Sunday 3 July 2011

‘Teacher training must be given top priority’


A Mother’s Empowerment Programme has been running in the school since last year. For this, mothers of students belonging to Economically Weaker Sections of the society in the school are invited, and teachers interact with them. It empowers mothers, so they can help children benefit from education. Our teachers adopt the mothers and teach them basic English and spoken English. They come to the school every Saturday. We also teach them to read the school diary and circulars. They come to the school after classes get over every Saturday. We also educate them on operating ATMs, filling bank forms and health and hygiene. Our teachers have volunteered for this programme. We are also conducting another programme called the Rural Education Mission. Our staffers go to schools in rural areas to teach children or, better still, train their teachers. The future of India lies in its villages.
I was always innovative, even as a student. There has to be a passion for teaching. My passion started from that innovation. You see, one has to break the monotony of classroom teaching. I consider myself an “educational administrator.”
What are your focus areas? What values, philosophy does the school believe in inculcating in students?
We enable students to compete at the highest levels, especially in the globalised world. It is important for students to compete not only at the national as well as the international levels. We are trying out the most judicious ways to use technology in education, such as computer-enabled learning and digital libraries. We also have the country’s first digital mathematics laboratory and video conferencing.
Do you think it is important
to have a teacher training
programme?
I think the teacher training programme has to be taken up very carefully. We have a vigorous quality improvement programme in our school. It is a very specific programme. We test teachers’ level of knowledge through two tests every year. Right now, we have no quality improvement programmes. Like in the case of Medicine, which has a Continuous Medical Education, we should have Continuous Teachers Education. And I think it should be made mandatory for every teacher. In the Medial Council of India, every doctor has to undergo a test because they have to deal with human lives. Teachers deal with children, who are the future of the country. I also think teachers should be given licences to teach. Only if a teacher qualifies for the test should he/she be allowed to teach further. I think we need to look deeper into this.
Many principals complain that hiring teachers has become a huge issue because there are not enough qualified people. Do you feel the same?
Yes. I think we need to work on the concept of issuing licences to teachers. A Continuous TeachersEducation test should be put in place also. I think every schools should also take initiatives on their own. In fact, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has given a fair share of freedom to schools. The onus now lies on the schools to train teachers .
How has the response of students, parents and teachers of the school been to the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) scheme?
There is a lot happening in that sector. In Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE), the teacher has to do a lot. There a dire need for innovative teaching. CCE is doing well and the response of the students is good. However, in this system, some teachers may also become lax, thinking that there is going to be no failure or detention. So, I think a strong supervisory system has to be set up in schools to ensure that the CCE system is being implemented in the true spirit. Schools should provide every child with a platform to perform. On the positive side, students have become very relaxed because of this system. They have fun while learning, which is a good thing. Actually, through CCE, it is up to the teacher to decide what kinds of projects to assign to students, and check if the activities given are student-friendly. The process of teaching has to be made interesting, instead of monotonous.
The CBSE has also said that all projects under CCE have to be completed by students within school hours. Is that feasible for schools and students?
Completing the projects within schools hours is not feasible. Students will have to take home some of the work because it is not possible for students to complete them in school. It may not be productive.
The Board is also wary of
students copying data from the Internet and presenting it in their projects. How can you check this?
Teachers can figure out what has been downloaded from the Internet, and what the students have written by themselves. It is up to the teacher to check if the student has put in original information in the project. A teacher has to make sure that the child has been original.
Private schools had reservations against a few provisions of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act. Do you also think the RTE infringes on the autonomy of schools?
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act is a welcome step. However, schools should be given autonomy. We have to think how schools will sustain themselves. According to the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, schools have to reserve 25 per cent of the total number of seats for the economically weaker sections of the society. For this, better infrastructure is required, and schools have to upgrade every year. The government says it will pay us as per its scale for each EWS child. But the government should compensate schools as well. Even now, we are not sure what the government will pay the schools for each EWS child in the school. We have been told that the schools will get 1,000-12,000 rupees per child. However, that will not fully cover the cost. I also think the RTE Act should be extended till Class X at least.
Smart classrooms are the buzzword of the day. How much do you think technology in the classroom has helped students and teachers.
I believe in technology, but it can never replace teachers. It has made teaching easy and interesting, but we have to make judicious use of technology.
Any interesting projects coming up in your school?

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