India, Feb. 25 -- The National Education Policy (NEP) is a visionary and long-awaited reform that aligns India's education system with the demands of the 21st century while remaining rooted in Indian values. Its greatest strength lies in shifting the focus from root learning to conceptual understanding,critical thinking, and competency based education. In my view, the NEP will fundamentally change the school scenario by dismantling the rigid silos between streams like Arts, Commerce, and Sciences, offering revolutionary flexibility where a student can pursue Physics alongside Music. At Stepping Stones School, we have proactively aligned our academic and co- scholastic practices with the vision of the NEP, with a strong emphasis on experiential learning, multidisciplinary exposure, and skill integration. One of our flagship initiatives is the Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL), established with the support of a grant from NITI Aayog. The ATL serves as a dynamic innovation hub where students engage in hands-on learning, enabling them to grasp STEM concepts through experimentation, design thinking, and problem-solving rather than rote learning. Equipped with advanced facilities such as 3D printers and robotics kits, the lab has fostered a strong scientific temper among learners. This experiential approach has already borne fruit, with two Class 10 students securing the 2nd Prize at the CBSE National Science Exhibition for innovative projects conceptualised and developed within the school. In keeping with NEP's focus on flexibility and choice, the school offers a wide range of academic streams at the senior secondary level, including Medical, Non-Medical, Commerce, and Humanities.The humanities stream provides a rich and diverse subject combination encompassing Hindi, English, economics, history, political science, and physical education, allowing students to pursue their interests and aptitudes holistically. Further strengthening National Education Policy (NEP's) emphasis on skill-based education. Additionally, the school has embedded art, sports, and financial literacy into its curriculum and transitioned toward competency-based assessments that evaluate the application of knowledge, critical thinking, and real-world problem-solving skills. To take India to the next level, educators must focus on man making education-prioritizing character building, skill development, and adaptability over simple content delivery. While academic excellence is important, we must place equal emphasis on emotional intelligence, problem-solving skills and critical thinking, thereby building mental strength. The major challenge ahead is the attention economy; students are contantly distracted by digital noise, making it difficult to keep them engaged when information is instantly available via Google. Historically, there has been a perceptible gap between classroom theory and the realities of life beyond the school campus; however, at Stepping Stones School, we are consciously and consistently working to bridge this divide. Classroom lessons hold true relevance only when learners can connect concepts to real-life situations and practical experiences. To achieve this, we integrate case studies, hands-on projects, community engagement, and experiential activities into our teaching-learning process, particularly through our Mathematics and Science Clubs. Initiatives such as the Atal Tinkering Lab play a pivotal role in contextualising learning. Complementing this academic-practical balance, the school places strong emphasis on skill development through platforms like the L.T.S. (Leadership Training Service) Club, which nurtures leadership, teamwork, communication, and social responsibility among students. The chief strengths of today's students are their technological fluency, confidence, and global awareness. They are quick learners, comfortable with innovation, and possess a can-do attitude that allows them to question authority and grasp new concepts rapidly. Absolutely. Stepping Stones is a co-educational institute where gender never dictates capability, and we are fiercely committed to gender equity in STEM. We actively encourage our girl students to lead in robotics, coding, and the Atal Tinkering Lab Yes, most definitely-our initiatives to encourage student participation in sports are yielding highly positive and visible results. At Stepping Stones School, sports form an integral pillar of our educational philosophy, as we firmly believe that physical well-being is essential for intellectual growth and emotional balance. Guided by the timeless adage "a sound mind in a sound body," the school has made sustained investments in high-quality sports infrastructure and specialised coaching across a wide spectrum of disciplines, including Lawn Tennis, Cricket, Football, Basketball, a fully equipped Shooting Range, Roller Skating, Badminton, Archery, Boxing, Judo, Karate, Taekwondo, Gymnastics, Athletics, and Yoga. Our focused training programmes and early talent identification have enabled students to progress from participation to performance at competitive platforms spanning city, state, and national levels. There has been a clear and positive shift in mindset, where interests such as robotics, music, sports, and creative pursuits are increasingly recognised as meaningful avenues for learning and even future careers. The line between academics and hobbies is steadily blurring, allowing students to explore their talents without the fear that such engagement will detract from academic performance. At Stepping Stones School, this change is clearly visible in the enthusiasm with which students participate in diverse activities ranging from Robotics and innovation challenges to literary platforms such as Inter-School Scrabble Competitions. The most notable change I observe today is that students increasingly view their hobbies as potential career pathways-a student inclined towards music may aspire to become a soundengineer or composer, while one passionate about gaming may explore avenues in game design or development We also encourage a digital detox to allow for mental processing and creativity. Schools should support this by integrating subjects-using sports to understand physics, for example-and providing remedial classes for students excelling in sports or arts so they do not feel pressurised to choose one over the other. more inclusive and better place. By combining a modern scientific temper-fostered through initiatives like ATL-with traditional values of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The World is One Family), our youth can solve global challenges. If we guide them to be compassionate innovators who use technology for social good, Young India will indeed make the world a more inclusive and better place. Anu Kumar, Principal, Stepping Stones School, Chandigarh...