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Aitchison that has always centered around the development of a student’s character and focused on building
wholesome and well-rounded personalities.
As an academic, I understand the profound importance a teacher plays in shaping and impacting the lives,
personality and character of students. There is no doubt in my mind that the strength and quality of an
educational institution is completely dependent on the quality of its faculty. I believe that Aitchison College
should have exceptional, innovative, and inspirational teachers who are also empathetic individuals that
possess a sound moral compass. I am confident that by prioritizing resources towards faculty recruitment
and development, the quality of teaching and learning at Aitchison can be improved substantively.
To prepare students for the challenges of university education and life beyond that, the school curriculum
needs to foster curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking. Moreover, to inculcate a much-needed sense of
social empathy and responsible citizenship, education must be broad based, community centered and
experiential. Along with STEM subjects, emphasis on languages, arts and humanities, is essential as it
cultivates reason, tolerance, humanism and cultural sophistication. There is also a need to transition from
traditional examination-based assessment to more varied and innovative methods of evaluation such as
research projects, group activities, community service, role play and presentations etc. While some of these
initiatives are relatively easy to introduce, others would take some time to implement. I will be working
closely with the school heads and teachers to design and gradually implement a more holistic curriculum.
Aitchison College is unique in terms of the extent and quality of sporting and co-curricular facilities it
offers. The college has re-invigorated sports in recent years supported by a state-of-the-art infrastructure.
This effort would be continued with greater vigor and further strengthened by including sports as part of
the curriculum.
Every student will be required to play a sport of his choice and meet minimum athletic standards according
to age. Other co-curricular activities such as debates, drama, crafts and hobby clubs, arts and music are all
integral components of a broad-based curriculum. Important character traits of discipline, fair play,
teamwork, perseverance, confidence, creativity, appreciation of the arts and eloquent articulation of
thoughts and ideas are learnt not necessarily in the classroom but in the playing fields, on debating rostrums
and theatre stages.
In the last couple of years boarding house facilities and life have improved dramatically leading to an
increased number of boarders. As a former boarder I know through personal experience how important
nurturing pastoral care is for the mental and physical wellbeing of boys particularly in junior and prep
school. Careful selection of resident housemaster/mistress and the introduction of a tutor/advisor for each
student is essential for the boarding house to become a home for the boys, offering comprehensive support
for their academic and personal development. I would be taking a special interest in the life at boarding
school by closely interacting with the boys and their house masters/mistresses over meals and through
frequent visits.
Aitchison College is a national institution and should have students from all provinces and different
segments of society. A structured academic and sports scholarship and financial aid program for deserving
students will be introduced across all schools to increase diversity on campus. I am certain that our extensive
and prosperous alumni network would contribute generously to this program.
Finally, Aitchison needs to internationalize - a strategy to attract students from the neighborhood and
beyond would be put in place. Student and faculty exchange programs with similar private and public
schools in the UK and other English-speaking countries would be a step in that direction.