In this interview, Avnita Bir shares how the school’s academic philosophy has evolved towards mastery, competency-based learning, and responsible AI integration, while maintaining strong board outcomes and prioritising student well-being and teacher capacity-building.
Q. How has your school’s academic philosophy evolved in recent years, particularly in balancing board results with skill-based and experiential learning?
Avnita Bir: Our academic philosophy has evolved from a marks-first approach to a mastery-and-meaning approach without compromising board performance. While board results remain important, we now see them as a natural outcome of strong conceptual learning, structured practice, and student agency rather than the sole goal of schooling. Academic excellence continues to be non-negotiable, but we have consciously shifted from content-heavy lessons to experiential, skill-based, and practical learning models. Skill-based and experiential components are embedded within mainstream academics through structured projects, application tasks, and collaborative learning instead of being treated as add-ons.
Assessments are now blended, combining tests with presentations, reflections, and product-based outcomes so that learning becomes visible beyond marks. Simultaneously, the teacher’s role has been redefined from content delivery to learning design, enabling classrooms where students explore, apply, question, and create while maintaining academic rigour.
Q. What concrete steps have you implemented under NEP 2020, especially around competency-based assessments and multidisciplinary exposure?
Avnita Bir: NEP 2020 has reinforced the direction we were already pursuing towards competency-based and interdisciplinary learning. We have implemented competency-linked assessments that use rubrics focusing on application, reasoning, communication, and problem-solving rather than rote recall. Evaluation now includes case-based tasks, inquiry projects, portfolios, and reflective submissions to provide authentic evidence of learning.
In parallel, we have strengthened multidisciplinary exposure by enabling departments to collaboratively design learning intersections such as data with humanities, science with design thinking, and commerce with analytics. This approach allows students to transfer knowledge across contexts and develop integrated problem-solving abilities that align with the intent of NEP 2020.
Q. How are you integrating Artificial Intelligence into teaching and learning, and what measurable impact have you seen so far?
Avnita Bir: Our AI integration has followed a deliberate, capacity-building pathway that begins with teachers and then extends into classroom practice and student programs. We created a Teacher’s Toolkit on Google Classroom that hosts micro-credential courses on AI and digital tools, including modules like AI for Everyday Teaching and Prompt Engineering for Educators, supported by quizzes and digital certifications to ensure accountability. Faculty participation was further strengthened through a Teacher’s Ideathon where teachers demonstrated practical classroom uses of AI, such as differentiated lesson planning using ChatGPT, image-recognition tools for lab work, and virtual debate partners to enhance speaking skills. A peer-to-peer training model has also enabled trained teachers to conduct workshops on tools like Canva AI, NotebookLM, and other generative AI platforms.
We have expanded the ecosystem through external collaborations, including campus visits by industry teams and summer initiatives like AI design bootcamps, innovation labs, and drone workshops. The measurable impact is visible in more interactive and visual classroom design, adoption of AI-driven feedback mechanisms, and data-supported interventions that allow timely academic support and differentiated instruction.
Q. Do you have a formal AI usage framework to address concerns such as plagiarism, student dependency, and data privacy?
Avnita Bir: Yes, our AI usage framework is anchored in ethics, transparency, and learning integrity. We position AI as a thinking support tool rather than a shortcut to performance. To minimise plagiarism, our assessment design emphasises process evidence such as drafts, reflections, live demonstrations, oral explanations, and application-based tasks. To prevent dependency, teachers train students to critically evaluate AI-generated outputs, verify information, and justify their reasoning so that cognitive ownership remains with the learner. We also maintain clear data privacy norms for both staff and students, outlining what should never be entered into AI systems, and reinforce responsible-use practices through continuous teacher training and classroom discussions.
Q. With rising concerns around student burnout and mental health, how are you rethinking academic load, assessments, and counselling support?
Avnita Bir: We are moving towards a philosophy of rigour with care, where high expectations do not translate into chronic stress. This includes a stronger reliance on formative assessment and continuous feedback rather than excessive high-stakes testing. We are also cultivating a school culture where success is driven by structured support systems and skill-building rather than fear-based performance pressures.
Counselling is positioned as a proactive and preventive support mechanism, focusing on emotional literacy, teacher sensitivity, and structured mentoring so that early intervention becomes the norm rather than the exception.
Q. Teacher quality remains central to outcomes — what structured initiatives are in place for continuous teacher upskilling and performance evaluation?
Avnita Bir: Teacher development is a core strategic lever for us, and we have built a culture where teachers continuously learn, apply, showcase, and lead innovation. The Teacher’s Toolkit micro-credential ecosystem makes professional learning ongoing, measurable, and accessible, while faculty-led workshops ensure peer-to-peer knowledge sharing across departments. The Teacher’s Ideathon has created a visible performance culture where innovation and classroom impact are valued as much as compliance. Underpinning these initiatives is a leadership philosophy that treats teachers as trusted professionals, enabling autonomy alongside accountability and sustaining a long-term culture of instructional excellence.
Q. As parental expectations become more outcome-driven and competitive, how does your school differentiate itself beyond infrastructure and board results?
Avnita Bir: We differentiate ourselves through a culture that emphasises long-term student outcomes rather than short-term metrics. Our learning ecosystem blends strong academics with applied learning and digital readiness so that students not only perform well in examinations but also develop critical thinking and adaptability. Continuous teacher evolution through micro-credentials, ideathons, and peer-led innovation ensures that classroom quality, not just infrastructure, becomes our defining strength.
Over time, AI integration, interdisciplinary learning, and skill-building have moved beyond pilot initiatives to become embedded in the school’s identity, shaping students who are confident, ethically grounded, and future-ready.
