at the CET held during 2010, 2011 and 2012.