Introducing Abhimanyu Das Gupta - our new PYP Coordinator

Give us a short introduction on who you are, your experience, where you are joining us from?

I began my journey in teaching in Primary School, 2 decades ago, and have been working in reputed residential IB schools in India for the last 15 years. I have traversed the continuum of teaching and learning from being a single-subject specialist, to a Home Room Teacher, a Grade Level Coordinator, a PYP Coordinator and a Head of Primary. I have enjoyed each role and approached them keeping students at the centre. I have had the good fortune of working, learning and growing at the Pathways World School, Aravali where I spent close to a decade and more recently at the Singapore International School, Mumbai where I spent 6 years leading the PYP team. I am also a member of the IB Educator Network (IBEN), and an experienced online and face-to-face Workshop Facilitator and School Visitor. I have set systems and innovated various processes in my previous schools and also led them through Evaluation processes.

What made you want to join the Academy?

The mission was what always drew me to the Academy. The very fact that it was inclusive and pluralistic meant that all kinds of children could thrive in its nurturing environment. Students and teachers have always had a lot of Agency and all the members of the community could express its voice, and mindfully exercise freedom of choice in taking ownership of their learning and living. Above all, the overwhelming presence of nature on the campus, makes it an idyllic seat of learning! All these attractive qualities of the AKA Hyderabad appealed to me the most and made me want to be a part of this vibrant, humanistic and meaningfully driven community.

What is your vision for what you are teaching/leading at the Academy?

I hope to be able to lead the pedagogy in alignment with His Highness the Aga Khan’s humanistic goals and vision and contribute to planting seeds of universal human values that are best exemplified through the AKA strands and the AKA Learner Profile. I also hope to be a role model first as an advocator of these values, through my thoughts, words and actions.

What you are hoping to achieve with your students this academic year?

As a newly appointed PYP Coordinator, I will strive not just to maintain standards and practices that are already successfully running, but bring in innovations and raise the bar to make the learning community more vibrant, exemplary and action-oriented! I hope to be able to bridge any gaps in communication between different stake-holders, especially while we are sailing on the virtual learning boat, to ensure that learning is consistent, holistic and meaningful for each and every student in Junior School.