Honorable Chief Guest, Guest of Honor, Special Guest,
esteemed parents and guardians, respected teachers and my dearest students,
First of all I would like to extend a very warm welcome to each one of you for
the Annual Prize Day which is being held on the 30th Foundation Day
of our school. I would further like to take this opportunity to congratulate
all the proud students and parents, who are the “show stoppers” of this
prestigious event.
Every year I stand here giving the report of the school
highlighting the academic performance and co-curricular activities or any other
achievements or milestones of the school. As somebody pointed out to me that
the details of the institution five years down the line, if not more. I thought
it was a brilliant idea. So this year my report is going to be a little
different wherein I will be briefly enlightening you about what we plan to do
in the near future.
But to understand and appreciate the future sometimes we
have to turn the clock backward to the time when it all started
There is an off repeated quote “Rome was not built in a day”.
What is amply true for an empire is also true for an institution or a business
organization. This adage is suitably applicable for Rockvale Academy. A seed of
hope was sown almost thirty years ago, but whether the seed would germinate,
not to say grow into a sapling, remained a doubt. But there is no denying the
fact that “fortune favors the brave.” A visionary called Mr. B.B. Pradhan took
the gamble despite all the odds and his vision, honesty, sincerity and guts
paid off. The fledgling started to spread its wings, the sapling sprouted, and
the student strength gradually increased, steadily and by 1991, it was
affiliated to the CISCE, the first private school to do so in Kalimpong. The
vertical growth continued through the 90’s and in 1996, the +2 section was
inaugurated and the commerce stream added the very next year. The circle of
growth was completed with the opening of the science stream in 2013, fulfilling
a long and much awaited demand and need. These up gradations, developments and
additions were simultaneously supplemented by expanding the school building.
Adding new wings to the hostel, Computerization of the school including smart
class and so on and so forth.
With this period of consolidation and progress, we turned
our attention to lateral expansion; it was felt that there was a vacuum for
professional higher studies in the hills. Thus was born the B.B. Pradhan
Management College- a tribute to the founder- the first Management College in
the hills in the year 2003. Another feather in the cap was the opening of
Rockvale College of Management and technology affiliated to the prestigious
West Bengal University of Technology or simply WBUT which has got provision of
offering Engineering courses in the future. And last year we launched the
Rockvale Consultancy Services-with a swank office in the heart of Kalimpong-to
guide, counsel, provide suitable placement in vocational and professional
colleges in both India and abroad.
All these achievements are a result of a dream and a strong
desire to cater to the local needs and aspiration which have global
ramifications. We are looking at both inward and outward growth. Quality over
quantity is now the new mantra.
Rockvale now has evolved into a true ‘Academy’. Yet that
does not mean we are complacent and contented. But we are constantly trying to
upgrade our infrastructure, facilities,
curriculum, our skills, techniques, innovating to not only stay relevant in the
rapidly changing and demanding environment but also exploring new territories
and challenges.
To meet this new challenges-we are also like as they say in
the corporate sector moving from “Red Ocean Strategy” to “Blue Ocean Strategy”,
-We have to first understand “red ocean strategy”. Red ocean denotes a market
place where the boundaries for competition are clearly defined and accepted by
all. Here organizations try to outperform their rivals to grab a greater share
of the market. Products become commodities or niche, and cut throat competition
turns the ocean bloody-hence the term red ocean. In contrast, blue oceans, the
demand is created not by creating “blue oceans” of unconstructed market space.
The strategic moves create a leap in value for the organization while unlocking
new demand and marketing competition absolutely irrelevant. So we have been
slowly and unknowingly moving from the red to the blue ocean-the B.B. Pradhan
Management College was a start followed by the Rockvale College of Management
and technology to the just born Rockvale Consultancy Service.
Apart from this we are also making forays to, not only
educational sectors in Kalimpong but also planning to move beyond the comfort
zone to outside Kalimpong. The initial stages of planning have taken place and
hopefully by the end of the year this light of the day.
The second project
also in the pipeline is in collaboration with a strong presence in eastern
India to provide training and expertise to the students and wquip them for
competitive exams for banks, Civil Services, and Insurance etc.
With this would like to conclude with a thank you to our
Chief Guest, Guest of Honour, Special Guest for having taken out your valuable
time. Besides, I would also like to congratulate all the instrumental in their
success. It has been another glorious chapter in the history of Rockvale and it
has been a team effort and it would not be fair on my part to single out anyone
for the success. However , I would be failing in my duty if I did not mention
the contribution of Mr. Raju Pradhan who has served the institution with
distinction and pride and as they in the knighthood presentation-who has
rendered “service beyond the call of duty “. I would like to thank and
congratulate him for being the first recipient of the “staff of the year”
award.
Dear Friends, I would like to say that Rockvale has grown at
a dramatic pace. We must grow further. This is not an aspiration but also a
dream. A dream rooted in reality and resolve. The confidence that you as
parents and students have in us is critical to realizing this dream. I look
forward to your unflinching support as Rockvale surges ahead to translate our
late Director’s into reality.
My aspiration comes from the vision of the founder.
My strength comes from you-the parents and students. My
confidence comes from the dedicated and hardworking staff. With these few words
I seek your blessings in my effort to realize this vision to serve you, the
institution and the society.
Thank You
