Samudaayadatha shaala karyakrama.
Tharanath Achar
Dear all,
Recently I attended a school-towards-community programme at an LPS near Ujire. The school environment was stunningly beautiful and clean. There were only two teachers: one headmaster and the other is assistant, both male. There was one lady teacher when I visited the same school october last as spectator, and now she is on leave. I was really surprised as to how could these male teachers maintain the school of nearly sixty students ranging from 5 to 10. The children were like mercury: highy volatile! spontaneous! very sharp! smart! etc..
As I entered in to their class room, assembled together for meeting along with their parent ( mothers in large) I was felt like entering a marriage hall bedecked with many sort of decorations. A close watch and mild interrogation revealed that the items hung down the ceiling specially prepared for Nali Kali have been prepared by stidents themselves with guidance of their teachers! At the first instance I did some mental calculation how much the school might have paid for artists to prepare the class room for children. The teachers told me all the children have participated in the process of preparing educative items for the class room.
Teachers showed me their progress reports and test papers for sighning. I called up one small girl of age 9 years, and asked a logical question : There are total of 10 peppermints with 2 girls. One girl has the most and the other girl has the least number of peppermints. How much peppermint that girl who has at least number might have ? The girl thought for a while and said " One". I asked her again the the number of peppermint the other girl might have. The girl thought for a while and said" Nine". I was really astonished at this. I asked some other question for which she can not retrieve her memory: olny those questions for which she had to think logically. She answered most of the questions sooner or later. Having felt over satisfied I asked her teacher whether she was a gifted girl. The teacher hiding the laugh said " No Sir,She is only average".
I called up another and asked different question this time of day to day life. She too did very good.
I tested some students for their textual knowledge. Most of the students anwered correct for all the question. It was not my duty to test the excellence of teachers through roundabouts: but my curiosity to assess the ability of government school going child and to compare it with the "potential" of a private school student. Marvellous! Government schools are the best!
Finally I did not forget to ask the teachers the logic applied these days in teaching in government schools. He eplained in detail many of the process involved in Nali Kali.
Private school student may excell in bookish knowledge with high marks which the management term ' digging out the potential'.
The same environment can not be seen here in private schools. Last year I had one such occasion to visit a private school as an outsider. I watched the first and second standard for more than an hour an finally came to the following conclusions:
1. Class room of more than 40 sutdents packed up in small rooms.
2. Pin drop silence is observed in all the class rooms from morning til evening without much peer interaction among choldren.
3. Lessons are taught in a tense atmosphere where students keep quiet all the while and should not ask question for curiosity but only answer the question asked by the teacher.
4. More imposition in terms of 100 times writing as punishment.
5. Class room environment not conducive for study nor does it make way for happy learning.
6. Students come out smiling only when the bell is rung for home.
7. To have a place in school like this for your kid you must have graduation and face interview.
8. Most important thing is money.
I request you to visit a Nali Kali class room and a private school nearby.
Thank you
Regards