Child Development and Related issues...

WE NEED TO FOCUS MORE ON WHAT AND HOW MUCH OUR CHILDREN ARE LEARNING" – Vimala Ramachandran

 “Why do we have a learning crisis in our schools?” Ms. Vimala Ramachandran said that there is a common misconception in India that Schooling leads to learning. 

In reality, there is growing evidence that not all children who enroll and attend school learn to read and write with comprehension, they do not grasp basic concepts in mathematics and science. 

There is a major learning crisis in our schools. There is something fundamentally wrong with the way we manage our schools, recruit our teachers and test our children. We, as a nation, have tried to improve access, hired more teachers and built infrastructure. What we have not been able to do so far is ensure our children learn in school.

Ms. Vimala Ramachandran,  National University for Educational Planning and Administration

 Ms. Vimala Ramachandran, a National Fellow and Professor, National University for Educational Planning and Administration, New Delhi, spoke about child development and related issues while delivering the fifth Kuruvila Jacob Oration at Chennai. Around 100 school teachers were recognized for their involvement and interest in the development of school children.

Vimala
Ramachandran

“In a recent study analyzing the factors that facilitate or impede successful primary school completion among children in diverse poverty situations in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, we observed that most children in classes III, IV and V were neither able to read fluently from their textbooks, nor could they solve simple addition or subtraction sums. Most children in class II were unable to recognize alphabets or numerals; children in class III were also unable to read, write or count, though they knew certain lessons by rote.

Children who are first generation school goers barely manage to recognize alphabets and can, at best, read a few words. Group discussions in the community revealed that parents feel that the quality of teaching has declined, that the community teachers do not really care if the children of the poor learn to read or not. Also, teachers are not made accountable for learning outcomes of children, especially in the primary and middle schools where there are no board examinations.”

“The tragedy is not that there is no demand for education or that people do not recognize the value of education in the overall growth and development of their children. Rather that children who do enroll are pushed from one grade to the next, thanks to the no-detention policy. After five years they emerge with rudimentary skills, if at all.”

 Quoting statistics from Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), “India has over 200 million children of elementary school age. If even half are not learning even at a basic level, it is a crisis of mammoth proportion”, she said. “In this respect, teachers should be given adequate training and Kuruvila Jacob’s Initiative of preparing teachers for the future is a laudable move”. Ms. Ramachandran has always been in the forefront to have a robust educational policy and practice and also has advised the Government of India about gender issues and Women empowerment.

 “Privatization has helped but not to a desirable degree. In many case, parents are unable to access if their children are making adequate progress, especially in early years”, she added.

 Every year an annual function is held with a renowned personality being invited to address the audience on current educational issues. The First Kuruvila Jacob Memorial oration was delivered by Shri Kapil Sibal, the then Hon’ble Union Minister [HRD], the second oration by Dr. C.N.R Rao, National Research Professor, the third by Mr. Anil Sadgopal, educationist and the fourth by Prof. Raghuram Rajan, the then Chief Economic Advisor, Government of India.

 Primary Objectives of the Kuruvila Jacob Initiative

·        Act as a catalyst, aiding schools to adopt innovative methods and techniques in the learning process

·        Encourage schools to adopt a more holistic concept of education, strive for excellence in academics, and instil a strong value system and develop a well-rounded personality in the students

·         Encourage sharing of ‘best practices’ amongst the schools participating in the initiative

·         Enhance the satisfaction levels of all constituents and beneficiaries of the school education process

·         Obtain a significant improvement in the strategic and operational performance of schools

·        Support and/or conduct programmes/courses to develop leadership skills and qualities amongst the academic faculty

·        Train the schools to learn and use TQM (Total Quality Management) methodologies and tools to attain the above

The programs of the Initiative are targeted at teachers and administrators of schools and there is no direct involvement with the students.

 About Kuruvila Jacob Initiative:

 Kuruvila Jacob was the Headmaster of Madras Christian College High School, Chennai, from 1931 to 1962. Appointed as headmaster at the young age of 27, he embarked on his life’s work with a vision that education did not mean scholastic achievement alone, but all-round development of the student. He was recognized as a leading educationist and was awarded the Padma Shri in 1971.

 To honor this great man on his birth centenary in 2004, a substantial body of his students and alumni of Madras Christian College High School launched the Kuruvila Jacob Initiative for Promoting Excellence in School Education on 3rd August 2004. The initiative is managed by the Kuruvila Jacob Memorial Educational Trust comprising the old students of Mr. Kuruvila Jacob, all of them hailing from Madras Christian College High School.

For more information on KJI – visit http://www.kuruvilajacob.com/

For more information please Contact Ms. Beena Gopinath, KJI: 98414 18443 or Satyan Bhatt, MD, Prism PR, Ph: 98400 85411

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