GROOMING THEM: The Montessori movement aims at helping children build a healthy personality through independence and spirit of enquiry. — Photo: G. Moorthy

BANGALORE: "The child needs no help, no intervention, only an occasional guidance. `Help me to help myself,' the child pleads. Thus every useless help is an obstacle to his development."

This apt statement by Maria Montessori reflects the child-centric feature of the Montessori system, which has spread its network across the country.

To celebrate 100 years of the first `House of Children' where this system was introduced, the Indian Montessori Centre has arranged the "Montessori Congress 2007" at the city's J.N. Tata Auditorium from January 5 to 7.

First, the basics. The Montessori movement aims to help children attain their full potential, building a healthy personality through independence, inner discipline and a spirit of enquiry.

Through her scientific observations of children, the movement pioneer Maria Montessori found ways to stimulate their thinking and keep them occupied with meaningful activities. She learnt that children had an amazing ability to focus on a task for a long period of time and that they loved learning.

During World War II, she lived in India and Sri Lanka, training educators and supporting the development of Montessori schools throughout the region. Her theories have withstood the test of time as current research continues to confirm her concepts.

The first Casa Dei Bambini (House of Children) was started on January 6, 1907, by Maria Montessori for a group of young, unruly children living in the slums of San Lorenzo, on the outskirts of Rome. Montessori's work with the House of Children in Italy took her beyond that country to different parts of the globe. She came to India in 1939, and conducted many training programmes and eventually started many Montessori schools.

The Indian Montessori Centre aims at propagating the Montessori philosophy and the method through its training programmes, workshops, seminars and conferences.

Among the presentations lined up for the Montessori Congress include "Is the child a forgotten citizen?" by S. Anandalakshmy, Child Development and Education consultant; "Child and law" by Bharati Ali, Centre for Child Rights, New Delhi; "Carrier of Culture" by Muralidhar Koteswar, SSRVM Trust, Bangalore; and "Fact Finder or Logical Thinker" by M.C. Mathew, CMC hospital, Vellore.

Also on the Congress agenda is a panel discussion on "Follow the Child - Relevance Now."

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