Two students, Bhuvana P Chakrapani and Tejaswar Reddy, from New Shores International College (NSIC), Bangalore, scored a perfect 100/100 in their postgraduate diploma practical exam. What makes their performance incredible is that these students excelled in their graduation after failing in PUC/12ème! Like many other stalwarts – Henry Ford, Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill – these students lived up to Napoleon Hill’s observation: “Most great people have achieved their greatest success just one step after their greatest great failure”.
Three years ago, Bhuvana and Tejaswar opted to enroll in the Inclusive Education Program (IEP) offered by NSIC which offers students who failed the 2nd PU and 12th standard exam a chance to continue their education. The IEP is a pioneering collaboration between the System for Alternative Schooling and Education (SASE) and New Shores International College. SASE is a fully government-accredited alternative education school offering open education and bridge course programs under COGNIA NWAC – an American school board. SASE is also a member of the National Dropout Prevention Center, USA. As part of the IEP, students are offered remedial classes to help them pass the 12th board exam; After passing the board exam, IEP students continue their studies in a regular full-time degree of their choice: BCA, BBM, BCom, or B.Sc. During the study program, IEP students and regular students of merit have access to the same program and the same pedagogy, which makes the mode of entry irrelevant. This new initiative has been appreciated by various bodies including the Ministry of Education and the Government of Karnataka.
The IEP helps academically challenged learners, slow learners, PUC/12th graders, alternative learners, working professionals, and people with special disabilities. It is the brainchild of NSIC founder, Professor Shashidhar Chiron, the youngest person to establish a fully accredited and self-governing college in India to provide all sections of society with equitable access to quality education. “We want our students to be courageous and imaginative, and we recognize that this also means failing – and then learning from failure – in order to achieve even greater success,” says Professor Shashidhar Chiron, describing his teaching philosophy. To ensure a quality education for students who may have failed the 12th board exam, NSIC has reserved 10% of all undergraduate seats for IEP students.
NSIC faculty believe in nurturing student passion and channeling it into helping the student achieve competitive grades in colleges. Professor Khyati Gohil, faculty of NSIC’s Department of Computer Science, recognized Bhuvana’s passion and interest in the arts and guided Bhuvana in implementing a project to create an online store of art. During the pandemic, the e-commerce boom inspired Bhuvana to devise a game-based reward system that would work as a user engagement tool for online art store artists; artists can build a community around their work and drive brand retention, brand loyalty, sales, and high customer lifetime value. Bhuvana’s parents credit the teachers at NSIC with enabling Bhuvana’s success and development. “I appreciate the freedom given to my daughter, by the faculty, to build the project around her interests.”
At NSIC, each student’s challenges are identified and deeply understood to tailor a personalized solution that helps the student unlock their potential and enhance their skills. NSIC faculty considers each student’s distinctive pattern of learning, understanding, processing thought, and conceptualizing to provide personalized guidance. The faculty’s support inspired Tejaswar, another inclusive student, to undertake a project to eradicate the high number of high-speed vehicle accidents. His project developed with PHP, MySql and Arduino UNO is an innovative IoT project that is more advanced than the program requires. The project provides a solution to control vehicle speed through smart speed bumps, which will be raised above the road surface to remind drivers to slow down speeding vehicles. Proximity sensors are used to detect vehicle speed and the Arduino controller activates the speed breaker. Tejeshwar is thrilled with the success, “I am so happy with my success on the project. I enjoyed learning something new which will help me in the future.” He is grateful to the NSIC for believing in him: “I failed II PU and was in a situation where everything was a mess. I decided not to give up and faced the problem. I joined New Shores International College, which gave me a second chance to prove myself.”
The NSIC faculty has inspired many students to excel through their guidance, optimal pedagogy, and support. During the pandemic and the subsequent confinement, the faculty adapted to the new standards of remote work. They continued to help students stay on track, helping them achieve their academic goals and enabling them to complete their projects. At NSIC, all students have access to personalized guidance and the opportunity to pursue their passion and reach the zenith of success; so, if inclusive, students can get 100/100 why not others! Meet Darshan G, a regular NSIC student who scored a perfect 100/100 for his project titled “Spam Predication using Machine Learning”. Darshan’s interest lay in machine learning, a course outside of the prescribed curriculum. The professors supported Darshan and encouraged him to learn and implement a project that is on par with the curriculum of the graduate program. The project was developed with the Django framework and MySql and provides an ML model to detect and filter spam emails, prevent them from entering inboxes and trick users into downloading attachments loaded with destructive malware.
These students, some of whom failed the jury exam three years ago, are now ready to pursue their dreams. “The centum is an affirmation that the roadmap I’ve created for myself is a step in the right direction. It’s reassuring, and it makes me look forward to the next phase,” says Bhuvana. She continues, “The non-toxic environment and progressive culture at the university helped me focus my energy and overcome obstacles that affected my academic performance. These students are grateful for the support they have received so far from the college. Reflecting on his years of struggle, Tejeshwar shares, “My university and my family have been supporting me. I thank my university and my family for everything they have done to help me achieve my goal.” His parents agree with him: “College has helped him develop a positive mental attitude that will serve him well in his career. We thank New Shores International College for helping and supporting him every step of the way.
NSIC has the infrastructure, systems, and programs that facilitate student development. One such program is the Direction for Student Potential (DSP) program, which is designed to increase students’ academic and learning skills for peak academic performance. DSP students have individual sessions with the teaching staff and receive help in discovering the most appropriate methods to improve their academic performance.
NSIC, an accredited institute affiliated with Bangalore University, Mysore University and Pre-University Council of Karnataka, offers a significant approach to groundbreaking research on student cognition and development. It offers courses accredited by the All India Council for Technical Education AICTE and the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). Thus, students benefit both from a contemporary pedagogy that imparts practical skills and from a government-recognized diploma that opens the doors to a career of their choice.
“We are determined and working hard to become a progressive higher education institution that will catalyze change towards a better world,” said Professor Shashidhar Chiron, the famous young higher education entrepreneur who was also celebrated by the World Economic Forum, outlining its vision for the future. He has big plans for NSIC and has set the institute’s Vision 2030 to make it a reality. NSIC and its students know they have reached a pinnacle of achievement, but the road to excellence and greater glory beckons them forward.
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