The Sanskrit-German controversy

The recent controversy of Sanskrit ‘replacing’ German as the third language has indeed opened a can of worms with respect to the status of language education in India. While various factions have defended this move led by an almost extinct group of Sanskrit scholars many have opposed it too. As tempting as it might seem to derive that the move has been conjured through saffron-tinted glasses, it has nonetheless highlighted critical issues plaguing our education system.
  

One, that teaching of German in Kendriya Vidyalaya schools isn’t truly in-sync with the three language formula as drafted in the National Education Policy, 1968 (revised in 1986 and 2005) which has stated that the preferred medium of instruction should be the mother tongue with a progressive introduction of other languages like Hindi, English and a ‘modern’ Indian language from middle-school (grades 6 to 8). Whether Sanskrit now falls in the purview of ‘modern’ Indian language, is up for debate, but definitely German doesn’t fall into the picture.

How did we even come to pass such a massive blunder? German was introduced as a supplemental activity outside school hours in 2009. It wasn’t part of the core curriculum. It was only when it started becoming popular that in 2011, it was introduced as a third language option at the middle school level in 2011 in Kendriya Vidyalayas. Understandably, one has to question the legitimacy of introducing a language as restricted as German (spoken mainly in Germany and Austria). Why was the government sleeping for all these three years? Also, the shift from Sanskrit to German had hampered the situation with teachers of Sanskrit being forced to learn German through short tutorials and teach the students! One can only imagine the resultant quality of teaching.

It also brings us to the main issue which is the ironic failure of dispensing an effective language education in a multi-lingual nation such as ours. How can any language be taught in isolation? For a language to thrive it needs to be spoken and hence such avenues for speaking the language are critical. Naturally, the more the number of avenues to apply the language skill, the more is the hunger for getting back to it and deriving more from it.

Why must we pit one language against the other or politicise the issue? Numerous research papers have indicated that children are known to pick up to 21 languages simultaneously if exposed to it consistently since infancy.  So, clearly the issue isn’t of adding another language to the curriculum. The question isn’t as much in terms of utility too especially when it comes to languages since it is deeply entrenched within the culture of a people. Especially Sanskrit, which contains the ancient wisdom of Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads, and which has now caught the fancy of the western world.

I remember studying Sanskrit during my school years. It was hardly pleasant as is the case due to improper comprehension of the principles governing a language. The grammar in Sanskrit is extremely structured but given the basic principle of rote learning and mugging up information, it makes it even tougher. How do we inculcate a genuine love of learning for the language/subject?  The real issue has been universal across all aspects of Indian education system. The issue has always remained of dispensing quality and outcome-centric education through trained and expert faculty, guided by a well-researched and effective pedagogy. 

Each year lesser number of students are opting for Sanskrit in universities in spite of falling cut-offs. Apart from teaching there are hardly any other career opportunities for students majoring in Sanskrit. There is a gross lack of funds for students pursuing doctorates and research work. Clearly, language education and interdependence of cognitive-linguistic skills has been grossly misinterpreted and delved into. Pedagogy needs to be reinvented in its entirety. Research and study in languages also must be promoted and funded in a consistent and well thought out approach. Teacher education programmes must be tailored to cater to the current context and its challenges. The essence of language education in terms of its extension to learning across spheres must be realised.

A language needs to be well integrated into the lives of people to be duly propagated. It’s time we analyse the outcomes we are aiming for in terms of language education, define them when none exists and redefine the obsolete.

When Inclusion is Prejudice

“I love school.”  For educators, such declaration from a student is the best testament of ‘success’. However, Priya, 8 years is not among our ‘usual’ pre-schoolers. She lives under the flyover in the slums of Kandivali near our school.

While it’s been a while that we had opened our doors and hearts to the children of Teresa Ocean of Humanity Foundation, around 30 feisty street children aged 4 to 16 years, this most impromptu confession, with twinkling eyes and one that prompted other more reluctant children to also coyly break into a jiggle and express their happiness is perhaps one of the most surreal moments I have experienced. 

It is during such moments we realise the impact we can have on improving lives through some basic additional efforts. In this case, from just helping Priya and other children like her experience the joy of a well-kept school premises and other resources.  Or even in dedicatedly training a group of tribal children in self-defence, education and hygiene.

It made me think how much we could really achieve if each of our children could attend quality school programmes (which is the basic right of each and every child as per the Indian constitution) right from the preschool level and not just from primary. What does the term inclusion really mean?

We have always prided ourselves in being an ‘inclusive’ school.  Through our initiatives we have tried to extend it to ‘social inclusion’ too. While our children at Kangaroo Kids Preschool and the children of Teresa Foundation have already set the wheels in motion in terms of learning to respect and share each other’s spaces, I constantly wonder why must there be a need for schools to be ‘inclusive’ in the first place. Should that be a goal?  

The RTE Act has set in pace the mission to achieve universal elementary education but can inclusion be suddenly forced upon when there are so many learning, cultural, linguistic impediments to grapple with? Have reservations at colleges, institutions helped us get the desired effect of ensuring that the opportunities presented be translated to effective outcomes?

That is the keyword we must analyse - the outcome, in terms of empowerment. A dipstick survey report by Parikrama Humanity Foundation, a non-profit company in the field of primary education, found that only 8 per cent of the jobs in well-known IT companies in Bangalore are held by people who have emerged from government schools. Yet, of the million-plus schools in this country, 94 per cent are government or government-aided institutions. Alarmingly, in India’s emerging knowledge industry, more than 90 per cent of jobs are held by people from 6 per cent of its schools.

Higher education fares better than primary education but has only about 10% of the population having access to it. Also, 3 million graduates a year, being dispensed out of faulty education systems into various enterprises – locally and globally. Out of these a whopping 90% are deemed unfit for the job-market. What do these numbers tell us?

1.     We need a well thought out and tailored approach for real ‘inclusion’ to take place factoring in the social, economic and bureaucratic elements. It must clearly run deeper than sweeping Acts and Reservations that sound ideal but must be pragmatic and in sync with ground realities.  

2.     In a country where 74% population still depends on agriculture as primary means of livelihood and earnings of less than 100 rupees a day, where do we stand at vocational education and training (VET) in this skill-based economy? A dismal 10% of workers receive formal education in vocational education, compared with 65% in US and 70% in UK. China is training 90 million youths against our 3.5 million youths in VET! We need more and more social enterprises that also focuses on truly empowering people across communities.  

3.     We have the lowest spends on Education and Health – the two most critical components that build a nation! India beats sub-saharan Africa, known over the world in term of hunger parameters. How do we expect our children to study when they aren’t healthy? How does anyone grow financially if he is bogged by debts due to escalating healthcare costs – since our public healthcare is also such a failure?  Our public expenditure on healthcare is just over 1% of GDP. In education it is about 3%, lesser than sub-Saharan Africa.

For true empowerment through inclusion, one that transcends the social, economic, cultural factors, it must have 100% involvement from the entire ecosystem. We need to start early, young and work together. And not just through reservations or categorisations, which further divides us.   We need to connect at the ground level and encourage the communities to explore, engage and enrich each other’s perspectives while also advocating their equal rights to be included in the societal framework with the freedom of also retaining their respective identities. 

While inclusion is a way of abolishing various degrees of inequalities, it shouldn’t be an end. The goal must be empowerment.

After all, doesn’t the term ‘inclusion’ imply Prejudice?

 

 

Cleanliness and G(o)odliness!

A recent international study by Rice University has established a well-known truth. It states that the feelings of disgust associated with an unclean work space might give rise to unethical behaviour. In other words, ethical behaviour can be promoted by keeping the immediate environment clean!

While this further gives an impetus to the much-touted Narendra Modi’s ‘Swacch Bharat Abiyan’, it just reaffirms what traditional sciences like FengShui, Vastu Shastra have delved on since ages - the importance of clearing of clutter to attract good energy.  

If one were to pick up the newspaper and look at most issues which are critical, these rule at any given point – vector-borne illnesses and deaths, garbage disposal and sanitation issues,  health of citizens, social issues like poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, malnutrition. It is tough to overlook the connection between apathy towards the environment and corresponding impact on its surrounding.

While under the Cleanliness Drive initiated by the Prime Minister, many municipal schools and societies across are taking the broom, hardly any program sustains in the long run without a holistic approach. Here the issue, apart from cleaning up mess is to stop generating mess.

Perception plays a key role in changing of behaviour and in turn habits. When a three-year-old sees his/her father or mother littering, or observes cleaning the house is the maid's cross to bear, How many such adults are going to own up to the mess accumulated outside one’s house? Much of this is due to apathy and ignorance.

It’s time the government started environmental education in schools and preschools. There needs to be a separate subject dealing in environmental education and separate project. Let alone need-of-the-hour initiatives as garbage recycling, garbage segregation, water conservation which goes a long way in preserving the environment, we need to sensitise people about the effects of inappropriate disposal of waste.  

Throughout the regular cleanliness drives we take, the most crucial ones forming the base, is the environmental awareness we induce in our tots. You will be surprised to know how receptive and conscientious a toddler can be. We have had parents share with us how their three-four year olds patronise them for a minor oversight – leaving the tap open while brushing teeth or throwing a wrapper out of the car or spitting gum on the road.  These young children serve as the best mirrors to the parents. Reflecting truth, not deflecting it. 

It is habits that form a society and also define it.  It’s hardly any rocket science that no good can come out of unhygienic, filthy and mauled environments. Neither a human being nor an animal deserves to dwell in such spaces.  

Cleanliness is G(o)odliness. 

MISSING - the ‘Care’ in Early Childhood Care Education!

Meera, a software engineer and a young mother was distraught when she had met us a year ago. She was at her wit’s end trying to get her child, Kiara (3.5 years) enrolled into a ‘good’ playschool. She had already tried two preschools – one a smaller establishment closer to her locality and another a larger one integrated within a renowned K-12 school, though the traveling time doubled. None worked. One had failed to engage Kiara at a holistic level and the other was a gigantic system which threatened to engulf Kiara’s uniqueness at such a young age. Having met and counselled numerous parents, it definitely wasn’t the first time I had encountered such agony. And a valid one.

Being a mother foremost and an educator, I can empathise and appreciate the concerns parents like Meera have. For a simple reason - it reverberates with the need to provide holistic, inclusive, quality and research-based education especially, Early Childhood Care Education (ECCE) programmes, which has been a personal two-decade mission. It is an irony that even though the demand for ECCE has shot up considerably with numerous preschools and K-12 schools sprouting in every corner, parents are still devoid of options when choosing good ECCE programmes which are accessible, affordable, engaging, developmentally-centric and relevant. Most are compelled to compromise at some if not various levels, albeit critical. Many garner admissions in K-12 schools to avoid admission hassles later on without even checking if the school’s ECCE programme is relevant, enriching and suitable for their tots. At others, parents enrol their children in preschools with great infrastructure but poor ‘learning’ outcomes. The glut of poor-quality preschools due to lack of regulations in the sector compounded by lack of awareness among parents about benchmark practices has led to this vacuum. The cost of this oversight is unfortunately being borne by the children.

What defines a good preschool? There are a myriad of factors. However, according to me, it must definitely measure against these key three factors – Focussed and constructive attention to children, Enabling of Holistic growth, and one that facilitates seamless integration of the children into the primary programme. It is critical to ensure that every child is given the requisite attention to develop as per his/her potential and through methods that aren’t standardised. Perhaps opting for a preschool affiliated with a good K-12 school would be the best choice considering the focussed objectives, customised processes, guaranteed admission into the primary section of the affiliated school and ease of operations facilitated by the smaller setup as against a large K-12 school. However, undoubtedly, a well-researched, relevant and developmentally-appropriate curriculum, teacher qualifications and training, and an enabling environment are non-negotiable when it comes to choosing a good preschool.

The government needs to urgently look at setting policies and regulations for the setting up of a preschool while also expanding accessibility and provision of such ECCE programmes to all children. While the NPE (National Policy on Education) 1986 stressed upon the holistic nature of ECCE, and has been successful in bringing ECCE in balwadis through ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services), vast majority of such programmes are running as little primary schools, both in the government and private sector. Such formal didactic methods of teaching three-six year olds can actually prove detrimental to their overall development. A sound ECCE programme is critical for the success of the universal elementary education under the SSA, taken up by the government. Bridging the large gap in terms of skilled teachers, administrators, therapists etc. also need to be pursued doggedly (Read - Bridging the Skilled Resource Gap in ECCE) . In fact, it would do a lot good to have a minister of state for ECCE education, considering the significance, growth and expanse of this sector.

Every society’s abilities and resources are being constantly tried and tested to cope with the needs and development of our young generation. The need to make them future ready in this dynamic, ever-changing 21^st century should be the one guiding factor for our policy makers. Research after research has indicated that neurons and positive brain connections are critical in this age bracket between 0 to 6 years. Neurons that are wired together fire together!  Without a doubt, there is hardly any other surpassing need than the urgent one to invest in our young. NOW.

Bridging the Skilled-Resource-Gap in ECCE

Among the key problems facing the Indian ECCE (Early Childhood Care and Education) sector currently is capacity utilisation and an equally critical unavailability of skilled resources. Most ECCE programs, though have spread to smaller towns, villages and urban slums etc., are yet to offer quality curriculums disseminated by skilled resources focusing on the holistic development of the child as against  the myopic standard, cryptic and isolated approach. Even though the government in 2013 had approved the proposal of the National Early Childhood Care Education (ECCE) Policy, the focus is mostly on enhancing access and developing a national curriculum framework. Issues of training and developing of a skilled resource pool, critical to drive outcomes, have been side lined.

Unfortunately, it is also widely perceived that not much expertise or technical knowledge is required for the implementation of such programs and hence, the quality of ECCE programs has been adversely impacted.  Training systems are archaic and requisite qualifications are low due to absence of any such mandate by any state government. Undoubtedly, nothing could be more off-the-mark.  Various childcare programs from institutional care, adoption centres, maternal and child health programs, programs for children with special needs require well trained professionals with a sound knowledge regarding child development and requisite skills to work with children.

In the last two decades, issues relating to ECCE have been in focus since government’s adoption of the National Policy on Education (NPE) in 1986 and The Revised Policy Formation (POA) in 1992. In spite of this however, in India, home to the largest number of children in the world at 170 million children (census 2001) between 0-6 years, ECCE remains a privilege for majority of the children. A mere 32% of pre-primary age children are enrolled in such education programs. Even though there has been a marked increase in government-led ECCE programs, the coverage of children under such programs remain dismal. As per ‘ECCE: An Overview (MHRD 2003)’ - a mere 19.6% children between age group 3-6 years were covered under ECCE programs such as ICDS and ECE schemes, crèches and balwadis in the voluntary sector supported by DWCD in 1996-97.  

This is alarming if we were to look at scientific global studies having established that the first 6 to 8 years of a child’s life are most critical for lifelong development due to the rapid pace of development. Absence of a stimulating and enriching environment often irreversibly reduces the possibility of achieving ideal potential. Increased industrialisation, migration, change in traditional family patterns and urbanisation has impacted the quality of child care available. Hence the developing and initiating of quality early child care programs and enhancing inclusiveness is of utmost importance.  

At present most of the programs create their own in-service training for skills for specific programs, also curtailing mobility of workers.  The ability to understand the crux of the content, program and adapt the knowledge garnered and skills to create opportunities for children’s optimum growth and development is most essential though for now, grossly lacking.

In-line with the Modi government’s directive and impetus for advancing vocational training for skill development, recently, TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences), Mumbai, began its ‘school of vocational education programme’. I have had the privilege to connect with likeminded educators and professionals from ECCE and we are dedicatedly attempting to arrive at a dynamic and relevant curriculum framework and are excited with the prospects of the introduction of a first-of-its-kind vocational education programme in ECCE.  While there can’t be a better way than involving school operators and knowledgeable experts from the industry for this magnanimous task of also establishing a strong quality assurance system in place, it is also certain that there needs to be a holistic approach to tackle issues concerning ECCE.

One of the ways of developing and grooming such skilled workers is through concerted efforts to set up training programs while also amplifying policy measures in the sector. Vocational education courses in ECCE backed by relevant policy measures to build on awareness, capacity utilisation, requisite qualifications and guidelines, financial monitoring and evaluation is the need-of-the-hour. It’s time the government works alongside private sector players and encourages skilled, talented and committed professionals to take up the unparalleled goal of shaping the future of our country. We must make it our number one priority to provide quality childcare to ALL our children including the whopping 70% who are currently deprived of this basic right.