The Hindu : Kerala News : Designing a parallel system of education in the State

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Monday, Jul 07, 2008
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Kerala

Designing a parallel system of education in the State

Designing a parallel system of education that encourages students and teachers to think and act beyond the confines of the academic curriculum has been a key initiative of the Kerala Sasthra Sahitya Parishad.

Its periodic and sustained intervention within the campus and outside through various science- and creativity-oriented programmes, such as science corners, Balavedis, Balotsava Jathas and Changathikootam, has now culminated in the formulation of a new curriculum framework and textbooks in the State.

A book, titled Parivarthanathinoramukham (a foreword to change), highlighting the philosophical and psychological foundations of the new curriculum was published by the parishad recently.

The various initiatives launched by it for students and the public since 1966 were explained in detail at a workshop held in the city recently.

Madhusudhan and Papputty, representatives of the parishad, explained how the clubs started in 1974 in 1,500 schools across the State had encouraged students to ask questions and to seek answers by doing experiments with low-cost materials, conducting surveys, reading books and discussing with knowledgeable people.

From 1976, the Department of Education began promoting science clubs in schools directly.

Eureka, its most popular science magazine for primary school children, was launched in 1970.

The fortnightly is the only science magazine in Malayalam for primary school students.

With its arrival, a new orientation was given to the education system by conducting Eureka examination and vigyanolsvam (learning festival), said the speakers. This was an alternative assessment system experimented by the parishad to make pupils undergo evaluation without stress, they said.

However, the inability of the parishad to intervene in the school system effectively led to the development of Balavedi, a parallel system of education where children and parishad activists gathered and experimented with various kinds of cultural and educational activities.

A massive Balotsava, a cultural procession with the theme ‘science is doing’ and featuring drama and songs by schoolchildren and Kalajathas aimed at spreading scientific awareness among the public, was held under the auspices of the Balavedi.Ather novel initiative by the parishad is ‘Aksharavedi,’ a project to seek and eliminate lack of writing and arithmetical abilities in primary school children.

Sangeeth Kurian

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