The Board of Directors of Indian Schools in Oman organized a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Session, a special training programme for the teachers of Indian School Salalah and Thumrait School on NEP 2020 for the Foundational Stage – {Balvatika to Class 2}. The session was held on Sunday, 11th May 2025, in the school auditorium and was led by the renowned educationist and resource person, Ms. Sonia Relia from India. Principal Mr. Deepak Patankar, Vice Principal Mr. Mammikutty, AVPs Mrs. Anita Rose and Mr. Vipindas graced the occasion. Our Foster school, Indian School Thumrait, led by Principal Mrs. Rekha and her team of teachers were present for the session.

Ms. Sonia Relia has an impressive record of training over 2 lakh teachers and parents through more than 600 workshops and 250 webinars across India and the UAE. Her deep expertise and engaging approach brought new perspectives and methodologies to the foundational teaching practices. The CPD programme began with a warm welcome address by Ms. Anita Rose, Assistant Vice Principal of Indian School Salalah, who also extended heartfelt Mother’s Day wishes to all the teachers. This was followed by the Principal’s address and a detailed introduction of the resource person by Ms. Anita Rose. The session began on a spiritual note with a beautiful morning prayer song sung by Indian School students, invoking the blessings of the Almighty. The topic of the CPD session was “Empowering and Capacity Building Programme for the Foundational Stage,” which commenced at 8:30 a.m. Ms. Sonia Relia introduced activity-based and kinesthetic learning through her innovative approaches, Kino Learn and Kino Phonics. Her primary objective was to empower teachers with a practical toolkit to implement cost-effective and time-sensitive activity-based learning practices in the classroom.

Before the session began, Ms. Sonia set up a vibrant learning Centre in the auditorium, highlighting the importance of continuous learning. She demonstrated how simple resources, such as a small piece of paper, can be used creatively to make lessons more interactive and engaging. One of the highlights was her introduction of pocket boards and subject-specific display boards, which can be effectively used across all subjects—English, Hindi, Science, and Mathematics. Her integrated learning approach captivated the teachers, showing them how even a small board could transform a classroom into a hub of active learning. She stressed that teachers should act as guides and facilitators, allowing children to take initiative in their learning journey.  She said every child should be included and given equal importance in every activity.

The session was not only informative but also deeply engaging. Teachers participated enthusiastically in the activities, songs, and storytelling methods. English teachers found immense value in the segments covering phonics, sight words, diphthongs, syllables, and vocabulary development. For Hindi classrooms, she shared innovative strategies for teaching poetry and using language to explain environmental and moral concepts effectively.

Ms Sonia Relia effectively articulated the curriculum goals and key competencies, distributing informative handouts and explaining each point with remarkable clarity. She thoughtfully addressed vital areas such as interpersonal and intrapersonal development, social-emotional learning, health and safety, as well as age-appropriate reasoning and problem-solving strategies. Her clear and engaging delivery made these complex concepts easily understandable, sparking curiosity and thoughtful questions from the teachers. The session concluded on a reflective note with a beautiful Hindi poem that celebrated the noble role and responsibility of educators. It served as a powerful reminder of the importance of collaboration, creativity, and continuous learning within the teaching community.

The vote of thanks was delivered by the Kindergarten In-Charge, Ms. Anjali Rathakrishnan. As a token of love and appreciation, a bouquet and a memento were presented to Ms Sonia Relia by Principal Mr.Deepak Patankar, AVP Mrs Anita Rose, and Mr Vipin Das. The Principal of Thumrait School, Ms Rekha Prasanth, also expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Ms Sonia Relia for her inspiring session.  The session concluded with a photo session.