Kopila Teachers Eva and Prashneel Visit Dubai for GESS Awards
Monday, January 08, 2024
We were honored to be nominated for the GESS Education Award this past year, and two of our Kopila team took a trip to Dubai for the Education Conference and Awards Gala. Eva Manandhar, Education Manager, shares the experience here. Prashneel Nepal, Education Support Specialist, also attended the event.
As the dates drew closer with the tickets and visa and hotel bookings done, which our team helped us with, the final task was left. We found a small coffee shop in bustling Thamel, in Kathmandu, and sat down to register for the sessions we wanted to attend. We had skimmed it a few times before, but actually sitting down to decide the ones we wanted to attend seemed like such a daunting task, with five sessions – Leaders in Education, Education Innovations, Wellbeing Space, Skills Development, GESS talks – running parallel and each one having very interesting sessions.
As we went through the first day, it became quite clear that Wellbeing Space and Leaders in Education were my thing, with some sessions in Skills Development that I wanted to attend. And it was the exact other end of the spectrum with AI and Sustainability and GESS talks sessions that Prashneel was eyeing, so this worked out pretty perfectly for us.
World-Class Education
We went to our different sessions, and I remember meeting up with Prashneel for lunch and he exclaims with gusto, “You know what, our school is world class, the things that the speakers have been sharing and talking about in their sessions, we are already doing it in our school, we are good, we are doing good.” And that is a constant thought he had at the end of each day.
For me, school culture and teacher development and bonding has been an issue that I feel deeply about and opted for sessions that looked into these matters. One thing that became very obvious, and was a relief to know, was that all that we have been concerned about – behavior issues, disrespect and aggression among students, demotivation among teachers is a worldwide issue; even the best schools around the world are going through the same issues.
A major eye-opening learning for me – we have already started some of the practices that the conference leaders were proposing, it’s just that we need to really believe in it and be very, very consistent with it. And for some issues, it is a good idea to bring in people who have the knowhow, but not for a day or week, but a good amount of time – work with the teachers or students, let them do the work, build the foundation, and then we continue to support them once the groundwork has been solidly done.
Award-Winning School
The second evening was time for the Gala dinner and the GESS awards ceremony. The hall and people attending the event were all fancy and decked out. As we sat down at our table and went through the program, we realised that we had tough competition, with so many organisations doing amazing work. But then as the emcee elaborated on the reasons why the winner for the Ambassador for the Environment category was selected, our hearts started beating at top speed knowing that – that was us. And then the announcement – we won! – and were as happy as we could be. It was a very very humbling and proud moment to represent the Kopila/BlinkNow team.
Our steps felt lighter and our hearts happier as we walked around the stalls and interacted with people the last day. There was one sign that said “Bookings open for GESS 2024,” and Prashneel takes a serious look at it and says, “We are already doing so much, we just haven’t been talking and showing it enough; next year, I’m going to bring Kopila kids and let them host a session here.”
Thank you Eva and Prashneel, for representing BlinkNow and Kopila Valley so well.
For more on this event and photos from the ceremony, visit our award announcement here.