OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT GUINEA PIGS

Newspaper headlines in the recent weeks have focused around issues related to schools and curriculum. One report suggests that CBSE is thinking of withdrawing the CCE scheme for grades 9 and 10. There has been widespread resentment at the decision of replacing German with Sanskrit as the third language at Kendriya Vidyalayas. Parents of young children still recall with horror the nursery school admission mess last year; even as another set of parents anxiously await the outcome of the legal battle between private schools and Delhi Government for this year.

Without going into the merit of these decisions, Inspire would like to protest at the ad hoc and arbitrary ways in which decisions are taken by the education boards and the government agencies. It is time that we stand up against these poorly thought through decisions made to further the political agenda or pet theories of the so called experts who have had limited interaction with children in a classroom.

Each decision that impacts what or how children will learn in school should be carefully taken after due deliberation and discussion on how it will be implemented and its outcomes. A classic case is the CCE scheme. No one can quarrel with the fact that children should not be assessed on the basis of one time performance. But did the so that called experts think of how CCE would roll out in schools? Was any thought paid to training teachers BEFORE introducing CCE? Did the experts consider how parents would perceive it?  As a result of poor implementation CCE has been reduced to ‘project making’. Teachers grade students on these projects well aware that these projects are the work of parents or tuition teachers.

At the end of the day each decisions that impact our children, their education and their future has to be based on current research, best practices as well as the ground realities in our country. Let us stop treating our children as Guinea PIGS.

Keeping Our Children Safe

These and similar headlines in newspapers have shocked, horrified and shamed us. As a society and as a nation we seem to have failed to guarantee even the most basic right that we owe our children. Following each incident parents register hold demonstrations, politicians talk stringent action and police promise speedy investigation. Yet nothing changes; after a couple of days the news falls off the headlines and the issue is forgotten till next such incident happen.

                                                                                                                  

However we as parents, teachers and stakeholders owe it to our children to ensure that these incidents do not happen in the future. We need norms that schools are mandated to follow so that each child is safe in the school.

The following are few simple, practical suggestions to protect our children 

• All adults working in the preschool should be vetted. Employees need to provide testimonials that schools should validate. All employees- teachers as well as all administrative and support staff- should undergo police verification as well.

• A written child protection policy should be in place listing dos and dont’s; at the time of induction this should be shared with the employees.  They should be required to sign a written statement indicating they have read the policy. This signed acknowledgement should be preserved in employee’s personnel file.

• Children should be supervised at all times. No child should be let out of sight of the teacher-in charge. Class teachers should be present even when children go for co curricular activities or are playing outdoors. 

We invite comments and suggestions to make this list more comprehensive. After all learning and good education can follow only if our children are protected from this most horrific form of abuse. We need to act fast and decisively before another such incident makes it to the news headlines. 

Right to Quality Education

The importance that we as a nation pay to early education is evident from the fact that preschools garner attention only when they are in the news for wrong reasons. An example of this is the recent reports of child abuse in preschools and schools that have elicited all round disgust and horror. Yet after heated television debates and protests for a couple of days these issues quickly recede from public memory till next such horror story hits the headlines.

Rarely are issues related to what happens in classrooms on a daily basis discussed or debated.  We accept schools on second floor in a crowded commercial building, forty children in a classroom or four year olds being made to learn multiplication tables.

We as a nation claim that our children have a right to education. This, however, cannot be limited to right to enrolment and attendance. Our children deserve a Right to Quality Education-education that is interesting, enriching and enabling in institutions that are promise physical safety and emotional security.

Should we as stakeholders-parents, teachers, school promoters- wait for the government to launch a policy or a monitoring authority for this purpose? Or, can we as experts and concerned adults develop a check list for self regulation and monitoring?

Here is a preliminary checklist of what defines a good preschool that has emerged after deliberations with several experts in the domain.

·         Commitment to each child’s safety and security 
·         Adequate physical space to move about and explore
·         Diverse and interesting play material to stimulate all round development
·         Appropriate teacher child ratio
·         Trained and committed teachers
·         Adult child interactions which are nurturing and responsive
·         Intentional and planned curriculum that can be adapted to needs of each child
·         Emphasis on emergent literacy and math skills

·         Balance of Care and Education

EARLY YEARS EDUCATION: THE HYPE AND REALITY

The preschool market’s size is expected to reach US$1.8 billion by 2015. It has a gross enrollment ratio of ~3.5% (witha base of ~130 million children in the age group of 0–4 years). (Source Eduletter August 2012 EY Strategic Consulting Group in Education: Sector update )  Corporates drool over these numbers as it represents a opportunity for creating attractive business models that can be rapidly scaled.

Hence an explosion in the number of companies those provide franchising opportunity for setting up preschool. However, most of these are focused on bottom line and return on investment. So marketing rather than on the quality of curriculum, teacher training or even right infrastructure becomes the focus of such companies. All of us have seen fancy preschools painted in the most lurid colours, decorated with cartoon characters claiming to have curriculum based on Multiple intelligences, experiential learning or Montessori approach. Yet a peek into the classrooms will reveal children sitting on their desk and writing numbers or letters or merely colouring figures. 

On the other hand the Government has launched the ICDS national development program, one of the largest in the world to reach less privileged children aged 0-6 years. The scheme has several lofty objectives including Nutrition and Health Education, Immunization, Early Childhood Care and Pre-school Education. However, on ground realities clearly indicate that it has been reduced to providing supplementary nutrition and immunization. The Early learning component of the scheme is often neglected.  Research studies have shown several interesting findings in this regard. For example more girls than boys attend the AWCs. This finding is not a precursor for some dramatic social change. Delving deeper into the cause it was found that parents preferred to send boys to attend private schools especially in urban areas and towns for PSE because private schools were perceived as doing a better job of teaching them.. – An appraisal by NIPCCD (2006).

We must remember is that preschools are about children and about laying a strong foundation for learning and life.

Experts and decision makers need to bring the focus back on what is right for children   

Early Years Decoded

Research in Brain Development and Child Development reveals that brain is the only organ in humans that is not fully formed at the time of birth. During the early years a child’s brain rapidly increases in size. At the same time a complex network of connections is formed between the neuron cells in the brain.

While the process of forming connections is genetically driven, early child hood experiences have a significant impact on it. Once these connections are formed those that are used regularly and repeatedly become stronger and more complex. Connections not used frequently are pruned – another example of the famous ‘use it or lose it’ adage

All changes in the brain are triggered by stimulation from the environment. The more varied, rich stimulating environment a child encounters the faster is the development of the brain.

But apart from the genetic predisposition and the environmental stimulation children’s ability to learn is mediated by their attitude towards learning. Children who find meaning and joy in early learning experiences are motivated to learn. This helps them evolve into self motivated and independent learners.

This is what research tells us. But the big questions that now arise are- how does this translate into action in our homes and preschools? Which are the right practices that we need to follow while dealing with children? What materials work towards creating a stimulating environment? 

Born Ready to Learn

Children are born ready to learn. Any adult who has spent a few hours with a baby or a toddler knows that children are curious and interested in everything around them. They are forever peering into boxes, putting things together, taking them apart, climbing on or crawling under places. They use their senses to explore, experiment and make sense of the world around themselves. They are forever asking why and parents are often amazed at the rapid pace at which their children learn. That is why parents of young children are forever bragging about new words, knowledge or skill that their child has learnt.

What is also obvious to most adults who interact with children is the fact that they enjoy learning.  The look of concentration on a child’s face while try to put together a new puzzle, the whoop of joy when a child finally makes a tower of blocks stand after repeated attempts all point to the fact that children want to learn, they do not give up easily and they find satisfaction in personal achievement If children in their Early Years are curious, eager to learn and  capable of rapid learning why do so many children find school boring and have difficulty in keeping up with the school curriculum. If learning happens so naturally and spontaneously why do so many children struggle with reading and writing or maths? Why do so many of these bright, smart toddlers metamorphose into ‘children who are not interested in studies and need to work hard’ as per their teachers assessment? 

Let us as parents, teachers, Instructional Design experts and decision makers discuss and debate these questions that are of fundamental importance for the well being of our children and their future.

TEACHERS' VOICES

Inspire’s core belief that teachers have the greatest impact on the life of a child and that a motivated teacher is the greatest asset to society gives us a reason to celebrate this teacher’s day. We interviewed some teachers and asked three questions that drives them as teachers. While most feel that these were the questions often asked but the responses often unheard. We take this opportunity to share with you The Voice of Teachers.

Q1. What made you pursue teaching as a profession?

According to most teachers, teaching being a woman dominated profession, was an obvious choice as parents wanted their daughters to be safe, be able to tend to their families and certainly at one point of time it was the most convenient option. For few others, the reasons were simply that entering this profession is the easiest due to low entrance barriers except a B. Ed certification. Many say that because they idolized their teachers they long before had decided to be teachers whereas most felt that the passion kindled only after becoming teachers.

One of the most touching responses was from a teacher who did not want children today to be victims of system failure as she was. She set out to make a difference in every possible way.

Q2. How do you visualize your career path?

From the tete a tete with teachers who were beginners, to teachers whose careers spanned over several decades, we realized that the beginners were brimming with hope that they will inch forward and become better teachers as they gain more experience, while others aspired and hoped to grow in the school ladder. And there are some who plan to be children’s books author. There were few success stories too to share where the career shaped as planned and dreamt of. Alarmingly, majority felt discontent and stagnated as they continued to teach the same classes and subjects over many years. Some even accepted that they were comfortable and complacent.

Q3. What are the motivators and challenges of teaching profession?

Most teachers felt gratification through the joy and pleasure that children bring along. The fact that they have been able to impact many lives continues to motivate them to touch many more. The appreciation and respect from students, parents, school authorities and the society have been the greatest motivators. 

Challenges have been many, and the greatest being striking a balance between being a career woman and a homemaker. The demands of the job being emotionally, mentally and physically too high, teachers do acknowledge that at times they are not able to justify their jobs fully. Challenges are school specific and at various levels- they can be classroom bound, administrative and even policy level.   Inadequate teacher student ratios, heterogeneity in learning abilities, demands from parents are major challenges of the classroom. Most teachers find executing CCE (Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation) along with classroom transaction the most challenging part of their job.

We conclude that for majority teaching was not a chosen profession but an easy to walk in profession. The barriers for people aspiring to be teachers need to be raised as teachers are instrumental in shaping and preparing the upcoming generation. Teachers should be able to experience growth for which they should be trained time and again through a variety of teacher education programs and be granted performance based appraisals and promotions as any other organization.

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” Henry Brooks Adams

A happy and a satisfied teacher only can influence her students in the positive way. Inspire wishes everyone a Happy Teachers day.