Global Indian International School (GIIS) in Singapore has been pioneering new trails in education through innovative applications of technology. The school has opened its flagship SMART Campus, the largest in the world, to provide NextGen education with technologically advanced facilities.
GIIS is the first school to promote facial recognition technology for attendance and enhanced security, and has installed the world’s largest collection of digital lockers, to name a few instances.
The 10 acre (3.50 hectares) campus security systems primarily uses facial recognition – a highly efficient means through which students will be able to access the entire campus.
“The SMART Campus is the only international school in the world to use this facial recognition feature on such a wide scale, deploying over 170 facial readers across the campus,” said Atul Temurnikar, Chairman and Co-founder of GlIS. “The idea was to ensure that our students get maximum security in a safe, conducive environment within the campus,” he said.
Facial recognition machines are installed outside every classroom and access points to improve efficiency and speed of access. The machines take less than one second to recognise a student, which also translates into 40% faster marking of attendance. Student location tracking system allows tracking of their whereabouts across the campus and trigger alerts if they cross fenced areas.
15 other technologies were handpicked from over 100 modern options to improve learning outcomes both in and out of the classroom. These included Virtual Classroom technology with audio-visual system, data analysis in sports, Smart ID cards for students and teachers, the world’s largest installation of digital lockers (more than 6,000), desk and collar microphones for teachers etc.
Within the classroom, there are two interactive and highly customised whiteboards that will allow digital collaboration between teachers and students, while SMART ID cards for teachers will serve as a master key to lock and unlock all the classroom tech enabled facilities.
The campus also houses a Sports Performance Enhancing Data Analytics System (SPEDAS) used by the likes of NBA, to capture data through motion sensors for all indoor games, which will help coaches analyse player performances and help student players improve their game.
The premises, which can accommodate 3,500 students, also has 92 SMART classrooms, 47 SMART labs and studios for skills-based learning. The school has provided 28 student innovation rooms and learning commons, with four large multipurpose halls and seven seminar halls. The school also has three outdoor learning facilities; the NEST classroom, the MIST classroom and Amphitheatre.
“The heart of the school is the classroom and we spent maximum design time in getting the classroom right,” Temurnikar said. “Skills based interactive learning through the expansive 47 skills based studios is the need of the hour. ”
Other dedicated spaces like Innovation labs, Entrepreneurship and Robotics labs, Maker Spaces, Radio and Television studios etc, are poised to make the school a hub for new age learning.
GIIS is a global network of premier international schools with more than 15,000 students across 19 campuses in Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, UAE, Vietnam and India. Founded in 2002, GIIS offers a comprehensive range of International and Indian curricula for Kindergarten to Year 12 students.