TAMIL NADU / KARNATAKA, INDIA—A new star in the world of education blazed across the horizon in 1958, when the Padma Sheshadri Bal Bhavan School in Nungambakkam was established by an enterprising group of housewives.
That historic first step in a journey towards excellence was taken with 13 students in a thatched shed on the terrace of the residence of the Dean & Director of the school, Dr. (Mrs.) Y.G. Parthasarathy.
PSBB students watch with delight as the First In Math program is launched at their school.
In 2010, Dr. Parthasarathy was awarded Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award, for her contribution to education. Today thousands of students attend several PSBB schools across southern India.
One example of her continued influence is gathering momentum as students across four PSBB schools spiritedly solve maths problems with energy and excitement—within the First In Math Online Program. Combined, the students have solved nearly 35 lakh problems in less than 40 days!
“First In Math’s friendly competition component helps students become motivated and energized to sustain this type of accelerated effort over time. Students forge a bond at the classroom level and help one another,” explains Akshita Gandhi, Vice President, First In Math India.
“Visit fully activated FIM schools like these and you will find students who are engaged, empowered and energized. Students become immersed in an environment where new skills are acquired and improvement is continually recognized.”
PSBB Millenium OMR School is fifth in the National Rankings of top First In Math schools. PSBB Millenium at Gerugambakkam is closing in on sixth place. PSBB Bengaluru is in eighth place as PSBB Coimbatore closes in on ninth place.
“The phrase ‘the more you practice, the better you get’ is one we often hear from those who guide us to the path of mastery,” says Senior member of the First In Math India team, Daniel Allen. “The discovery of this phenomenon comes from ‘doing’. It is this self-discovery that students of these four schools have made.
The seeds of Dr. Parthasarathy’s legacy continue to sprout all over the landscape of PSBB Schools. What the students are achieving with First In Math is one of many tributes they are offering.