New Delhi, July 26, 2016: Continuing its efforts towards excellence in the field of education, Shiv Nadar School has brought on board international public speaking specialist, Dananjaya J. Hettiarachchi as a guest faculty to conduct workshops for students and teachers, in the academic year 2016-17. Starting July 26, the workshops aim to hone public speaking skills in students; and presentation, engagement and content structuring skills in teachers.
Dananjaya J. Hettiarachchi won the world championship of Public speaking (2014) hosted by Toastmasters International, the world’s leading authority on public speaking and communication. He was the first Asian to win the championship, beating over 33,000 contestants across 120 countries.
Speaking about his association with Shiv Nadar Schools, Dananjaya said, “In today’s hyper competitive world, strong communications skills are a prerequisite for success in all aspects of one’s life. Employers rate verbal communications as the most important candidate skill in new college graduates and institutions play an important role in helping young students acquire this critical life skill. The Shiv Nadar School is a forward-looking institution recognizing this need. It is the first education institution that I am working with in India. Through these workshops, I hope to help the teachers and the students build confidence and learn to communicate with clarity, conviction and impact.”
Speaking about the workshop, Col. Gopal Karunakaran, CEO, Shiv Nadar School said, “In the era of information overload, communication skills are among the key skills of 21st century, along with collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and innovation. Effective communication contributes to individuals' social development and helps create strong interpersonal relationships. For educators, it helps to make the classroom more engaging, thus aiding in student learning. At Shiv Nadar School, we constantly aim to add elements that help us strive towards excellence in urban schooling We are; therefore, excited to partner with Dananjaya Hettiarachchi, the world champion of Public Speaking, to guide, coach and mentor both our teachers and students in public speaking and presentation skills.”
About Shiv Nadar School
The Shiv Nadar School is a not-for-profit initiative of the Shiv Nadar Foundation in K12 private education to deliver educational excellence and provide education for life. With three schools in the NCR, The Shiv Nadar School provides students an environment that challenges them into discovering their talent and skills, with an aim to nurture ethical, respectful, happy and purposeful citizens of society. Over 3000 students and their parents, along with a team of 450 educators, are a part of the Shiv Nadar School family.
About Shiv Nadar Foundation
The Shiv Nadar Foundation (www.ShivNadarFoundation.org) has been established by Shiv Nadar, Founder, HCL - a $6.5 billion leading technology and healthcare enterprise. The Foundation’s mission is to contribute to the process of national development and social transformation by establishing institutions and undertaking new initiatives in the fields of education and culture. The Foundation is committed to the creation of a more equitable, merit based society by empowering individuals to bridge the socio-economic divide through philanthropy-based transformational education.
The Foundation set up the SSN Institutions (www.SSN.edu.in) in 1996, comprising the SSN College of Engineering (already a highly ranked private engineering college in India), in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The Foundation has also set up VidyaGyan, a residential leadership academy for meritorious rural children, at Bulandshahr and Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh. In addition, the Foundation runs the Shiv Nadar University (www.snu.edu.in), an international multi-disciplinary university with strong research orientation located in Greater Noida in India’s National Capital Region and the Shiv Nadar School (www.shivnadarschool.edu.in), a network of progressive urban schools across India aimed to provide children with education that creates lifelong learners. The Foundation has also set up the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (www.knma.in), India’s largest private philanthropic museum in modern and contemporary art with the vision to take art to the common public