A school par excellence in South Kodagu

By K. Jeevan Chinnappa

GONICOPPA (KODAGU DT.), DEC. 5. Spread over a sprawling 12-acre campus, the Coorg Public School (COPS) is a unique educational institution in South Kodagu. Established in 1996, it has carved a niche for itself in the field of education. The COPS has students from all over the country studying on its campus, and it serves as a model institution in imparting to its students education, not only in terms of academic excellence but also discipline.

From just a humble beginning, the COPS has made tremendous strides, particularly in academic progress. "We are not here to compete with other institutions but to produce educated, disciplined citizens in tune with the changing times," says Prof. M.D. Nanjunda, Principal of the COPS, who has been its moving force and guiding spirit.

Despite the medium of instruction being English, no one spars over it, as it is the quality of education that has mattered the most. The COPS is affiliated to the Council of Indian School Certificate Examinations in Delhi. At the secondary level, it offers English as the first language and Kannada/Hindi as the second language. The pre-university course was started here two years ago. It is affiliated to the Karnataka State Pre-University Board.

The `3 Ts': Prof. Nanjunda says, it was the "3 Ts" that have stood as a bedrock of teaching. They are "Time", "Task" and "Talk". It is a novel experiment adopted to make the learning process vibrant and effective. Facilitating "learning by doing", grasping the subject quickly, and using facilities for field work and laboratory work, are the main tools for students who excel in academics. In tune with modern methods, there is a supplement of group discussions, Internet facilities, CD ROMs, overhead projectors and video cassettes.

If someone has misunderstood that "English rules the roost" in COPS, he is wrong. A disciplinarian himself, Prof. Nanjunda says it is "Indian culture" which comes first. Students recite Sanskrit hymns before partaking of lunch in the school. The "house system" comprising four houses named after the seasons -- Vasanta, Varsha, Sharat and Shishira -- denotes the culture of the land and paves the way for greater participation among students of different houses.

The students too have made the institution proud. Within four years of its inception, the first two batches of ICSE students and the first batch of PU students passed out with a 100 per cent record. Remarkably, of the 29 PU students who passed out of the school, 28 got admission in professional colleges. Perhaps, K.G. Muthanna's feat in securing admission to the Naval Engineering College at Lonavala, near Pune, through all-India selection, ranks the best, as it is acclaimed as the best college in Asia.

Students' transformation: What is unique about COPS is that students even with a lower percentage of marks are admitted into the institution subject to their passing the entrance test. They are later transformed into real performers, avers Prof. Nanjunda. Students from Sikkim, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and from all over the State study here. There are 10 NRI students. Of the 445 students from Standard I to PUC, a little more than 60 per cent are local people, and girls outnumber boys. Students from Standard I to IV are day boarders whereas those from Standard V to II PUC are residents.

Extracurricular activities are an integral part of the system. Students have access to learning dance, music, painting, needlework, crochet and knitting. Debates, quiz programmes, karate, yoga, nature club, computers, trekking, and para-gliding also form part of the activities. Sports go hand in hand with study as many students have been champions in district-level sports and games. As part of the fitness programme, students are involved with physical fitness, physiological fitness, psychological fitness, social fitness and ethical fitness. These skills help in the personality development of students. Doctors are on the panel to provide immediate medical attention.

Class monitors: As part of building leadership qualities, a prefect system has been introduced, in which headboys and headgirls monitor the work of other students. As many as 130 students from the COPS maintain regular correspondence with the students of the Middlesex Middle School in Darien in the U.S. It is mandatory that each student writes a letter to his or her parents every week.

The COPS, being managed under the "Kodagu Academy for Education and Culture", has a dedicated team of five educationists as its trustees. They are: Mr. M.N.Belliappa (president), Mr. K.A.Subbaiah (vice-president), Mr. M.M.Thimmaiah (secretary), Mr. K.A.Poonacha (treasurer), besides, Prof. Nanjunda himself.

Fifth anniversary: The school, which is set to celebrate its fifth anniversary on December 9, will soon have a swimming pool, which is under construction. The COPS aims at establishing computers and Internet facilities from Class IX to PUC from next year.

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