36th Annual Conference 20th & 21st February 2009

"Revitalization of School Education"

NPSC is an organization with about 110 leading private progressive schools as its members. Every month, on the last Wednesday, the members meet and discuss about various concerns and issues of the school education and share their views. Invariably monthly meetings are addressed by various thinkers, philosophers, administrators and educationists from diverse fields. Besides, a two day conference is held every year in the month of February.

The theme "Revitalization of School Education" chosen for the Annual Conference this year, was most appropriate in the context of our times in which momentous changes in society and the world make it necessary for us to continually rethink and challenge existing assumptions and stereotypes. It is this introspection and its interconnection with social, cultural, political and economic reality that can reinvigorate education. The theme was carefully selected by the members after deliberations.

The Hon'ble Lt. Governor of Delhi, Sh. Tejendra Khanna inaugurated the conference on 20th February, 2009 by invoking the vedic tenet of "Bahujan Hitya Bahujan Sukhmen Che". Working for good and welfare of others is an integral part of what he felt was the real understanding of "Indianness". Weaving together the importance of culture, family, spirituality, he brought out the vital interconnection between the nation and its culture.

The culture of a nation finds expression in two ways: the visible elements where almost everything that we see, taste, hear, smell and touch, the buildings we have built, the tools we use, the clothes we wear, the languages we speak and intangibly, even the ideas that we have are products of processes, discoveries, inventions and developments that occurred at places far and near, in times in the distant and not so distant past and have reached us through very complex and roundabout routes of culture.

The idea is not to purge what we consider alien but to see what is relevant, living and robust in our culture as it exists today, to accept what will enrich our lives and help us improve as human beings and reject and discard all that is likely to sustain prejudice and malice towards other human beings.

The best way to fight prejudices is to take to the people the richness of our cultural heritage.

Shri Khanna felt that the family was a building block of society and in order to resonate with the larger world, it was important to establish stable and sound family relationships. He concluded by emphasizing on work ethics and the indivisibility of happiness, an ideal that we all strive for.

As we began pondering on the Revitalization of School Education certain significant statistics could hardly be overlooked. Only 50 per cent of children who appear for the school-leaving examinations pass out of the secondary school system. Despite this, 37 per cent people in India lack literacy skills, about 53 per cent children drop out at the elementary stage and over 75 per cent of our rural schools are multigrade. There are no known statistics on schooling or school going children in the country.

In the inaugural session on 20th February, in the Keynote Address, Dr. Jayati Ghosh, noted Economist echoed similar concerns. As Knowledge Commission Member, she felt that universal quality education should be provided for all children, access to which would be irrespective of gender, region, caste or tribe. She made a poignant statement, "Every child in India must have a -3- school to which even I can send my child", and outlined the three main areas of intervention as being -

(a) An increase in the resources spent on education. She lamented that India had one of the lowest ratios of public spending on education, below even that of sub-Saharan Africa and Bangladesh; and that ghettoization of education was taking place even within the private schools.

(b) There was, in her view, a great need to decentralize education and give greater autonomy to school managements, thereby creating a system of stakeholder control. She also felt that we needed to be ecologically sensitive.

(c) She also called for flexibility in the systems of examinations; favoured more transparency in government agencies associated with education and the need to value teachers as positive influences by supporting creative teacher training initiatives. Urban and rural planning that would ensure physical space for schools was also an issue that needed to be kept in mind. "

• She felt the urgency for revitalization was linked to the fact that across communities and identities the Indian population today was young and unless it was provided with quality education an invaluable opportunity for economic growth would be lost; further this would result in social conflict and political chaos. "

• She commented on the layering of education - Kendriya Vidyalays, Sanik Schools, State Schools, Navodaya Schools for the rural elite, private schools that stood in sharp contrast to the education for street children. She expressed concern about the fact that somewhere in the private and state schools a segregation of children by way of income and gender does take place. The content of education and the manner of its transaction apart, the policy deprives an equal platform for children to learn together and learn about each other. In this inherently unequal system, the understanding of social processes, structures, hierarchies, reasoning and scientific inquiry are sacrificed. "

• In her interaction she outlined the recommendations made by the Knowledge Commission; reiterating the need for achieving literacy goals, given that 35% of the people in the age group of 15 - 45 years in India are illiterate.

The subtext of the world of children was the classroom-was greatly impacted by rote learning, pattern testing, examination, syllabi, textbooks and time table. All of which were in dire need of reform.

Revitalization of these aspects called for an introspection about the core concern and purpose of education today wherein it was "Bad enough that my child can't read and write. But do I stop worrying there? Why do I not worry that my child can't paint, dance, breathe, meditate or relax, cope with anxiety, aggression or envy? Often is unable to express tenderness and trust?"

"Why do I not spare some concern that my child does not know who he is, or even that he has a self to find? If the basic skills have nothing to do with all this, then lets admit they have nothing to do with my child's health, happiness, sanity or survival, but only with his employability. Whose interest, then, is my child's education serving?"

It was perhaps this plaint that the 2nd session sought to address.

Dr. Asha Singh, Reader, Lady Irwin College, in her presentation Arts in Education for Human Development underscored the value of the experiential nature of learning at the elementary level through art in all its forms- dance, painting, drama and music. These provided the medium that created multiple and lateral thinking systems, diffused rigid boundaries and created -5- personal spaces for children to work with, nurtured curiosity and helped in meaning making, among its many other humanizing elements.

Children were natural artists. They arrived at school with the basic skills of being actors, playwrights, dancers, musicians, painters, designers, directors and even audience. Incorporation of art in classroom environment develops the child physically, intellectually and emotionally. She felt that teachers and students learnt together to solve intellectual, creative, communicative and evaluative problems through the medium of art.

Echoing similar sentiments while speaking on Experiments in Elementary Education, Prof. K.K. Vashistha- Head Elementary Education, NCERT felt that in order to create a world where children are empowered to develop their sense of learning, it is essential for an educator to create a close and supportive relationship with his students because we can only give to our children those things that we already possess. It is this ability that will help us lead children to themselves.

Quoting the National Curriculum Framework,he observed that the size of textbooks has been growing over the years, even as the pressure to include new topics mounts and the effort to synthesise knowledge and treat it holistically got weaker that created learning with burden.

He opined that the early childhood stage, between the age of 6-8 years, is the most critical period when the foundations are laid for life-long learning. He cited research studies which show that there are 'critical periods' at this stage for full development of the brain's potential. It is well known that children have a natural desire to learn and make sense of the world around them.

In the morning session on the second day [21st February] of the Conference

The Emerging Role of the Educator in Addressing Social Conflict was the subject under review by Hon'ble Justice Mr.Sanjay K. Kaul, of the High Court of Delhi. He opened his lecture with the view that today more than ever before, the role of the educator in a value based education system is crucial.

The 'educator' is responsible not merely for imparting ideas or knowledge in a structural curriculum, but in todays context allow for fluidity and shaping of thoughts.

He felt that the multidisciplinary approach that was part of the Indian tradition (Guru Shishya Parampara) needed to be revived for the holistic development of the child, in the contemporary situation with present societal norms and information flow. This reconciliation of tradition and modernity would allow the educator to regain a moral authority and deference within the essentially egalitarian relationship they share with their students.

He briefly touched upon the problem caused by the competitive nature of education, an emphasis on examination and marks, and above all the proliferation of coaching centers from early grades, that have eroded and diluted the authority of the educator - within the classroom, on the sports field, as a guide or mentor.

The perception among children and parents that their success and achievement are not guided by what is happening in school needed to be rectified.

However, in his view a preaching point was not a meeting point. The processes necessitated the upgradation of information, ideas and practices within school systems, since learning is the point of change today.

He also commented on the Right to Education with all its attendant difficulties, implementation, reservations and the need for creating a heterogeneous Indian classroom without being divisive. Expressing concern on the innate irreverence towards authority among the young he brought out the importance of discipline vis a vis the incidence of conflict in a talk that panned across the school, family, society and the nation. In his view both 'desirable' and 'undesirable' conflicts impacted the child negatively. The need was to reconcile reality with awareness and sensitivity towards issues.

Learning has to permeate into the community which is a people and place rooted in the biosphere rife with activity having no place for exclusivism, believing that good ideas can come from any one and anywhere. We have to continually create an environment whereby our schools become laboratories of learning, compassion, pre-emptive justice, empathetic listening, reflective thinking and a concern for global, national and rural issues.

In the pre-lunch session Mr. Ashish Rajpal, M.D., Idiscoveri, provided valuable suggestions on `Energizing Education through the Affirmative Approach'. In his opening words he made the classroom the sanctum sanctorum of affirmative learning. He emphasized the need for quality over quantity by creating awareness within the school, that what may work for some may not work for all. He made a strong case for experiential learning and nurturing of multiple intelligences, which helped in removing learning by rote and brought in deeper understanding. He was of the view that the talk time of children versus that of teacher needed to be increased. The teacher's role was the engagement of learners by providing emotional support and demonstration by example. He also brought out the difference between curriculum and syllabus, whereby he felt that the syllabus was being used as a tool for examination.

In order to break boundaries within a classroom, which did not necessarily cater to front benchers he emphasized on exploration, building on strengths of children, collaborative learning, allowing choices, humanizing through art and thereby creating a linkage with real world problems. At the core of his talk lay the school nest with its people, practices and things.

Hon.Smt.Shiela Dixit, Chief Minister of National Capital Territory of Delhi was the Chief Guest on the Valedictory function. She in her speech appreciated the work done by the National Progressive Schools' Conference and also the theme selected for the conference. She commended the important contribution made by the public schools to the school education in Delhi.

Smt.Dixit stressed upon the need of inculcating right values among children and asked the schools to utilize all forums to make children sensitive towards the need of others to make them more tolerant and to motivate them to contribute towards the betterment of Society. She said Delhi is mini India and stressed that schools should arrange activities which may generate feeling of brotherhood among all religions and community.

As we come to an end of this two day convention, we believe that at the heart of `Revitalisation of Education' lies the child and that in order to create a world fit for children',…. we should encourage ourselves and our children to imbibe a new spirituality of learning where we make our life an offering, by learning to sing, dance, weep and sweat life; sleep, eat, paint, sculpt, hammer and read life; wash, iron, sow and pickle life; compute, touch, bend and fold life; learn and play, work and rest, fast and feast life; argue and talk, whisper and shout, swim, cook and digest life; relax and recover life, breathe and become life but never delete or mutilate life, for life is an offering; life is a prayer….

Ameeta Mulla Wattal
Principal
Springdales School
Pusa Road
New Delhi

35th Annual Conference 15th and 16th Feb 2008
"School Education - A Rethink"
REPORT

NPSC is an organization with about 110 leading private progressive schools as its members. Every month on the last Wednesday, the members meet and discuss about various concerns and issues of the school education and share their views. Invariably monthly meetings are addressed by various thinkers, philosophers, administrators and educationists from diverse fields. Besides, a two day Conference is held every year in the month of February.
This year Conference had a theme – “School Education – A Rethink” Why this theme ? For the past 3 -4 decades, we find technology, population, knowledge and aspirations are on the rise. This needs approach which is not only relevant but futuristic in its own way. After deliberations this theme was chosen by the members.
The conference was inaugurated by a great educationist, administrator and statesman, Dr.A.K.Kidwai, Honourable Governor of Haryana, who spoke about the diversity and plurality of India. He also referred to how the transitions in education must incorporate the best practices of our heritage with its emphasis on thinking, values and creativity; the trends of modernity and globalization that had seen India emerge as an economic power of reckoning and the differences that needed to be nurtured through a learning that emphasized the abilities to analyze, comprehend and create.
He felt, the important challenge before us was the need to combine globality and intimacy for education, social inclusiveness and a sustainable future for humanity.
He ended by reiterating that it was imperative that a novel system of education should be created and given a direction with collaboration as a vehicle for change, technology as a lever of transformation and having an open system which would foster innovation.
Mr. Michel Danino Convener – International Forum for India’s Heritage was the keynote speaker for the day. In a comparative study he highlighted the need for free and compulsory education that was secular in nature and involved child learners at all levels.
He talked about the classroom being the crucible and microcosm of a child’s developmental world. A world that impacted in the formal sense teachers, timetables, tests, report cards, syllabi, textbooks and forms the subtext of the world of the children. Yet, as they grapple with the formal elements of the class room the essence of education, the joy of learning was often lost.
Using examples from his experiences as a practitioner in South India he emphasized that the boredom of repetitive teaching, rote learning and the dreaded examinations prevented rather than nurtured creativity, problem solving and decision- making skills. As pedagogical techniques remained largely traditional and schooling non inclusive and hierarchical, the interaction and experience of members of various social strata also becomes limited and distorted.
The irony of the fact that the voice of a child was not being heard struck a discordant note since approximately 30.8% of India’s 1.1 b people are under 14 years of age. By 2020, we would have one of the youngest populations in the world. This vast resource would shape the nation and the world. Its primary values, aspirations, knowledge, abilities, skills and dilemmas would have their bearing on individual choices and indeed on the world that the next generation inherits.
The tone of the 2nd session – School Education – Urgent Need For Radical Overhaul - was set by Dr. Rajni Kumar, Chairperson, Springdales Education Society, who began by laying emphasis on the words urgent and radical.
Mr. Michel Danino, Convener – International Forum for India’s Heritage lead this interactive lively session and spoke of culture, creativity and the doing away of examination systems and pressured curriculum. A wide spectrum of ideas came up during the interactive session- from conceptualizing and integrating representations
of scientific temper logic to gender sensitivity and sustainable development in class-room education. The need to emphasize physical fitness and teacher training techniques, all of which could be accomplished if, we as, educators had courage of conviction to take the first step in becoming agents of change rather than critiquing the system.
The ideas that came across in the discussion of culture and values were experiential and were integral to the Indian context. He opined that in order to be truly consequential we needed to move away from the conventional survival learning and move towards generative learning.
The afternoon session – Learning from changes and challenges was lead by Mr. S. C. Tripathi – Former Secretary to Government of India - He outlined the momentous political, ecological and societal changes that we were witnessing and felt that educational theory and practice must cater to, what he called, “a democracy in transition”
He felt that the vast human resource must be brought in tandem with global economic trends and education being the agent that converted the liability of population into an asset.
In his view the disconnect in education, between knowledge and skills could be bridged through vocational education. The need to create a thinking curriculum so that we move away from teaching for the test was crucial. Highlighting the need for Education for All, he commented upon the layering of education in our country with its diverse schooling system. He felt that the introduction of new Boards would help and give an equal platform to children for learning together and from each other.
In order to foster education in a plural society sharing a vision becomes essential. Schools that encapsulate creative learning become the centers of critical and creative thinking and active learning where assumptions are challenged and learning from the world adapted locally into the school system. The challenge as he saw it was not only to be forward looking but to prepare children to be in step and continually ready for the future. Education that identifies emerging trends and critical uncertainties, within and outside its boundaries fosters growth. The nature of knowledge in the future would be faster changing, larger in breath, available worldwide through electronic communication and more dependant on global languages.
Dr. Kiran Bedi – IPS (Retd.) - took up the issue in her inimitable style. She spoke of educational responsibility which meant to move beyond the self to the other.
In a very practical manner she bridged the connections of the hand, head and heart.
From transforming the power of education into a source of service – Shramdaan, which help provide a balanced social fraternity and the importance of sports that helped develop a healthy body and a fit mind- She brought in the Gandhian metaphor. She brought into focus the importance of life skills as an integral component of education as defined by the UNICEF “which refers to psycho-social and interpersonal skills”. These can help children make informed decisions, communicate effectively, create a scientific temper of discovery and research that may help them lead a healthy, productive and stress free life.
The endowments – self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination is what would give ultimate human freedom….. the power to choose, to respond and to change.
In the morning session (16th February 2008), on Multiple Intelligence – a Reality, Mr. Vikram Dutt - Rehabilitation Consultant felt that today we needed people who were equipped with skills to excel in every field for which we needed to develop these intelligences in every child. He observed that though this was done intuitively in the past, in the present context it implied ridding ourselves of the burden of experiential knowledge. We must unlearn and relearn. In this task we should not be defeated by logistics of the size of our classrooms or resources: rather by focusing on creative teaching, individual centered education, promoting the reading habit and focusing on what the child knows rather than what he does not in our examination system would help us in practicing multiple intelligences in the classroom.
Whereas, in the most countries throughout history, schools have focused almost exclusively on language and logic and formal education has virtually ignored others forms of mental representation-artistic forms (musical), athletic (bodily), personal (knowledge of others and self); knowledge of natural world; knowledge of big questions, the situation needed to be corrected.
All of these “Frames of Mind” are therefore to be mobilized. The theory of Multiple Intelligences holds a special attraction perhaps because it so convincingly articulates the individual worth and capacity of each child-something that educators have believed all along. Yet, it is also an aspect that they have not been able to put into practice.
The point to be made is that intelligence is not a single thing: it comprises a very wide array of cognitive and other skills. Our goal in theory, research, and measurement ought to be to define what these skills are and learn how best to assess and possibly train them, not to figure out a way to combine them into a single, but possibly meaningless number.
Ms. Shovana Narayan - IA & AS (Classical Dancer) – addressed the issues in the context of what we as adults want our children to grow up into through an introspective talk. Individuality, Individual abilities and skills were realities that needed to be addressed in our education system. This alone would make it a more holistic and creative experience. Citing appropriate references from ancient Indian literature and with examples of contemporary personalities, she put forth the idea that it was possible to excel in more than one field, to develop multiple intelligences. She gave a variety of suggestions to bring about the desired change. She emphasized the importance of performing arts as an integral component of education not as ‘co’ or ‘extra’ curricular activities.
Recognition of their own strengths and weaknesses would help students to build upon their strengths and overcome their short comings. She also felt that teachers and parents need to rise above their own uncertainty and mindsets and be sensitive to the needs of children. Freer combination of subjects was noteworthy in bringing about the desired change and reform in the system.
Addressing the gathering on Education and Emerging Economic Trends - the post tea session - Prof. Dipankar Gupta, Eminent Sociologist – JNU expressed his concern at the quality of education in different scenarios – rural areas, the mushrooming of private schools and the abysmal state of state run institutions.He presented statistical data to put forward the case of state financing of education. This would lead to greater accountability in the system; promote research and reduce the burden on private in the absence of a good public education system.
He felt that market was / should be created by the potential of the youths; not vice versa; though he felt that one curriculum would serve a useful purpose as it had been successfully implemented in France, this however did not take cognizance of the multi-plural nature of Indian society.
The second speaker Prof. J. D. Agarwal, Chairman IIF – commented that Indian Education had failed to respond to the emerging economic trends because of governmental attitude. This resulted in a compromise on the quality of education and the alienation of private initiatives in the area of education. Whereas state run institutes did not have the required autonomy or the resources that would allow them to cater needs of the students and contribute to research. He felt education is the key factor in removing social malaise and underscored the need to pay attention to the down trodden and underprivileged in our country. He ended by emphasizing upon combining ethics with economic aspirations and human vis a vis individual development.
I can only conclude the two day convention so thoughtfully planned with vision of a new school that we could go back to.
A school that conjures up, images of freedom and fraternity, of families and friendship that brings to life a pulsating energy.
We do not have to go to Sacred Places, the grounds of our school is holy land.
This here our pilgrimage starts and ends, It is here where our Universe with its loops and bends lies, each seed that grows, each fist of earth, brings a tiny miracle to birth.
A place where the present, the past and the future blend together
Where everyday is a beginning and tomorrow never ends. With learning without limitation and a continuity that contends.
Here there lies a self always in the making, occupied with possibilities, potential and a vision ready for the taking.
Where education is celebrated, where an atmosphere of enlightenment & integrity are created and students brim with joy & divisions are ended and discipline & freedom are clearly comprehended
Let this be the story of our schools where education goes beyond classrooms and creativity rules.
So let us this journey take Sharing an adventure of community and partnership and the difference that we make as we open eyes & ears with faith & truth And hearts with love that will change the lives of thousands of youth
Prof B. B. Bhattacharya – Vice Chancellor – JNU – presided over the Valedictory Session and complimented the NPSC for its contribution and innovative ideas in the field of education but felt that there was much more to be learned and implemented. Referring to the great divides within India that were also seen in the Indian Education System, he expressed concern over the neglect of education in rural areas and the quality of education available to the majority of children.
He also was of the opinion that learning needs to inculcate consciousness of duties along with rights. Giving the students open ended subject options and counseling them would help in reducing stress levels among students that were assuming alarming proportions in today’s competitive world. Children also need to be provided with opportunities to enhance their creativity and emotional responses. While the rigor of discipline and logic would help them in their pursuit of knowledge, they also needed to be equipped with emotional preparedness to deal with both success and failure. All that this requires is a realignment of our pedagogical priorities with the focus on the common human desire for a life elevated by dignity, decency and value based program.
At the end of the Conference, the General Body on the basis of the deliberations for two days, passed resolutions as stated below :-

To make teaching learning a joyful experience and provide stress free environment.
The Board examination of Class X should be made optional.
The NPSC should design its own curriculum and methods of assessment to procure quality and excellence in education.
The country should look for no one but many Boards of education and the schools should have its own choice to affiliate to any such Board to make the education child friendly, need based and relevant.
Teaching methodology inside the class room must address the issues of multiple challenges, project work and team teaching.
All the issues raised in the Conference will be supplemented to certain project modules which schools can adopt practically in their own situations.
The schools should also share their views based on the feed back of the programmes in the monthly meetings. This makes NPSC a Body which is rich in content, dynamic in its own approach and vibrant with thoughts and methods.
Report by Mrs.Ameeta Mulla Wattal, Principal, Springdales School, Pusa Road, New Delhi.