Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India]: The introduction of technology into classroom space has brought about a revolutionary change in the education system. One such trend that is gradually making its way into the Indian education space is the concept of Esports – an innovative learning pedagogy that goes beyond the traditional understanding of gaming. Esports, or electronic sports, is a growing extra-curricular activity in K-12 schools that has been introduced with the idea of increasing student engagement and social inclusion that adds to value-based success in the future. As a school learning curriculum, Esports has been designed to inspire students to pursue higher education or careers in STEAM, such as game design, computer science, data analysis, broadcasting, music production, or graphic design. Today, many colleges and universities have internal esports teams or offer esports degrees.

While the concept is more popular in the West, India is yet to make major inroads into it. Based in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, Dalimss Sunbeam Group of Schools is one such pioneering school that believes in introducing fun through Esports in a classroom space which helps in enabling visual-spatial learning and improving self-esteem.

Recently, the school hosted a 2-day Esports championship – VEC.23 on 22 & 23rd April 2023 in association with MysteriaEsports, which was the biggest Esports event ever organized by a school in India. Building upon their commitment to offer innovative and enriching experiences to students, the event represented a significant milestone in the school's mission to de-stigmatize the traditional idea of gaming and showcase its numerous benefits on learning and development. In one of their pioneering moves earlier in 2022, Dalimss hosted a Minecraft championship in a bid to promote creativity and collaboration among students within a digital environment.

Encouraging the ideals of nation-building and global citizenship, Pooja Madhok, Director, Dalimss Sunbeam Group of Schools, shared, "In every educational set-up, students are mostly confined to books within the 4 walls of the classroom. Gaming offers numerous strategic, situational, and skill-building benefits which come into play as students select their characters, examine their opponents' characters, and determine how to defeat those opponents based on that selection. As they learn how to position each player's character on a map or in an arena, students develop strategic knowledge in game theory. This is a mathematical concept where players' interactive choices affect or produce specific outcomes. Throughout the game, students use problem-solving skills to respond to new or unexpected situations and obstacles. Building upon such practical ways of learning helps students to retain knowledge as well as improve their overall performance and well-being."

Dalimss Sunbeam School (Dr Amrit Lal Ishrat Memorial Sunbeam School) was founded by the Late Mrs Deesh Ishrat, who was a visionary and an educationist, in memory of the distinguished scholar Late Dr Amrit Lal Ishrat. Under the able guidance and mentorship of Dr Pradeep Madhok – current President, and Mrs Pooja Madhok – Director, it has grown into an eminent academic institution in Eastern Uttar Pradesh with branches located at Rohania, Sigra, Ramkatora, Mohini kunj, Paharia, and the newly launched Dalimss Sunbeam Cambridge School in Varanasi along with 20 associate schools in Uttar Pradesh. The school presents a nurturing environment for every student with their state-of-the-art infrastructure, innovative curriculum, and internationally accepted teaching-learning methods. They have catered to the ever-changing and challenging needs of society and the global ecosystem by providing mindful, hands-on life skills oriented towards learning, faculties on critical thinking and problem solving combined with technological advancement, which intensifies the development of students. Such path-breaking methodologies have been instrumental in escalating the growth trajectory of the institution.

The school has been offering quality learning for the last 51 years. Recently they have done a coalition with British Council and Face to Faith for their International Students’ Exchange program. Today, the school continues to evolve in accordance with global academic standards and establish itself as an agency for transformation, talent, energy, and creativity for the younger generation.

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Esports in School

School hosts the biggest free-for-all esports tournament