Recently, a young person reluctantly came to the centre at the insistence of a friend. He had decided to attend only one life skills session and seemed disinterested. To create a safe space for him and noticing his deep interest in playing chess, we decided to have a chess match. It was the first time he found a challenge that intrigued him. During our conversations, he confided his struggle to manage his emotions to the point of even contemplating suicide. This alerted us that he needed support. Even when he lost the first chess match, he didn’t give up. He kept practising and kept coming back to play. Over time, he attended sessions daily, primarily to play chess and win matches. He began to reflect on himself and the challenges he was facing, realising that his biggest struggle was connecting with his father, who was always very  busy. He wanted to share his feelings with him and the growing gap between them was taking a toll on his emotional well-being. While sharing his challenges, he acknowledged that he needed to have an open and honest conversation. Once his feelings were validated, he went home and shared his feelings with his father, who reciprocated and the heartfelt conversation brought them closer and provided the young person tremendous relief. Social-emotional support can help quicken the process of academic skills development, improve career readiness, healthy relationships and also improve mental health for life. Within the thriving of every young person lies the true purpose of education.

As facilitators, we create free, non-judgemental space  for everyone to explore and participate. Life skills activities make young people overcome their inhibitions to participate and express themselves. To be a role model for young people, we have to start by connecting with them and understanding their stories. Facilitation makes us reflect within ourselves to recognise the bias and prejudices we hold and to be mindful of systems suppressing the thriving potential of our young people by perpetuating these biases. When young people share their problems and life stories in the hope that we will help them reflect, motivate and guide them; they wish the same from teachers in their schools. 

In the digital age where information is available at the tap of our finger-tips, teachers must redefine the teacher-student relationship. It can start with spending time with students to understand them, their difficulties or challenges in the class, by treating all students equally and encouraging students who are slow learners or less confident. Teachers as facilitators try to understand why young people are not learning, validate their lived experiences, connect with them and enable support systems around them to help them thrive. When we focus only on syllabus completion and judge one’s ability on the basis of marks scored or financial status, discriminating between students, labelling them as weak/ poor in studies/ good for nothing, they lose their confidence and start putting themselves down. Students who are not good at studies often have a different potential and if teachers give time to understand them and be friendly with them, all students can thrive. When teaching is simpler, made more interactive with experiential activities young people can connect more through their own stories and life experiences. Instead of punishing students in the class for their mistakes, making them reflect on their experiences and guiding them in a good way will help them to control negative emotions and reflect on the consequences of their behaviour.  

Teachers as facilitators will not hold onto a rigid curriculum, but would be a guiding compass, to help students navigate the sea of knowledge. They will instil not just knowledge but skills to lead life such as critical thinking, collaboration and adaptability. Facilitators create a safe space for curiosity and exploration. Rather than a bestower of facts, they ignite the spark of inquiry, nudging students to seek answers, analyse and synthesise information independently, empowering students to take charge of their learning, fostering a sense of responsibility and self-direction. By setting goals, monitoring progress and helping young people make choices, they enable students to discover the joy of learning. Teachers as facilitators can bring out the best in young people on their journey to become future role models and changemakers.

About the Authors:

Ameera is a Programme Facilitator in Dream A Dream. Being a facilitator connects with her personally and is her passion. 

Venkatesh is a dedicated Facilitator at the Dream a Dream Thriving Centre. His passion for working with young people and his unwavering compassion brings him immense joy.

The post Teachers as Facilitators are at the heart of education recovery appeared first on Dream a Dream.

Society is built out of human interactions. When we do not mingle and communicate, it leads to social fragmentation, seen clearly in the inequity and strife around us. Newspapers regularly report incidents of identity-based violence, some perpetrated in schools. Our education system has been focused on rote learning for so long that the social aspect of learning went missing. Under the garb of maintaining discipline, students are discouraged to bond with ‘them’, develop empathy and understanding or show respect for differences. Narratives of the marginalised are often ignored and if shared are told from the purview of a privileged lens. Discriminatory systems give rise to a sense of inferiority in the marginalised and a sense of entitlement in the privileged. When  5 year old Revanna entered a classroom for the first time, he was made to sit on the floor, while the upper caste students sat on benches. As a first generation learner, his inability to grasp lessons was met with regular beatings from teachers. Forced to sit and listen to the teacher all day, he understood that the education system was not for him; it could not teach him in a way which was easy for him to grasp or learn. While engaging in the only activity he truly enjoyed at school- sports, he was made to stand separately with other Dalit students. When gatekeepers of systems do not even allow marginalised communities to enter their spaces, inclusion remains a faraway reality. 

For an education system which idolises individual scores and achievements, it’s ironic that it forgets the individual context of students while creating a learning environment. The need to fit into a homogeneous mould of perfection creates a visible decline in students’ confidence with body image, satisfaction with personal and school life, availability of people to share feelings with and experiencing happiness as they grow older. Inclusion is not asking a person to be who they are not. It is consulting the people who are affected by a decision, before taking them. It is a celebration and not merely a tolerance of differences. It does not require lofty restructuring of the education system, instead requires us to connect with each other as humans. Inclusive education needs target achievement to move from curriculum completion to channelling the students ability to learn, contextualising the pedagogy to their needs. It requires schools to develop supportive peer structures and teacher-student relationships. Checking in the emotional state of students at the beginning of each class of any subject helps them feel that they matter. By including examples of people from alternative identities, different regions, culture, ethnicity etc. as leaders and successful people in textbooks, we gain diverse role models. Inclusion can start with the choice for students to change their name or choose the uniform they want to wear. 

While all the above is doable, the deeper question to ask is- are we ready? Can we make our homes more inclusive? Can we question stereotypical stories about groups and communities? Can we overcome our reluctance to share opportunities with those who have none? A society cannot progress if sections of it live invisible, fearful lives. Our success, when measured materially and individualistically, makes us compete with others for limited resources. Our success, when measured with the thriving of all, makes us work collectively towards a sustainable future. Let us be less lonely in our existence and choose a definition which includes us all. 

About the Author: Saba Ahmad is a copyeditor, with the Narrative Building team at Dream a Dream. She is grateful to Revanna Marilinga for sharing his school experience with her.

The post Othering in the Indian Education System appeared first on Dream a Dream.

आने वाले समय में निश्चित ही स्वतंत्र रूप से संचालित हो रहे आंगनवाड़ी केंद्रों में भी प्री प्राइमरी शिक्षा प्रारंभ हो सकेगी जिसका बहुत बड़ा लाभ ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों में निवास रत बच्चों को होगा जो कि किसी प्ले स्कूल इत्यादि में नहीं जा पा रहे थे । प्री प्राइमरी कक्षाओं के संचालन से एक उम्मीद यह भी है कि सरकारी स्कूलों में नामांकन में वृद्धि भी देखी जा सकती है क्योंकि पूर्व में सरकारी स्कूलों में सबसे छोटी कक्षा १ में प्रवेश की आयु कम से कम ६ वर्ष निर्धारित थी किंतु अभिभावकों के अनुरोध तथा बच्चे की योग्यता को देखते हुए ५ वर्ष पूर्ण कर चुके बालक को भी प्रवेश दे दिया जाता था ।

अब यह भी समस्या नहीं रहेगी हालांकि अभी भी कक्षा १ में प्रवेश की आयु ६ वर्ष ही निर्धारित कर दी गई है किंतु बाल वाटिका की शुरुआत से बच्चा कक्षा १ में कुछ तो सीख कर आएगा ही । वर्तमान में नई शिक्षा नीति की अनुशंसाओं के आलोक में अध्यापकों का भी प्रशिक्षण प्रारंभ कर दिया गया है जिसमे कि उन्हें  निपुण भारत मिशन के उद्देश्यों की पूर्ति हेतु दक्ष किया जा रहा है । मिशन निपुण भारत के अंतर्गत वर्ष २०२५ तक कक्षा ३ तक पहुंचने वाले समस्त छात्र छात्राओं को प्रारंभिक गणित तथा भाषा में निर्धारित योग्यता प्राप्त कराए जाने पर बल दिया जा रहा है ताकि बच्चे कक्षा ३ से आगे की अपनी पढ़ाई बिना किसी भय और किसी भी विषय से डरे बिना करते रहें ।

लोक शिक्षा के क्षेत्र में निपुण भारत मिशन भी अपने ही आप में एक अत्यंत क्रांतिकारी कदम साबित हो सकता है यदि इसका संचालन सही प्रकार से किया जा सके तो । इसके संचालन में सबसे बड़ी कठिनाई ऐसे दुर्गम और दूर दराज के क्षेत्रों में आ सकती है जहां पर मानक के अनुरूप शिक्षक तैनात नहीं है तथा बड़ी संख्या में ऐसे क्षेत्रों के प्राइमरी स्कूलों में सभी ५ कक्षाओं का संचालन मात्र एक ही शिक्षक द्वारा किया जा रहा है । अतः किसी भी प्रकार से ऐसे क्षेत्रों में जल्द से जल्द शिक्षकों की तैनाती की जानी आवश्यक होगी नहीं तो ऐसे क्षेत्रों के बच्चे आवश्यक दक्षता की प्राप्ति से वंचित रह जाएंगे । ऐसे क्षेत्रों में निर्धारित समय हेतु मानदेय पर स्वयंसेवी शिक्षकों की सेवा लेने पर विचार किया जा सकता है ।

ऐसे शिक्षक प्रशिक्षण केंद्रों से भी MoU किया जा सकता है जहां के प्रशिक्षु इन क्षेत्रों में आकर निर्धारित मानदेय पर निश्चित अवधि तक अपनी सेवा देने को तैयार हों तथा बाद में स्थाई नौकरी हेतु इन्हे इनके कार्य के अनुभव के आधार पर कुछ अतिरिक्त अंक देकर भर्ती होने में सहायता प्रदान की जा सकती है ।

प्रारंभिक शिक्षा की दूसरी बड़ी चुनौती विद्यालय भवनों की स्थिति भी है । अधिकांश राज्यों में प्राइमरी और जूनियर हाई स्कूल के भवन निर्माण का कार्य अभिभावकों द्वारा बनी हुई विद्यालय प्रबंध समिति द्वारा ही कराया जाता है जिसकी देखरेख हेतु संविदा पर भर्ती जूनियर इंजीनियर रखे जाते हैं । देखने में आया है कि SMC भवन निर्माण में तकनीकी रूप से सक्षम नहीं हो पाती है तथा संविदा पर रखे JE भी निर्मित भवन की खराब गुणवत्ता हेतु जिम्मेदार नहीं ठहराए जा सकते अतः किसी भी प्रकार तत्काल ही समस्त प्रकार के निर्माण कार्य कार्यदाई संस्थाओं के ही द्वारा उनकी देख रेख में ही कराए जाने की नितांत आवश्यकता है ताकि विद्यालय में कार्यरत शिक्षक भी बिना किसी विवाद में फंसे अपना शिक्षण कार्य सुचारू रूप से करते रहें । SMC द्वारा निर्माण की अवस्था में विद्यालय में कार्यरत शिक्षक पर स्थानीय लोगों का भी बहुत बड़ा दबाव होता है तथा कई बार आपसी विवाद के ही चलते विद्यालय भवन या तो आधा अधूरा ही बन पता है या फिर उसकी गुणवत्ता भी सही नहीं रहती जिसमे कि शिक्षक की कोई भी भूमिका नहीं होने पर भी उन्ही को दोषी भी ठहरा दिया जाता है।

देखने में यह भी आया है कि उपरोक्त तथा अन्य काफी प्रकार की चुनौतियों का सामना करने के उपरांत भी प्रारंभिक शिक्षा में कार्यरत शिक्षक पूर्ण मनोयोग से अपना कार्य संचालित कर रहे हैं । एकल शिक्षक होने के उपरांत भी शिक्षण कार्य करने के ही साथ अन्य कई प्रशासनिक कार्य भी कुशलतापूर्वक निपटाते हैं ।

यह भी देखने में आया है कि प्रारंभिक शिक्षा के क्षेत्र में कार्यरत शिक्षकों को उनकी योग्यता के अनुरूप शिक्षक प्रशिक्षण संस्थानों जैसे DIET, SCERT, जिला समन्वयक, ब्लॉक समन्वयक, संकुल समन्वयक इत्यादि जैसे पदों पर कार्य करने के अवसर भी उपलब्ध नहीं हो पा रहे हैं ऐसे में प्रारंभिक शिक्षा में कार्यरत शिक्षकों का मनोबल बनाए रखने हेतु तथा इनके अनुभव का लाभ उठाए जाने हेतु यह भी अत्यंत आवश्यक है कि निर्धारित योग्यता प्राप्त जैसे कि M.Ed, NET, PhD प्राप्त अनुभवी शिक्षकों को भी अन्य शिक्षकों के समान अवसर प्रदान कराए जाने चाहिए ताकि इनके अंदर किसी भी प्रकार से कमतर आंके जाने की भावना भी विकसित न होने पाए । अनेक दूर दराज के स्थानों पर प्राथमिक विद्यालयों का एकाकीपन भी एक बड़ी समस्या है जहां पर कार्यरत शिक्षक को किसी भी प्रकार की मदद नहीं मिल पाती ऐसे में ग्राम पंचायतों के प्रतिनिधियों, सरकार के साथ कार्य कर रहे विभिन्न फाउंडेशन तथा एनजीओ को भी शहर ही नहीं वरन दूर दराज के क्षेत्रों तक अपनी पहुंच बनानी होगी ताकि एकल शिक्षकों को भी किसी न किसी प्रकार की मदद मिल सके ।

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of Dream a Dream or its affiliates.

About the Author – Pankaj Kumar is a Deputy Education Officer in Uttarakhand (ensuring the compliance of the Right to Education (RTE) Act in schools at block level)

The post प्रारंभिक शिक्षा और चुनौतियां । appeared first on Dream a Dream.

On the other hand, a student attempted the exam again because they were not happy scoring 99.9% in the exam.

These two instances lay bare the irony of the Indian Education system, which has for long emphasised marks as a measure of success. From a young age, students are taught that their worth is determined by their ability to perform well academically and score high marks on exams. This focus on marks has become so ingrained in the lives of students that it has inevitably become what success is in the Indian education system.

For many young people, the pressure to perform well academically can be overwhelming. They are constantly reminded of the importance of marks and the consequences of not achieving high scores. Parents, teachers, and peers place a great deal of emphasis on academic success, leading to young people believing that their worth as individuals is determined by their academic achievements. 

How does this impact the young person?

A culture of intense competition is created where young people feel that they must outperform their peers in order to succeed. This focus on marks also limits educational choices, as young people may feel pressured to pursue careers in fields that are considered prestigious or financially lucrative, rather than following their true passions and interests.

Moreover, high marks equate to success and this continues to be the narrative as the young person grows up. It is viewed as a measure of intelligence and potential, and students who score high marks are often seen as more desirable candidates for higher education and employment. If a student scores low marks, they consider themselves to be a failure. This flawed narrative is ingrained in the education ecosystem year after year which ends up creating a sense of hopelessness and discouragement, and can even lead to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. This begs the question, do we really want to assess the value of a young person based on the marks they score?

Where do we go from here?

There is a need to recognise that marks alone do not necessarily equate to success. The fact that narrow definitions of success are not helping young people can in many ways pave for the beginning of a new exploration to redefine success in the education ecosystem. The education ecosystem needs to equip the young person to thrive in a world of uncertainties and not just resemble a machine out of a factory. By broadening our definition of success and promoting a more holistic approach to education, we can help students develop their full potential and prepare them for a lifetime of fulfilment and happiness. 

The post What is the value of 99.9%? appeared first on Dream a Dream.