The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Trainee teachers set to make a difference in early education

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 22, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Trainee teachers set to make a difference in early education

Staff Reporter

Methods used in Indian schools at least 20 years out of date, says expert

`I LIKE WHAT I SEE': Children check out the exhibits at a convocation of a teacher training course held on Tuesday. — Photo: S. Thanthoni

CHENNAI: There was a bit of a role reversal here on Tuesday. Instead of teachers going through their students' work, a few children were flipping through scrapbooks that teachers had prepared as part of an early childhood training programme.

At the convocation ceremony of four Montessori, Kindergarten and Nursery Training Centres run by A. Jayaveerapandian, bright exhibits greeted visitors.

On display were attractively coloured alphabets, building blocks and books with pictures of birds and animals. The trainee teachers had learned various methods of teaching, early childhood, child psychology, school administration and language and communication during the nine-month diploma course.

They also got hands-on training and made birds out of square sheets of paper, designed the letter `A' with grainy sand and learned rhymes.

Outdated techniques

In her keynote address, veteran educator Prema Daniel urged mid-career teachers to grow professionally by attending workshops, browsing the internet and reading journals. Early school education techniques in India were at least 20 years behind what developed countries were following. Highlighting the importance of training, she said that only teachers educated in child development would raise the standard of childcare. "Teachers are the single-most important factor in the young child's school experience," she added.

Nearly 500 students received diplomas from the four institutes: Vivekodaya in Royapettah, St. Mary's Maria in Adyar, International on R.K. Salai and Virugambakkam's Sri Venkateswara Montessori, Kindergarten and Nursery Teachers Training Centres. The former vice-chancellor of the MGR Medical University, B.P. Rajan, gave away the diplomas.

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