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1EducationMatters@ETMA, March, 2015

Vol. 3, No. 1, March, 2015

COVER STORY

Problem ofDropout of

GirlChildren:

ASociological

Inquiry

ASociological

Inquiry

In Conversation with Pratibha Jhalani:Art Restorer with a Magical Hand

Interview P 6 Educational Opportunities

Fight the Tide toSail your Ship

P 12 Discussion Forum P 14Problem of Dropout of Girl Children:

A Sociological Inquiry

2

CONTENTSTalk to Teachers

P-10

Prof. Marmar MukhopadhyayChairman, ETMA Council,GurgaonProf. Jaya IndiresanFormer Professor, NIEPA,New DelhiDr. Kailash KhannaChairperson, ETMA Trust,GurgaonProf. Madhu ParharProfessor, IGNOU, New DelhiProf. M. M. PantFormer PVC, IGNOU, New DelhiProf. Satish KalraProfessor, IMI, New DelhiMr. Amit KaushikFormer Director. MHRD,GoI, New DelhiDr. Indu KhetarpalPrincipal, Salwan Public School,Rajender Nagar, New DelhiMr. Kinner SachdevaCMD, Scientity, New DelhiDr. Subhash ChandraAssistant Professor,Lady Irwin College, New DelhiMs. Rita KapurDirector, DPS Group of Schools,Ghaziabad, UP

EditorialAdvisory Board

Editorial BoardChief EditorProf. Marmar MukhopadhyayExecutive EditorProf. Jaya IndiresanConsulting EditorMs. Aakanksha Tomar

Graphic DesignerMr. Sabyasachi Panja

Jaya Indiresan &Aakanksha Tomar

P- 5

DisclaimerPrecautions have been taken to

ensure the accuracy of the contentof the magazine. Opinions

expressed in the articles are that ofauthor/s and do not reflect the

views of ETMA and/or the Editors/Board.

No part of the magazine may bereproduced in any form without the

prior permission from ETMA.

The viewfrom theOther Side

Bhumika Kapoor

In Conversation with

PratibhaJhalani: ArtRestorer with aMagicalHand

InterviewP-6

Institution Building

The Story ofBharat Calling


IN THIS ISSUE

1. Editorial 04

What is the justification for the rapidexpansion of women’s colleges in India?- Prof. Jaya Indiresan

2. Talk to Teachers 05

The View from the Other Side- Bhumika Kapoor

3. Interview 06

In Conversation with Pratibha Jhalani:Art Restorer with a Magical Hand- Prof. Jaya Indiresan and Aakanksha Tomar

4. Institution Building 10

The Story of Bharat Calling- Sandeep Mehto and Sunita Kumari

5. Educational Opportunities 12

Fight the Tide to Sail your Ship- Sonam Chopra

6. Discussion Forum 14

Problem of Dropout of Girl Children-A Sociological Inquiry- Mona Yadav

7. Students Speak 16

Change for a Change- Soma Perween

8. Teachers Speak 17

What is in a Name?- Padma Prabha Rao

9. Tips for Parents 18

Beyond the Examination Fever

- Dr. Sweta Singh Rathore

10. Career Opportunities 20

You Can Fly- Shilpa Rimal

11. Classroom Innovations 23

Integral Education:A Contemplative, Transformativeand Transpersonal Approach- Aakanksha Bhatia

12. ETMA News 26

Educational Opportunities P-12


Discussion Forum

Problem ofDropout of GirlChildren:

A SociologicalInquiry

P-14

Career Opportunities

FlyYou Can

P-20

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EDITORIAL

What is the justificationfor the rapid expansionof women’s colleges inIndia?

Jaya Indiresan

Prof. Jaya Indiresan, Former Head (Higher Education) in NIEPA, member of ETMACouncil. e-Mail: [email protected]

It is interesting to consider thesituation that prevailed in the mid1990s, when I carried out a study ofpace setting women’s colleges in

India, about the justification for exclusivewomen’s colleges in India, and compare itwith the findings cited in a global studycarried out in 2014 by Kristen A. Renn,“Women’s Colleges and Universities in theGlobal Context”. Legally, a vast majority ofcountries do permit women students toattend colleges which were at one stagemeant exclusively for men students. This istrue of India too. While there were severalexclusive colleges for men some couple ofdecades back, now all these colleges haveto admit women students. In other words,there are no exclusive colleges for menstudents. However, the number of exclusivewomen’s colleges are proliferating veryrapidly, exceeding 4200 in 2012-2013compared to only 650 in 1982-83. Twoimportant questions arise. What is thejustification for this expansion? And whatis the role of these colleges?

Taking the first question first, looking for ajustification for this expansion, severalreasons have been cited by Renn (2014)based on her global study. The very firstjustification is that, these exclusive collegesprovide access, particularly for women whoface socio-cultural barriers to attending co-educational institutions. In a personalinterview, one of the women students from

a very conservative family said, “but forthe availability of women’s college, myeducation would have ended with myschool.” It is interesting to note that to myquestion, “Should there be separatecolleges for women?” posed to students,teachers, and Principals during my studyin 1993, 62% of women students, 72% ofteachers, and 81% of Principals respondedin the affirmative.

A larger percentage of Principals (81%) thanteachers (72%) and a lesser percentage ofstudents (62%) had responded in theaffirmative. The teachers seemed to be moreconvinced than the students about therationale for a separate women’s college.The Principals perhaps saw severaladvantages and were even more convincedof the need for separate women’s colleges.

Can these significantly differentproportions be attributed to a generationgap? Perhaps, the younger generation feelsmore liberated than their elders and seesno need for a separate women’s college.Women, especially in urban areas, arecoming out of their shells and venturinginto several male dominated and exclusivemale areas. With the rapid socio- cultural

changes happening in India, I wonderwhether the responses will be different, ifthis question is to be posed to the studentsin women’s colleges today! Then, how dowe justify the unprecedented continuingexpansion of women’s colleges? Thisperhaps indicates that while access maybean important factor for some category ofwomen, it is not the only criterion for theexistence of women’s colleges. We willexplore this further in the next issue.

Perhaps, the youngergeneration feels moreliberated than their

elders and sees no needfor a separate women’s

college. Women,especially in urban

areas, are coming out oftheir shells and

venturing into severalmale dominated andexclusive male areas


TALK TO TEACHERS

When I was a young girl, Iwanted to be a superhero.I wanted to change theworld and right all wrongs.

It wasn’t before long when I realized howover my head I was. For starters, I had nosuperpowers; a realization which made mereally despondent. I remember complainingabout this grave injustice to my grandfatherone day, and he looked at me with fauxsurprise and exclaimed, “But of course youhave a superpower! You can read. That isthe first step towards changing the world.”“What’s the second?” I asked. Teaching,he said.

I’d be lying if I said that this conversationimmediately inspired me to be a teacher, butit did stick with me. Over the years, Irecognized that teaching is exactly what Iwanted to devote my life to; an aspirationwhich greatly solidified itself after my forayinto psychology.

It hasn’t been very long since I’ve startedteaching professionally, but in this smallamount of time I have learned a great deal.Being a teacher isn’t just about going intoa class and delivering a lecture. It isn’tsomething you do for a few hours a day. Itisn’t just another job. Being a teacher is agreat responsibility; one that requiressignificant transformation of your verybeing.

The viewfrom theOther SideBhumika Kapoor • To begin with, be an expert and act like

it but don’t be blind towards thepossibility that you might commit anerror or may not know everything. Toprevent this, constantly work toward itand do your homework. Remember thatwe never stop being a student and thatincludes you as well.

• When you do make a mistake - accept itand correct it. Trying to camouflageyour ineptitude isn’t going to do anygood, neither to you nor to yourstudents.

• Invite participation. A monologuedoesn’t translate into any kind oflearning. You can only hope to havesome impact when you are able tofacilitate a dialogue among your pupils.Be engaging and invite their opinions,even unpopular ones.

• Be creative. Teaching is one partnegotiation and one part improvisation.I teach kids in a college, and it issurprising how limited their span ofattention can be. Talk to them in theirlanguage, employ the use of popularculture and don’t be afraid to trysomething new. Be flexible.

• Respect your students and treat themas your equals. Do not underestimate

their competence or consider themnaive. Being presumptuous andcondescending sets you up for failure.Always be open to the prospect thatthey might teach you something novelor possess an idea which youoverlooked.

• Make an effort to know your students.Something as simple as rememberingall their names can make a hugedifference. Be attuned to theirindividual needs; it’s difficult but notimpossible.

• Seek feedback. Be especially opentowards negative feedback. Ask yourstudents if there is anything that youcould do differently to help them andbend if need be. You will be a betterteacher for it.

Like I said before, being a teacher is a greatresponsibility. You are not just accountablefor yourself, but for many others as well.You hold the power to wield change byshaping young minds, by teaching the rightvalues and creating competent individualswho’d contribute towards a better world.So, I may not possess the ability to readminds, or turn invisible or have superhumanstrength, but when I take a class it is soexhilarating that I can feel the wind rustlingunder my cape.

Ms. Bhumika Kapoor is a Guest Faculty at Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi.E-mail: [email protected]

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6

INTERVIEW

Prof. Jaya Indiresan & Aakanksha Tomar

In Conversation with

Pratibha Jhalani:Art Restorer with aMagical Hand


“Not really,” I said.

He continued, “Are you going to sit in thearchives in one of the holes there, get busywith the books, and spend hours togetherdoing that?”

I answered in the negative again. So thenhe suggested, “Go see the world and then

decide.”

When my parents took their first trip toAmerica way back in 1947, they enjoyed the

experience quite a lot, so much so that theydecided that before their children gotmarried they must send them out of thecountry to see the world. They wanted meto take a year off to just rest and give myselftime. But during this supposed ‘rest period’I had joined several courses including aSecretarial Course at the Y.M.C.A., a course

in German language atMax Mueller Bhavan,doll-making classes, andalso painting. Painting issomething I had beenlearning since I was infifth class, starting withSharda Ukil School of Artwhere I learnt Indian art,Bengal School and latermoving on to Abani Sen’sclasses which taught methe Western style ofpainting, still life andportrait using pencil,pastel colors, and oilpaints. Anyhow, with allof the classes andhomework I had, myparents realized that I wasbusy right from 7 a.m. to 7

p.m. So they said, “Off you go to Germany!”By that time I knew a bit of German already.

I went to Germany and it was clear to me

How did you get interested in theconservation and restoration of art?

Well first, since childhood itself I was quiteinterested in art. And second, even as a childit always pained me whenever I sawsomething which was torn, broken, ordamaged. I thought how great it would be ifI could fix it somedaysomehow. I remember itwas ages ago that awoollen coat that myfather owned got tornand he was going todiscard it but I askedhim to wait, explainingthat perhaps I couldmend it, and I did. Butmy real interest startedonce I visited Germanyin 1962 after finishingmy Masters degree inancient Indian historyfrom the University ofDelhi. I had secured thefirst position amonggirls in the universityand was gearing up todo a Ph.D. but then myfather asked, “Look,with history, do you want to repeat the samething again and again? Are you really goingto be interested in teaching?”

It is a crisp noon in earlyMarch and we are sitting inMs. Pratibha Jhalani’s art

restoration studio. The placeis every bit as fascinating andfull of intriguing objets d’artand tools as I imagined it tobe when I first heard that wewere going to interview an artrestorer. And amid all thesecaptivating articles sits thegracious restorer herself,congenially narrating herinspiring and adventurous

story while showing us someof her work.

8

that I wasn’t going there for a holiday. Oncethere, I joined an office where my familyhad business connections and receivedtraining in miscellaneous office works.When I was ready to come back to Delhi,my mother said, “Look, since you’ve alwayswanted to go to England, why don’t you gothere before you come back to India?” Sofrom Germany I went to England where Iworked in the Indian High Commission inLondon for five months. But five monthsthere were enough for me to realize that itwas like a mini government of India officeand that I was going to forget whatever Ihad learnt in Germany if I stayed there anylonger.

When I came back I got a bit restless. I joinedthe German Academic Exchange Service(DAAD) and decided that I’ll work there, tostart with for six months. The six monthsturned into 42 years. While I was workingthere I had the opportunity to go to Germanyalmost every two years and I accumulatedmy leaves and worked with the museumsthere doing art restoration work. My firsttraining was in Hannover with a private

restorer called Ms. Peter who trained me inporcelain, ceramic, ivory, and woodenobjects. In the eight weeks that I had thereI worked almost day and night. The firstobject that she gave me was a vase about12 inches high and broken into some 40pieces. She said that if I could fix it duringmy eight weeks stay there, then I could bean art restorer of porcelain. And luckily itcame out so well that she decided to put itas a memento in her studio. Every Thursdayshe had her clients coming in and they werethrilled to see an Indian girl in a bright sarithere, and I was excited to see how shetackled her clients, what prices she quoted,etc. It was a great learning process for me.

Subsequently, every two years or so Ireceived training at various museums andgalleries in Germany and England. Startingat the Bayerisches National Museum inMunich where I thought I would not begiven an object to treat and was pleasantlysurprised to discover the contrary. I thinkmy German language helped me; as wespoke the same lingua, Mr. Haag, the thenChief Restorer at the museum had

confidence in me. I asked him to give methe most damaged article that they had, andhe did. It was a painting of a monastery andlooked as if someone had wrung it out; ithad all possible damages and I chose it asan opportunity to learn differentconservation and restoration processes.This painting became a kind of model forthe other colleagues in the museum. It gaveme some confidence as well as training inthe various restoration processes. Afterthat I went for training at Tate Gallery inLondon and I was lucky as the then ChiefRestorer there, Lord Dunluce, said, “WellPratibha, since you’re coming from India Ican give you a Daniell to treat” (Daniell hadextensively painted Indian motifs includingGanga and the ghats). In my subsequentvisits I had training in Wallraf-RichartzMuseum and Ludwig Museum in Cologne.

So all of your training has largely been inthe form of internships...

Yes internships mainly but with the relevanteducational background as I hadsimultaneously completed a post-graduate


Ms. Pratibha Jhalani is the Proprietor of ‘Art Restoration’, New Delhi. She can bereached at 9891271501

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diploma course in Conservation of OilPaintings at the National Gallery of ModernArt, New Delhi and got first class first.

What are the different kinds of art articlesthat you handle?

I handle all kinds of articles, whatever comesto my studio. My first training in Hannoverwas in ivory, wood, porcelain, and ceramicand since I had been a student of painting,in Munich and Tate Gallery I worked on oilpaintings and textile. In Wallraf-RichartzMuseum I handled contemporary art as wellas old classical paintings. So in general Ican say that whatever comes in a studio, Iwork on that.

Are the skills required for each differentkind of article varied?

Yes and No. I think the various skills Iacquired in my training as it went one afteranother, complimented each other.

Tell us a little about your clients.

I prefer working with private clients. I workaccording to the ethics, but art dealers attimes might want everything to look perfectand that doesn’t coincide with the ethics.My restoration work should be real; I don’twant to hide defects. Some art dealers wouldwant the defects covered up and gone overin order to gain higher profits, but I want toremain true to the artist and the originalpiece as far as possible.

Is it difficult for clients to find artrestorers?

I’ll tell you about this one particular timewhen I had the objects from five differentrestorers in my studio, including articles ofporcelain, glass, wood, and objects wheresome other restorer had done a shoddy job.I don’t take that kind of work anymore as itis very tiring to do that, because you firsthave to undo what that other restorer hasdone and then start with your ownrestoration.

There are restorers and restorers and if oneis looking for a restorer it is easy to findone. However, you might not find me on theinternet or in the yellow pages as I don’t

publicize, I’m known only through word ofmouth. I think my work should speak foritself. I can only say one thing thatsometimes a restorer spends more time on aparticular object than the artist had spenton it.

Can you tell us about your mostchallenging assignment?

There was a painting that came to me abouttwo years back. It was quite a huge paintingwhich was bought at an auction in Londonin 2011 and was gifted as a birthday presentto someone in India. It was on that birthdayI believe that they had put it on the diningtable and the guests collected around totake a look at it. Consequently, their doggot so excited, it jumped on the painting.This was an old painting which was alreadyquite fragile and all four of the dog’s pawswent right through it. It was torn in severalplaces, had big holes in it, and even theornate frame in which it was cased gotdamaged. We took several months to mendthe canvas and restore the painting. Whenit was ready and the client came to collectit, she asked me, “Where was the damage?”

I got another such compliment from RajmataGayatri Devi who asked me to restore ahuge pichwai. It was a beautiful Holi sceneand when I was done with it I got acompliment from the Rajmata; she said, “Youhave a magical hand.”

Another time I got a call and was told thatthree paintings of “a little bigger size” willbe coming to me from Hyderabad. Whenthey arrived, first I was shocked at the sizeof those paintings; they were huge, 8 feetby 6 feet. Then I discovered that each oneof them was packed in jute covering and Iam allergic to jute. So with my mask on, Iopened them and found that they wereattacked by termites. We already had theminside the studio and I had to work overnightto give termite treatment first otherwise theywould have infested all the other material in

the studio. So that was another challenge.

Would you recommend this as a full timeprofession?

I would, anytime. Given that the person isinterested in art. The person has to have alittle scientific background which I had todevelop later. But the important thing is thatyou have to have patience because youcan’t be dealing with somebody else’screation and go wrong with it. Also, oneneeds to have a certain sense of color andan intuition of what the artist wanted withthat piece of art.

One needs to have passion for this work. Ihave always been so passionate aboutrestoration that while I was working withGerman Academic Exchange Service(DAAD), I used to attend full-time officefrom 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then go forvoluntary work at the National Gallery ofModern Art or the National Museum in theafternoons. Later I was invited to give guestlectures to the students at the NationalGallery of Modern Art and the NationalMuseum. I’d say that I have been ratherlucky as whatever I studied came to use inmy life some way or the other, be it painting,history or German language. And then whenI completed 25 years with DAAD, I washonoured with the German Cross conferredto me by the President of the FederalRepublic of Germany. God has been verykind and gracious indeed.

Are courses in this field available in India?

Yes, courses are available here at theNational Museum Institute of History ofArt, Conservation, and Museology. Then Ibelieve that the National ResearchLaboratory for the Conservation of CulturalProperty, Lucknow also offers somecourses, seminars, and workshops.However, to my knowledge we do not yethave mainstream universities in India whichoffer courses with rigorous academiccurriculum in art conservation.

10

INSTITUTION BUILDING

The Story ofBharat Calling

Written by Sandeep MehtoCompiled and edited by Sunita Kumari


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“Just study well. Do not go after money.Never get into any morally wrongbehavior. Such were the advices by myparents,” says Sandeep, director of BharatCalling, India. Coming from a modestbackground, Sandeep learnt the values oflife from his parents at an early age. It wastheir passion and strength that helpedSandeep to realize his dreams and worktowards fulfilling them. On many occasionsduring his schooling Sandeep’s parentswere not in a position to pay his full tuitionfee. As a result, Sandeep had to face therepercussion either by standing outside theclassroom or on the bench, inside. Theexisting poverty in the household wasaugmenting as the days passed by; butfortunately, he never lost faith in himselfand continued to work even harder in thoseadverse conditions. But things were toworsen; the shocking incident of hisfather’s death due to a heart attack left thewhole family in a much degraded state. Itwas during this time that Sandeep (in hisfinal year of Engineering) thought of startingan organization to serve the underprivilegedchildren.

Sandeep was greatly inspired by his fatherwhile pursuing his goal to serve the societyand work for the same. As a socialentrepreneur, one of the most importantconcerns which troubled him wasexorbitantly high rate of school drop-outamong the youth and children due tocomplex social and economiccircumstances. Importantly, highereducation, being directly linked to highearning and social status, seems to eludemost prospective young aspirants from theinterior hamlets of central India, reflected indiscernibly lower enrollment rates.Moreover, information on opportunities topursue higher education, despite the fastpenetration of digital modes ofcommunication and fast spreading informalresources, seems to be far from being widelydisseminated due to fraction that emanatefrom the digital divide. Cumulatively, someof these disadvantages work to constrainthe prospects of rural aspirants to pursuehigher education in mainstream institutions.Sandeep was one of the fortunate ones

coming from the backward interiors ofMadhya Pradesh who was able to make itto some prestigious universities in thecountry. But an important question kepttroubling him incessantly: “Where does alarge majority of the students who study ingovernment schools and villages go?”

Exploring this question, he visited 25villages in Madhya Pradesh, as a part of hisinternship during his post-graduation inSocial Entrepreneurship from Tata Instituteof Social Sciences, Mumbai. To his surprise,the dropout rate of this area was 86% in 10th

standard. Students who struggled hard tocomplete their school education, traveling10-20 kilometers daily (fighting with everykind of barrier, like poverty, lack of nutrition,social status, and so on) were performingexceptionally well till 12th standard but weredropping out thereafter. Almost 95% of thembecame manual labor. Sandeep whileanalyzing the reasons behind thisphenomenon of drop-out stumbled upontwo reasons: lack of information and lack ofmotivation. He believes that getting intohigher education was a matter of‘opportunity’ not ‘intelligence’. A hugechunk of students drop out after 12th

standard because of ignorance, poor socio-economic conditions, lack of information,etc. Seeing this scenario as a space to workto set a vision for these students who arelikely to drop out, he launched an initiativeto disseminate information aboutopportunities in higher education and

motivate them to progress towards the goalof higher education. Initially, the schoolauthorities and local people were skepticalof this initiative, doubting the intent of themission. However, this phase of cynicismdid not last long, giving way to curiosityand then to confiding. This SE wassuccessful in persuading one school tocollaborate, resulting in 50 students joiningthis initiative. Interestingly, with all thissupport and exposure, a good number ofstudents qualified admission tests andinterviews to secure admissions in premiercentral universities and other eminent highereducational institutions in India. Thisachievement motivated Sandeep and hisfriends to scale up the initiative. Theinitiative became an organization calledBharat Calling. Within three years, itbecame quite popular among students inrural Madhya Pradesh.

Now, Bharat Calling is working with thegovernment higher secondary schools inrural Madhya Pradesh. It acts as aninformation hub to students by providinginformation about various colleges,application procedures, preparation forentrance exams, logistical hurdles, and alsoworks to generate scholarships, to finallylink them with universities. Meanwhile italso ensures that no students would dropout, by monitoring their progress post-enrolment. Further, it focuses on inculcatingtransformational leadership amongstudents.

Mr. Sandeep Mehto is the Director of Bharat Calling, IndiaE-mail: [email protected]

12

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES


Sonam Chopra Someone once asked, ‘’What is thepoint of being alive if you don’t atleast try to do somethingremarkable?’’ This isn’t just a question

but a calling each of us undergoes at some pointin our lives to understand who we are and whatwe are capable of doing. Set in 2006, this is thestory of three school friends, Raman, Roy, andRitesh; bidding each other farewell from arts,science, and commerce backgroundsrespectively with the promise to meet after theycomplete college and share the remarkabledifference they will create with each of theircareers.

In 2012, they re-unite to discuss the jobs wherethey can fit in and use their skills effectively.Raman completed sociology from RamjasCollege, Roy studied engineering from DelhiCollege of Engineering and Ritesh studiedphilosophy from St. Stephens College. As Ramanand Roy narrate their stories of taking up jobsin MNCs, Ritesh seems to have taken the roadless travelled and followed his calling for servingthe elderly people of the society. He works in aprofessionally run eldercare startup companycreating senior specific products to help themage healthily and happily. Amidst the mainstreamoptions, he traverses a journey which leaves


his friends inspired. He showcases a ray ofhope to lakhs of students who could bebeneficial contributors in the area of elderlycare.

Research shows that India’s seniorpopulation (persons above the age of 60)has already crossed the 100 million markduring 2011. According to a recent UNprojection, by 2050, as India’s populationwill rise by 55%, the population of 60-pluswould increase by 326% and that of 80-pluswould go up by 700%. The increasingnumber of elderly persons has a directimpact on the demand for health services.Mobilization of additional resources forgeriatric care is emerging as a majorresponsibility of health care providers infuture for countries like India. With thegrowing rate of seniors, the philosopher inRitesh felt the need to create a meaningfulchange in the realm of elderly people andhe devoted his energies towards designingsenior specific products, thus contributingtowards their growth and well being.

He draws from his interest in thedevelopment and care of seniors and thevalues that are imbibed in us as we grow uprespecting the wisdom holders for theirexperience, teachings, and knowledge. Ashe shares his experience, he offers a timelineof the different aspects beneficial to thelarger audiences.

The good news is that the realm of eldercare invites students from varieddisciplines; there is no specific trainingqualification that could act as aconstraint. As the roles are distinct intheir genre, each of the new fieldsbecomes vital in creating an ecosystemaround the seniors in such a way thathelps them in truly rejoicing in life. WithRitesh’s sharing, his friends realized thatthe rat race and ruthless competitiondoes drain one’s mental and physicalenergy for them to follow their truecalling.

Eligibility/ CoreCompetencies• Graduate/ Masters

degree in gerontology,philosophy, psychology,engineering, social work,social sciences & otherallied sciences.Certificate courses insocial services

• Good communicationskills (English & Hindi)

• Team player, empathetic,self-motivated, dynamic,courteous, patient

• Ability to work underhigh pressure

Institutes offeringcourses in elder care• Institute of Home

Economics

• National Institute ofSocial Defense

• Tata Institute of SocialSciences, Mumbai

• Indian Institute ofCounselling

• The Indira GandhiNational OpenUniversity (IGNOU)

• Indian Academy ofGeriatrics, Chennai

Remuneration

• Administrative Roles(2,00,000-2,50,000P.A.)

• Executive Roles

(3,50,000-6,50,000P.A.)Candidates withexperience will beconsidered for higherremuneration

So, listen to your heart, believe inyourself, identify your skills and talents,and choose that which will give you joy

Ms. Sonam Chopra is the Chief Happiness Officer at WhenAt60 Solutions Pvt. Ltd.E-mail: [email protected]

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and contentment, even if it meanstaking the road less travelled.

14

DISCUSSION FORUM

Mona Yadav

Problem ofDropout of GirlChildren:A SociologicalInquiry

Education has always been understood as a driver ofeconomic growth of any nation. It has long been viewedas a possible contributor to greater social and economicequality (Smith 1937; Kuznets 1955). Human capital

theory argues that a more equal distribution of schooling in thelabor force tends to equalize worker’s earning capability and,therefore, earning distribution. Education is not only stronglycorrelated with greater employment opportunities, but it alsoenhances an individual’s cognitive abilities and leads to changesin the person’s ideas, perceptions, and attitudes. Schoolingpromotes national development and progress at all levels.

Why is dropout an important issue to study in the context ofschooling? Higher schooling is strongly correlated to higheremployment opportunities, enhancement of cognitive capacities,

and an overall progress at the societal and national level. A studentwho doesn’t complete his school education severely restricts hisearning potential. Such individuals lose out on various opportunitiesthat can help them lead a contended life. Higher rates of unemploymentand lower earnings cost the nation lost production and reduced taxincome (Rumberger, 2001). Lack of schooling leads to problems suchas, unemployment, poverty, poor health, low rates of social andpolitical participation, drug abuse, militancy, etc. Due to these variedreasons dropout is not just a matter of an individual lacking schoolingbut, it’s a problem with deeper social, economic, and politicalconnotations.

Education is to provide security to women, raise their self-esteemand empower them in a way that they can break gender biases. It iswell known that returns from women education are exceptionally


and teaching staff. There’s an additional burden of household choreson the girl child, inadequate nutrition, no access to tuition andthese factors lead to limited achievement. Could these be the reasonswhy girls dropout from higher education or don’t pursue it at all?

A number of studies have shown that difficulties in reaching schoolare a very crucial factor that leads to drop out of the girl child. InU.P., nearly half of the entire population of school girls went toschool outside their village. 21 percent of them complained ofdifficulties in reaching school and lack of appropriate transport(Jetley & Steel, 1993). In another study, Maharastrian girls did notgo to high school; this was particularly after they attained puberty(Lingam, 1993).

Exclusive girl’s schools and women teachers are vital for parents tosend their daughters to school. The underlying belief system thatoperates within the parents’ mind is that their daughters, especiallyadolescent daughters, will be safe in a girl’s school and with femaleteachers. There is immense fear and insecurity towards the girl childonce she reaches puberty. There’s a fear that she might get harassed,molested or raped by the boys en route to the school. The easyassumption that girls are natural care givers combined with fears ofthe sexual vulnerability of girls means that early marriage is still apreferred option among a large percentage of the country’spopulation. The compulsions of early marriage make schooling apoor option (Ramaseshan, 1993).

School going girls are required to combine non-educational activitiesafter school hours with homework and other tasks. The incidenceof girls who help with household chores is much lower among schoolgoing girls than those who dropped out or had never been to school.Further, girls who had dropped out of school complained ofdiscrimination in food, health care, and in time to play and attendsocial events (Nayar, 1995:145). Within the familial factors, the extentof sexual abuse of the girl child within the family could also be areason of dropout of the girl child. But, questions such as, howdoes the private domain within the family influence the educationof the girl child haven’t been explored much in academic studiesthus far.

Mona Yadav is an M.Phil Research Scholar at Jawaharlal NehruUniversity. Email: [email protected]

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high. Women education plays an important role in bringing downinfant mortality rates, improving the nutritional status of thechildren, and overall having a positive impact on child’s health andeducation. Irrespective, of the familial and societal roles, educationof women is instrumental in increasing their employmentopportunities, enhancing their self-esteem, and their becomingempowered individuals of the nation.

Factors affecting girl’s access to schooling, leadingto their dropout- A sociological lensThe structure of the traditional school is based on discipline, stricttimetables, and teaching by rote learning; it is textbook based. Butthe daily school timetables don’t take into account the workpatterns of the households of children coming from rural areas. Itbecomes difficult for a girl child to follow the rigid timetable of theschool because she is supposed to do a number of householdchores before going to and after coming back from school. Thisresults in absenteeism of the girl child from school. Further, theactual content of education can impact the child’s eagerness tolearn and consequently, their academic achievement. Severalstudies have been conducted by the NCERT to analyze the linguisticcontent of school textbooks. The content of textbooks is a powerfulmedium for perpetuation of stereotypes and role models (SuryaKumari, 1984). A general tendency has been found in most textbooksto portray boys as courageous, high achieving and interested inscience and technology. Even though there have been efforts todevelop a gender-sensitive curriculum, the broader question thatarises here is that when a girl child is exposed to learning materialthat is exceedingly biased towards the male children what kind ofimpact does it have on the girl child? What will be her sense oflearning and achievement? Can this kind of exposure be the reasonfor drop out of girl children? This question arises from the implicitunderstanding that such kind of learning is probably propagatedto reinforce the traditional gender norms (such as, males are superiorto females).

Several studies conducted in the various states of India have foundthat there’s a gap in the percentage of girls and boys opting forscience. It has been found that girl’s schools are not alwaysprovided with adequate facilities such as, equipment, laboratories,

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16

Changefor a

CHANGE

STUDENTS SPEAK

I have been quite lucky; I was the firstfemale in my entire extended familywho had got the permission to pursuehigher education after the completion

of school education. Coming from such abackground to a metro city like Delhi wassuch a great experience for me. But havingsaid that, it needs to be stressed that life isnot a bed a roses, it is full of challenges.And my life was no different. The challengethat I was facing in Jamia Millia Islamia wasthat I was unable to mix up with the urban/urbanized crowd here. I had differentopinions, a different perspective on things,and especially the reasons behind mythoughts and opinions were completelydifferent.

I had come to Jamia with the responsibilityto do my best, so that my younger sisterand cousins could also get the opportunityto explore their life as I had. I have alwaysbeen a very confident person, but yet aquestion remained perpetually stuck in mymind: “Am I right?” Am I right in theperspectives I take in looking at life? Am Iright in my opinions and convictions? Iwould like to share some recent experiences

to elaborate on this. A few days back, someof my friends enjoyed their lunch at KFCworth Rs 700. When it comes to me I wouldnever spend such a large amount of moneyon one meal because I know that it is asmuch as a month’s salary of the domestichelp of my house. On the one hand Rs 700mean nothing to us but on the other handthat same amount of money means a lot tosomeone else. What I want to say is thatour day’s expenses are often greater thanthe monthly salary of millions of people inIndia.

Before I narrate another incident, I shouldstate that my shoe size is quite large so Ihave only a single pair of sandals which Iwear wherever I go. It was the day of ourfresher’s party last year and I was wearingthe same pair of sandals. Everyone laughedand said, “At least today you should haveworn a different pair of shoes.” I didn’t feelbad at this, rather I thanked Allah that I waslucky enough to afford a pair of sandalswhen I have seen so many children roamingaround streets, barefoot.

If I change my vision and vantage points

only then I could expect any change inothers. This was evident in my father’sdecision to educate me further after seeingmy confidence and talent. Similarly if wewant to change the present scenario of ourcountry, then we have to start withourselves. Because for a change to occur,we have to be a part of that change. Weyoung citizens should be united to bringout an India which is better than the one inwhich we live now. I would like to concludeby saying that

I have wings,

I am eager to fly.

my dreams deserve an achiever,

that is I.

Soma Perween

Ms. Soma PerweenE-mail: [email protected]

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TEACHERS SPEAK

Padma Prabha Rao

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What is in aNAME?

Well, plenty! It gives us our identity and we usuallydo not like our names mispronounced or misspelt.As teachers, every year we come across manynew students and must make an effort to know,

and more importantly, remembertheir names. It is a sort of first steptowards building a bond betweenthe teacher and the students.

Now, I must confess that I am verypoor at remembering people andtheir names and so I have to makespecial efforts to correctly knowand remember the names of mystudents. I make it a point to findout why they got that particularname and it also opens up topicsfor interesting conversations in theclass instead of just saying, “eachof you introduce yourself.”Sometimes some of the kids don’tknow the meaning of their name orwhy they were christened as such,so I ask them to find out from theirparents the story behind their name.Very often they get the name of their grandparents or get namedaccording to the star of the date and day they were born on.Some names are decided by numerologists in which case theirname may have an extra “a” for instance, or may have a spellingvaried from the way that name is usually spelt. Sometimes thereason behind a name may be very unusual. And sometimes verybeautiful.

I had a student called Aarthi, spelt with a double “a” She said thatboth her parents’ names started with “v” and so when they were

in school, their names were always last during any roll call. So theynamed their daughter Aarathi with a double “a” so that her namewould always be right on top of the list. Another student’s name wasHeramba. He explained getting a rarely used name of Lord Ganesha

saying that his grandfather was chanting the 108 names of Ganeshaand at the time of chanting ‘Heramba’ the telephone rang to announcehis birth and thus the name. Pushpa’s parents came from differentreligious backgrounds and they wanted to give a neutral name to theirdaughter and so this name. This exercise of finding the origin ofstudents’ names helps the teacher in remembering their names easilyand quickly. Also, it is a good exercise to strengthen the bond betweenthe students and the teacher.

18

TIPS FOR PARENTS

Beyond theExamination

Fever

Dr. Sweta Singh Rathore

It is the end of February; examinationfever has gripped students and alsomost of my friends. And as I mull overthe possible directions that this article

may take, I take the full circle and come tothe same spot- exam times.

Some anxiety related to children’sexamination is a natural part of parenting.However, if one is captive to inordinatestress then it certainly is not justifiable. Ifwe think rationally, it is easy to concludethat the purpose of assessment is to providefeedback on students’ learning and not toarrive at a certain mark or percentage or rank.It is also prudent to remember that academicsuccess alone does not ensure success incareer or even happiness in life. Theeducative process that builds skills andvalues of hard work, honesty, persistence,social skills, communication, problemsolving abilities, etc. are far more important.Finally, one must remember that parentalanxiety affects the child. In the face of theabove argument it is advised that parentsthink rationally, allay their stress/anxiety,and explore ways to constructively supporttheir children.

Moving forward, I have tried to addresssome common concerns pertaining tolearning and presented strategies toovercome them.

The attentive learnerParents are often heard complaining thattheir child ‘does not study for long hours’

or is ‘incapable of sitting focused forsubstantial periods’. If we look at the worldof neuroscience, it becomes clear that theability to remain attentive depends on a largedegree to the physiology of the brain itself.Certain neurotransmitters control attentionwithin the brain and they fluctuateperiodically. So the brain cannot work forlong periods with focused or concentratedattention. Sitting focused and studying forhours on end may not be under the child’scontrol. It is natural for your child to losefocus or ‘tune out’ after a certain period.Instead of getting upset at the inability ofchildren to spend long hours studying,parents should remember that short breaksare necessary for the child. It is suggestedthat the child takes a break after every 20minutes of study time. This break time may

be of a few minutes only but it will definitelyhelp the learner to refresh and then refocus.

The Self directed learnerSome parents are concerned that the childdoes not take initiative and is at a loss if leftalone to manage his/her studies. Thisconcern is valid and efforts toward makingthe learner self-directed must beconsciously taken.

Students who develop a sense ofresponsibility for their own learning areprepared to master rigorous academiccontent, think critically and collaborateproductively1. Empirical researches reportthat the self-regulated learners use somespecific strategies2. As parents you shouldencourage your children to follow similarstrategies.

• Guiding learners to prepare andstructure an effective learningenvironment

The environment presents a number ofdistractions to our children. Theymaybe in the form of television, radio,internet, distractions from siblings/peers or even the random doorbell. It isimportant for the child to understand‘when’ and ‘where’ he/she learns best,and accordingly structure anenvironment which is quiet, comfortable,and has minimum distractions. Asevident, parents play a significant rolein helping the child structure such anenvironment.


• Organizing material

This involves understanding,transforming, and altering instructionalmaterial/content and is an inherent partof effective learning. Learners who areadept in this study skill use multiplemodes to do so. Some create concept-maps or mind-maps* to comprehend thecurricular concepts. Others make notes,outlines, and overviews to structure thematerial. It has been reported that thesetechniques promote assimilation andcomprehension in learners. You shouldadvise your child to actively engagewith the curricular topics by organizingand reorganizing the material whilestudying. Graphical tools like mind mapshelp in reviewing and retaining theconcepts further.

• Monitoring learning

It has been documented that promptingstudents to keep records helps inimproving their learning, motivation, andself-efficacy3. Setting goals and keepingrecords of one’s small milestones andachievements is a good way to keeptrack of progress and also staymotivated. A record, as small as thenumber of times the learner picks up asubject in a week that he/she findsdifficult may bring forth a realization ifhe/she is unconsciously ignoring it.

• Evaluating progress

Evaluation of the work being done is a

step towards becoming self-directed.This involves a comparison of theoutcomes with some predeterminedstandards/set goals. The skills to selfevaluate objectively have to bedeveloped over a period of time. Parentsmay help the child by giving elaboratefeedback on the work done by the child.Feedback is effective when concrete andrealistic suggestions are given towardgoals and hence it is advised thatparents give feedback only afterspending due time on the child’s work.Discussing the work with the child willmotivate him/her too.

The healthy learnerAs students get preparation leave to studyat home, chances of their earlier set patternsand schedule going haywire increase.Irregular meals, unhealthy snacking, andmissed breakfasts are common as thepressure to devote more time on studiesincreases. These practices affect thecapacity to work as well as long term health.Parents can help children to maintain regularpatterns of eating in the house. It isimportant to ensure that breakfasts are notskipped. It is also suggested that thechildren be encouraged to eat a morehealthy diet by serving them a wide variety

of fruits and vegetables. This strategywould provide an array of nutrients.Further, limiting the intake of juices that areloaded with empty calories of sugar, coffee,and fast-food is also advised.

To conclude, I am sure each one of youtries to make this exam time easy for thechildren. I still associate my exams withkheeras, kakdis, and kharbujas as mymother’s way of keeping us healthy andattentive. The suggestions provided aboveare gleaned from the body of research incognitive psychology and would help inmaking your child an effective learner.

* Mind-maps are visual tools that helpone to map concepts/sub-concepts in acreative manner by using colours,sketches, words, or even phrases. Theyare a compact way of presenting linkedconcepts that may be hierarchical.

For more information, the reader may referto the following website:

h t t p : / / w w w . a d e l a i d e . e d u . a u /w r i t i n g c e n t r e / l e a r n i n g _ g u i d e s /learningGuide_mindMapping.pdf

References:

1. Martinez, M., & McGrath, D. (2013).How can schools develop selfdirected learners? The Phi DeltaKappa, 95(2), 23-27.

2. Ley, K., & Young, D. (2001).Instructional principles for self-regulation. Educational TechnologyResearch and Development, 49(2). 93-103.

3. Zimmerman, B. (1989). A socialcognitive view of self-regulatedacademic learning. Journal ofEducational Psychology, 81, 329-339.

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Dr. Shweta Singh Rathore, Joint Director, CBSEe-mail: [email protected]

20

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Shilpa Rimal

FlyI was just too excited the whole day

about this flight. It was probably oneof the most awaited moments of mylife. I packed my bags and got my

uniform in place and was all set. It was alate night flight, so I was supposed to restthe entire day before the flight, but sleepingwas the last thing I wanted to do. Finally,my dream of flying was coming true andthat too to a place I had always dreamt ofseeing, New York.

So with butterflies in my stomach I was nowready to fly my career to a new height. Allthrough this time I too had doubts in mymind regarding my decision. There werenever ending ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’. But that daywhen I put on my uniform and later stood40,000 feet above sea level looking out at

the clouds and a completely different world,I knew that this is what I wanted for the restof my career.

If you too are a travel addict and want toexperience the different colors of the globe;if the skies fascinate you and an airplaneinterests you; if you want to start your daywhile most of the world is busy snoring; ifyou can smile in the worst case scenariosand meeting new people from all walks oflife is something that you find exciting; andfinally if the normal is boring to you, thenyou too my friend have a hidden bird inyou waiting to soar the skies.

Welcome to the mesmerizing andexceedingly fascinating world of aviation,one of the most popular and sought afterdivisions of the service industry. To be a

part of the Ground Handling Team, you needto be a graduate at the least; a diploma orcertificate course in aviation would be anadded advantage. The recruitment interviewis very competitive and high confidence inyourself is usually a critical deciding factor.To become a pilot you have to undergo aCommercial Pilot Training and the get aCommercial Pilot License (CPL) and thenlater qualify an exam, including interviews,with commercial airlines. These commercialairlines will then provide training to theselected candidates on their own airplanes.

The most popular part of Aviation howeveris the Cabin Crew. In order to be a part ofthe Cabin Crew you would have to prepareyourself well ahead of time. The Cabin Crewselection process is an extremely detailedone, starting from your height/weightproportion, to skin check, to communicationskills and personality, everything is crucial.Although the job looks exclusively

You Can


glamorous from the outside, it is just asdemanding and disciplined from the inside.Apart from all the glamour, it involves a lotof knowledge and study. The good news isthat with so many new airlines coming up,the market has a lot of opportunities forCabin Crew now. Domestic Airlines like JetAirways, Air India, Indigo, Spice Jet andothers require female/male candidates to beat least18 years of age. There isn’t a specificcourse that one needs to undergo to becomea part of the Cabin Crew. People fromdifferent industries can qualify for this job,provided they fulfill all the requirements.The candidates are checked on their heightand weight, grooming, confidence, andinterpersonal and communication skills. Anexperience in the hotel industry or anycustomer service industry is an add on. Theselection process includes 4-5 rounds ofpersonal interviews, group discussions, andpersonality tests.

Since Cabin Crew is the face of any airline, aflawless complexion which is free of tattoos,scars and marks is a must. Once you clearall of these the next level is the medical tests.The importance of airline staff to bemedically fit cannot be stressed enough,since they need to ensure the safety ofothers and self. Then comes the initialtraining. A future Cabin Crew undergoes anextensive training for 3 months. They aretaught various duties and responsibilitiesof a Cabin Crew. Topics like safety andemergency procedures, first aid, food andbeverage, and above all, security are ofprime importance. Successful completion ofall of these now gives you the wings to fly.As a Cabin Crew you have to live up to theairline standards and hence constanttrainings, audits, and checks are carried outfor your license validation. For internationalairlines the training is much more rigorousand so are the expectations.

Becoming a Cabin Crew opens a whole newworld of possibilities and opportunities.Flying is an addiction people say, and Iwould say that it is an exacting description.At the beginning of one’s flying career, theyoperate in the economy section of the

aircraft. With time, experience, andpromotions they take over the business andfirst class. More experience eventually leadsyou to become a supervisor and take chargeof the entire flight. As a supervisor, theresponsibility of all the crew and passengersis then their domain.

In the later stages, flying gives you theopportunity to train future Cabin Crew.Safety and emergency, cabin service, andfirst-aid are some areas of training. You canalso become an auditor and conduct checksin flights. Management and administrationis another lucrative area. You can also be apart of flight operations, standards andprocedures, grooming, and many more otherdepartments. Major international airlineslike Qatar Airways, Emirates, Lufthansa,British Airways, Qantas, Air Canada,American Airlines, Virgin Airlines, and manymore have a variety of sub-departments towork for.

Flying demands a lot of dedication, hardwork, and responsibility-taking and at timesrequires you to be a doctor, fireman, nurse,nanny, policeman, spokesperson, teacheror whatever role the particular situationcalls you to take on. Flying changes you asa person; it leaves you smitten with thebeauty of the world, makes you thinkbeyond the borders of the countries andthe mental inhibitions, prejudices, andstereotypes we all possess as humanbeings. The important part however is thatif you can live up to the expectations ofthis profession then you can be assured toend up as the possessor of unforgettablememories, innumerable perks, novelexperiences, and of course free travelaround the world.

So for all those aspiring to a career inaviation, welcome to a world above theordinary. Welcome aboard!

Ms. Shilpa Rimal is a Cabin Crew with Qatar AirwaysE-mail: [email protected]

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CLASSROOM INNOVATIONS

Integral Education:A Contemplative,Transformative andTranspersonalApproach

Need for Integral EducationCritically speaking, the world seems to bein a state of crisis! The child is born in asociety which is defined by complexities andconflicts in every sphere of life – kinfolks,politics, business, religion, caste and class,etc. From this disappointing stance,education seems to be a promising redeemerwhich asserts holistic development of thechildren through experiential learning.However, it is dismaying that the currentscenario of the education system appearsto emulate an industrial mindset. Knowinglyor unknowingly, many educational

institutions and educators perpetuatepractices of conformity, orthodoxy,d i s e m p o w e r m e n t ,oppression, and lifealienating thoughtforms. In order toempower andliberate theminds of thechildren andfacilitate ad e m o c r a t i csociety, ap r u d e n te d u c a t i o n a l

design based on the ideals of self-determination,open mindedness, equality, freedom, and justiceis requisite.

What is Integral Education?In the teachings on education by Sri Aurobindoand the Mother, Integral Education or FreeProgress System emerges out as a viablesolution to the concerns of contemporaryeducational system. Sri Aurobindo focused onthe transformation and divinization of the childin a manner where the ignorance and sufferingof human beings are transformed into an infiniteexistence of mind, life and body that is inwardlyunited with the Divine and outwardly expressedas a holistic self. The Mother believed thatcomplete education can never be achievedthrough academic excellence alone. It shouldencompass five fundamental aspects of humanbeing - the physical, the vital, the mental, thepsychic, and the spiritual.

Integral Education proliferates that eachchild is a soul in the journey of evolution

and already has the knowledge.Moving away from mere information

and skills acquisition, itemphasizes on the self-development of the childtriggered from within andfurther nurtured by teachersand parents. The basic aim isto facilitate the child onbecoming the ‘whole’ or‘integrated’ being that he is

Aakanksha Bhatia

Everyone has in him something divine, something his own,a chance of perfection and strength in however small a

sphere which God offers him to take or refuse. The task isto find it, develop it and use it. The chief aim of educationshould be to help the growing soul to draw out that in itself

which is best and make it perfect for a noble use.

– Sri Aurobindo

24

meant to be by integrating surroundings,society, country, and humanity with his trueself.

Sri Aurobindo outlines the three principlesof education that can preside over all truelearning. The following three principles areassisted by two processes of nature whichare: insatiable curiosity, and spontaneousimitation and hero worship.

1. Nothing can be taught:

Since each child is a soul in evolution,the proper role of an educator is not toimpart knowledge but to guide thestudents in acquiring knowledge forthemselves. The true knowledge comesfrom within and can’t be obtained fromacquiring outside information.However, the provision of externalresources along with an enriching andstimulating environment helps toawaken the individual to his/her latentpotentialities.

2. Consult the mind in its growth:

Every child has a unique dharma, aDivine given duty and talent and it isthe educator’s responsibility to helpthe students identify these innateabilities, predispositions and interests,and to further cultivate them.Educators must not impose anyarbitrary set of ideas, knowledge,qualities or capacities determined byothers as it deflects them from theirnatural developmental trajectory andestrange them from their souls leadingthem in wrong directions.

3. From the near to the far:

The child must be taught in a waywhere the knowledge grows from thesenses to more abstract faculties.Individuals must be guided from whatis already known, accomplished andestablished to the outer extensionsthat are within their reach but are yetunrealized and undeveloped.

Progressive PedagogicalPrinciplesThough the possibilities for the enrichmentof the educational process through thecreative application of integral principlesare endless, following are some progressivepedagogical guidelines which can enhancethe teaching and learning process.

• Acknowledge Multiple Intelligences:The internal source of reality is thePsychic Being whose external focal pointis the idiosyncratic Intellect. Dependingupon the diverse learning styles andvarying strength of mental faculties,each student has their own path tolearning. All intelligence must beacknowledged and nurtured as it isessentially one. Development of onekind of intelligence possibly assists inthe development of the other forms ofintelligence.

• Individuality and Human Potential: Eachchild is unique and has something


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different to offer to the classroom andthe world. Treat and respect each oneof them as unique individuals. Adopt apersonalized approach tailoredspecifically according to their needs andtalents. Encourage the child to progressat his/her pace without any comparisonor competition. Educators can designsome exercises which could take the formof extra challenges, special creativeexercises, extra classes or programs thatsuit their needs.

• Involvement of Children: Educatorsmust actively involve children asimperative contributors in their journeyof self-development. More freedom,choice and power should be placed withthe students in terms of what and howthey want to learn. Educators mustattempt to relinquish the role of “sageson the stage” to become “guides on theside”.

• Friendly Atmosphere and EthicalClassroom: Holistic development ofchildren can be exquisitely undertakenby nourishing them in a non-threatening, serene and naturalenvironment. Classroom is the learninglaboratory for life and hence mustencourage compassion, sensitivity,care, respect, dialog, and self-discipline.It should model community building andquality relationships.

• Self-evaluation as a Pathway forLifelong Learning: Emphasize oncultivating introspection and self-reflection in students so that theybecome conscious and aware of theircognitive faculties, and understandvalues at a deeper level. This will initiatea lifelong learning process as skills likeinnovation, expertise, wisdom, andleadership develop and deepen overadult years.

• Meta-learning: Encourage children to“learn how to learn”, “think aboutthinking” (metacognition), andunderstand the nature and limits of

knowing (epistemology). Educationshould fortify the learner’s ability tomonitor, reflect and choose theappropriate problem solving strategiesfor paramount outcomes.

• Awakening creativity: In today’scomplex modern world, success requirescreativity which includes consideringmultiple perspectives, hypotheses, oralternate solutions and not pledgingrigidly and swiftly to any single way.Students must be encouraged to brackettheir logical minds and open to otherforms of intelligence as and whenrequired.

• Culturing of Emotional Wisdom: TheMother emphasized on education of the‘vital’ and suggested that it shouldcommence at an early age. In additionto teaching children to observe theirown impulses, reactions, desires, andtheir causes; observing others,accurately interpreting others’ feelingsand influencing others’ emotionsthrough one’s own emotions arefundamental to one’s emotional wisdom.Educators must introduce their learnersto the rich legacy of human emotionsthat are exhibited in poetry, music, art,and literature.

• Sensitize with Music: Music is not onlyone of the joys of life but can also beone of the joys of learning. With theeffective use of music, educators cancreate a desired atmosphere andestablish a positive learning state inorder to accentuate learning activities.Music facilitates a multisensory learningexperience that can enhance attention,memory, and imagination, developrapport, align groups, and inspirestudents.

Ms. Aakanksha Bhatia is a Ph.D. Research Scholar at the Department of Psychology,University of Delhi.E-mail: [email protected]

• From ‘concrete’ to ‘abstract’: Till theage of around twelve, the child’s mindis hardly open to any abstract notions,ideas or concepts. Educators can stillteach them using concrete images,symbols and fables. A narrative, story,enactment of situations, introspection,collective games, etc. can be moreimpactful than any number of theoreticalexplanations.

• Pedagogy for Authentic Learning:Most authentic learning happens insocial contexts, and often through peertutoring, apprenticeship or mentoringrelationships, and collaborativelearning. Encourage learning by doing,case based learning, situated learning,discovery learning, and inquirylearning. Learning inspired fromcuriosity and personal engagement isfar superior and in depth than rotememorization.

Educators following the integral pedagogymake a conscious effort to balance the innerrealities (visions, feelings, values,motivations, relationships) and the outerrealities (action, measurement, physicalhealth, infrastructure etc.) of their learners.They give themselves as much freedom todevelop as they give to their learners.

ConclusionThe integral approach to educationaddresses many aspects of being a humanincluding spiritual growth, flowering ofhuman potential, and evolution of themeaning-making capacity. The thoughtful,introspective, and transformative learningexperiences tend to shape the learners intoresponsible and sensitive global citizens.

26

3500 teachers successfully trainedin CCE through Multimedia

More than 3,500 teachers have been trained through multimediatraining in CCE. The multimedia training kit was developed by ETMAin continuous consultation with the innovators in the CBSE. It wasduly evaluated by a group of experts appointed by the CBSE. It wascommended and approved by CBSE as a 5-day equivalent of face-to-face training program that does not require a face-to-face interaction.

As CBSE introduced CCE, ETMA innovated on training of teachersto make training authentic, uniform, high-quality, ICT assisted andyet at affordable cost. An apprehension loomed large among schoolheads whether teachers can be actually trained through a multimediawithout a human trainer. To test out, ETMA launched a pilot projectinvolving 50 Kendriya Vidyalayas and 20 private schools. Criteria forassessing programme effectiveness were learning outcome measuredby take home ideas, concepts and practices by the teachers. Successis overwhelming.

The net countable benefits were high quality training at the hands ofthe best of experts (in virtual environment), uniformity of content andtransaction across schools, coverage of 2500 teachers in less than amonth because schools ran the programme parallel during the sametime. And above all, each school saved a lot of their staff developmentfunds, because the multimedia training cost less than 20% of the costof face-to-face training.

ETMA NewsETMA’s New PublicationIndian Education: ADevelopmental Discourse

India has come a long waysince independence. Sheinherited more than 81%illiterate population in 1947with skeletal institutionalframework and wide spreadpoverty. With massiveexpansion at all levels ofeducation, she hassignificantly advancedaccess to education for varylarge mass of people. Withseveral schemes andprogrammes for the

educationally deprived people in the country coupled withenlarged institutional network, India has enhanced equity.Quality continues to be a serious concern in mass educationthough there are islands of quality that matches globalstandards. In such an arduous journey through the difficultterrains of educational development, there is a need to countthe milestones – where have we arrived, and how far to go.This book is the third effort by the editors in this directionsince 1997.

The book presents a Developmental Discourse on IndianEducation in 17 chapters. Chapters cover multi authordiscourses on elementary, secondary, higher and distanceeducation. With an expanded concept of inclusion, the bookalso deals with adult education, education of the disabled,women’s education and training of youth. It also brings indiscourses on ICT in Education and a case study oneducational reforms initiatives in Gujarat. The chapters havebeen contributed by 21 distinguished scholars andspecialists in their own respective fields. Some of them havegiven involved in shaping India’s policies and programmesin education themselves. Multiple authors on the same themehave given the flair of symposia in print.

The book has been edited by Prof. Marmar Mukhopadhyayand Prof. Madhu Parhar. It has been published jointly byETMA and Shipra Publications in New Delhi in 2015.

[Copies are available from Shipra Publications]


Low Cost Video Programmes forLow Budget Schools

A team in ETMA is working on a project, developing video for low budgetschools. The videos are being developed with a well scripted audio withslides and video clippings. Necessity is the mother of invention. How true itis! ETMA has decided to setup a high quality school for the deprived ruralchildren in its worksite in rural Howrah. It plans develop it as a K to12 schoolto be affiliated to CBSE. It has, hence, to be an English medium school. In ruralareas, it’s difficult to find science and maths teachers especially those whocan transact curriculum through English. ETMA decided to fill this gap bycreating video. First set of videos are on Environmental Studies curriculum.In 12 to 15 minutes, these videos would cover the basic concepts and contentsof the syllabus. Teachers will use this video and build on it with different setof activities and interactions with students. These educational videos can bea boon to a large number of Low-Budget Schools dotting the landscape of thecountry that also lack resources for quality education like ETMA’s rural school.

Employability Skills ofTeachers: Study

ETMA is currently engaged in an all India studyon employability skills of teachers. The study willbe carried out on about 4000 teachers from 20districts spread over 10 States of five regions ofIndia, namely Eastern, Northern, North-Eastern,Southern and Western regions. In the form ofcollaborative research project, research teamcomprises a senior professional each of theselected states. Based on detailed analysis ofavailable list of life skills and employability skills,ETMA identified a set of 11 skills. It is currentlyworking on developing an instrument for measuringthe skills. Project has been sanctioned by ICSSR.

Study of Primary SchoolEffectiveness(Sponsored by BEI)

ETMA undertook a study on school effectiveness on the 28 primaryschools covered under SIP. The parameters of School Effectivenesswere chosen to be

1. Students’ (grade IV) Reading and Writing Skills in Bengali (motherTongue) and English;

2. Students’ Academic Achievement in Bengali, English,Environmental Studies, Mathematics and General Knowledge.

3. School Cleanliness (HRTF started Swachchha Vidyalaya as earlyas in 1998);

4. Student Dropout; and

5. Students’ School Attendance.

Data were also collected on enrolment, number of teachers,classrooms, kitchen, toilets for girls and boys, playground, teachinglearning materials, etc.

Based on this study, top three schools were given certificates ofperformance.

The study was conducted by Prof. Marmar Mukhopadhyay withthe help of a team in Udang. ETMA-HRTF propose such study tobe done annually.

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ETMA World SchoolETMA is setting up India’s First High Quality PublicSchool for Deprived Rural Children. Rural children areas talented as those in the urban areas. In absence ofaccess to high quality education (HQE), a large majorityof them lose out in life. HQE helps optimizing talents toperform as well in life. As citizens of India they deserveHQE. More than 70% students are from rural areas.Because of lack of opportunity of HQE, the country isdeprived of 70% talent pool in the rural children. HQEwill contribute larger mass of high quality manpowernecessary for national development.

ETMA-HRTF is engaged for more than 20-years inarresting primary school dropout and improving qualityof primary education in rural Howrah. Less than 4%dropout in its project site is best in the country. Theproject has been evaluated by TISS, Mumbai, andflagged by Government of India at the HLG Meeting inBrazil. ETMA-HRTF runs a pilot high quality K-5 schoolin the same rural area. The learning outcome of studentshave been commended by visiting teams of experts fromIndia including state government and abroad. Thepedagogy is characterised by “No Teaching”. Its mottois “Discovering Knowledge and Inventing Solution”.Students learn computers, music, sports, dance, Yogabesides the usual subjects.

In this school, teachers are assessed on the basis ofaverage scores of students’ in each subject; and noteacher scores less than 80%. Teachers are trainedthrough practical experiences and experiments, andthrough video conferences. The school currently houses100 students from the local villages. School is housed ina 3-Hall all weather building of Howrah Rural Teachers’Forum in Udang. The nursery section is housed inanother all-weather Hall inside a children’s park in thevillage. School is well equipped with ICT facilitiesincluding laptops and net-books and printers, internetconnectivity, LCD projector, video and still cameras,duplicating machine, lamination, etc.

Poor students are provided free education; others paynominal fees for the high quality education. It costsapproximately Rs.12000/- per year for a student. Personsinterested in education of the poor children are welcometo contribute for scholarships. Donations to ETMA areexempted from Income Tax under 80G of IT Act.

Science throughExperimentation

Science education and quality scientific manpower is key tonational development. However, science education continues tobe the weakest link in Indian education. Share of students inscience in higher education is only 22%; annual enrolment isapproximately 14% - 7% in case of West Bengal. This smallenrolment in science education can be accounted to weak scienceeducation at the school level. Further, science is taught in thesame manner as history is taught – reading out from textbookand paraphrasing and explaining them.

The agenda of Science through Experimentation is to encouragestudents to discover scientific knowledge and invent solutions.Primary teachers (#116) teaching in 28 SIP village primary schoolscreated a list of experiments to be conducted by students ingrades 3 & 4. They also identified the equipments and materialsrequired for the experiments. Each school has been providedwith all the equipments and materials identified by the teachers.Though science is not a subject in primary schools, sciencethrough experimentation has been accommodated in the schooltime table. Students are greatly enthusiastic about the experiments.In some schools, parents turn up to watch the experiments beingdone by their children. All in all, there is a great enthusiasmamong teachers and students.


Selected works ofProf. Amlan Dutta

ETMA has been collaboratedwith Divya JeevanFoundation in publication offirst two Volumes of AmlanDatta Books. So we are verygrateful with collaboratingwith Dr. B.B. Dutta, ChairmanDivya Jeevan Foundation tocontributing in this projectfor publication of nextVolumes of Prof. Amlna DattaBooks and articles again. Ourfellow apprentice Ms. ShardaBhattacharya is engaged in

this book project by Prof. Amlan Datta. Her responsibilitieswere to get the manuscript ready; get page making done andthen handover to Sabyasachi for printing and productionwork which is going to be done by Shipra Publications Pvt.Ltd. She does the classification and collection of articles,speeches of Prof. Amlan Datta in Universities and papersfrom Visva-Bharati University, located in Santiniketan, WestBengal for the remaining three Volumes which are going to bepublish soon and also first two Volumes are going to beprinted again with some new changes or add-on.

YNG Mediacollaborating in WebSkill developmentIn the highly specialized and explosively growing field of theWeb, it becomes increasingly difficult to objectively quantifypeople’s skills. The Web has opened up a new avenue forcreative and multimedia specialists, all with a unique set ofskills. Therefore, YNG Media Pvt. Ltd. is helping ETMA inweb skill development of Ms. Shrada Bhattacharya throughcollaboration, so that she can help ETMA to share its ideas inthe virtual community and fulfil its social needs.

ETMA works on 5 strands, namely, Research and Developmentand Innovation; Capacity Building of Educational Personnel;Consulting; Conferences and seminars; Publication andDissemination; and Outreach Programme for deprived Children(Educating the 3rd Child and High Quality Education forDeprived Rural Children). The objective of this collaborationis to accurately determine our social needs so that peoplecome to know about ETMA’s Researches, Projects,Publications and People contributing to Indian Education andits development. The collaboration is also for enliveningETMA’s Website; to make it alive and active and Sharda isworking as a bridge between these two organizations for it

ETMA is a non- government, non-profit registered Trust Institution working in technical and management education, higher,school and vocational education. ETMA pioneers in research and development in education; helps and advices governmentson educational policies and reforms agenda; collaborates with private enterprises in establishing and managing educationalinstitutions and quality management; offers capacity building programmes to management, principals, teachers and non-teaching staff; and offers life skill programmes to students.

Educational Technology andManagement Academy (ETMA)

Vision: Pioneering innovations for improving quality of education at all levels

Mission: ETMA's Mission is to create a synergy between latest developments in science ofeducation and leaning with culturally embedded modern management. ETMA isQuality Focused, Research-Based, and a Creative Spirited Institution.

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Educational Technology and Management AcademyGurgaon, Haryana

Round Table-cum-Short Seminar onGen-Nxt ICT IN Education:Implications for Schools and

CollegesDate: 5th May, 2015Time: 3pm to 6pm

DELNET, JNU Campus, Nelson Mandela RoadVasant Kunj, New Delhi

There are very fast and serious developments in ICT that are changing the known face ofICT in social transactions and education. Large number of educational apps that studentsare already ccessing, learning analytics, virtual libraries, online learning, MOOCs and OERs,educational software repositories and OERs, etc. are already knocking at the doors.

Moot questions are how would students prefer to learn? What shape would learningassessment take? How would students’ talents be identified and nurtured? How would alibrary look like? What will be the implications for teacher preparation? How would schoolsand colleges absorb the current and future shock and be resilient to the developments.These are the issues for short seminar by experts followed by Roundtable by Heads ofSchools and Colleges.

Seminar Facilitators and Participants1. Manish Gupta, Vice-President, Xerox Research Centre India, Bangalore2. H. K. Kaul, Director, DELNET, New Delhi3. Sangeeta Kaul, DELNET, New Delhi4. MM Pant, Member, ETMA Council, Gurgaon5. K. Srinivas, NUEPA, New Delhi6. Dharam Parkash, ETMA Gurgaon (Retd. Prof. CIET, New Delhi)7. Mamar Mukhopadhyay, ETMA8. Indu Khetarpal, Principal, SPS, Rajinder Nagar9. Anita Makkar, Director, HDFC Schools, Gurgaon10. Rupa Chakrvarty, Principal, Suncity World School, Gurgaon11. Shashi Banerjee, Principal, Shiv Nadar School, NOIDA

Upcoming ETMA Seminar and Conference

InternationalConference on:LearningEfficiency andEffectivenessEmerging Scienceof HumanLearningEducational Technology andManagement Academy (ETMA)was supposed to do anInternational Conference on:Learning Efficiency andEffectiveness Emerging Scienceof Human Learning (ICLEE)February 2015 in Raipur. But,because of some possible reasonETMA had postponed theconference, which will now heldon last quarter of 2015.

Seminar on:Women Leadersin EducationTo generate a discourse onwomen’s leadership in educationwhen women are outnumberingmen in school leadership

Date: 5 - 6 October, 2015(Tentative)

Venue: Delhi-NCR(To be decided)

Back

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Educational Technology and Management AcademyT-6/1701, Valley View Estate, Gurgaon-Faridabad Road, Gurgaon - 122001

Tele-Fax. 0124-2588559 e-mail: [email protected] website: www.etma-india.in

ETMA CouncilETMA Council

Prof. Marmar Mukhopadhyay (Chairman, ETMACouncil): Former Director of NIEPA, Chairman ofCABE Subcommittee on School Education;consulted by UNICEF, UNESCO, USAID, BritishCouncil, INTEL, Microsoft, etc. Marmar trainedprincipals and teachers from India and abroad. Hisbooks on Leadership and TQM enjoy globalreadership.

Dr. (Mrs.) Kailash Khanna (Chairperson, ETMATrust): She was head of Department of Education,Lady Irwin college, Delhi University; regularlyconsulted by CBSE, NIOS, IGNOU and others.Kailash is a reputed teacher educator.

Sri Amit Kaushik (Vice-Chairman, ETMA Council):Amit is an independent consultant and formerDirector in the MHRD (GOI). He has been consultedby UNICEF and UNESCO. He has been involvedin Indian educational policy making. He has ledseveral school networks.

Prof. Madhu Parhar (Founder Member, ETMATrust): Professor of Distance Education, IGNOU.She has been consulted by UNESCO, CEMCA,NIOS, CIET-NCERT and many other organizations.One of the reputed instructional design scientistsin India. Madhu offered many training programmeson IT Skills and ICT integrated education.

Dr. Indu Khetarpal (Member, ETMA Trust):Principal of Salwan Public School, Rajinder Nagarand Secretary, Salwan Education Trust. She is aNational Award winning teacher. Indu hasaddressed many learned gatherings in variouscountries in the world.

Prof. Satish Kalra: Professor at InternationalManagement Institute (earlier with MDI, IIMLucknow) is a thought leader in management; andconsultant to many corporate and businessorganizations. Satish has been seriously engagedin capacity building of principals.

Prof. M.M. Pant: Founder of PlanetEdu and formerPro-Vice Chancellor of IGNOU, Pant is an informationscientist of distinction; he has been involved inseveral ICT Policy initiatives in India. His passion iseducation of the Facebook Genration.

Prof. V. S. Raju: Former Director of IIT, Delhi andProfessor and Dean at the IIT, Madras, Rajuspecialises in Civil Engineering and consulting in Geo-technical engineering. Associated with several socialorganizations, Raju has deep engagement in socialactivities.

Prof. Abad Ahmad: Chair Professor of RA Kidwai Chair,Centre for Management Studies in JMI; He was Deanof the FMS, University of Delhi. A reputedmanagement trainer and author, Abad is consultedby BHEL, NTPC, ITC, ONGC, Hughes Software, etc.

Prof. Jaya Indiresan: Former Head (Higher Education)in NIEPA. An author and management trainer, Jayaspearheaded the project on Women Managers inEducation; and trained large number of principals fromschools and colleges. She has been consulted bymany institutions and organization.

Dr. Rajesh Acharya: A distinguished Neurosurgeon,he is a Professor and Senior Consultant at Sir GangaRam Institute of Post-graduate Medical Education andResearch, New Delhi. He has published severalresearch papers in various international journals.

Dr. Subhash Chandra: Assistant Professor, LadyIrwin College, Delhi. Subhash is a teacher educatorwith specialization in Educational Technology andInclusive Education. He is actively engaged in variousprojects of UNESCO, MHRD, CBSE and others.

Sri Amitava Ghosh: A practicing management andleadership specialist, Amitava is Principal of BVB'sR.K. Sarda Vidya Mandir, Raipur. He has rich experienceof teaching and management in Chinmaya Vidyalaya,Lawrence School, Sanawar, Vidya Devi JindalSchools.

cover story problem of dropout of girl children: a ... e-magazine march 2015 with link.pdfproblem of...

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