BY: Gh Hassan Bhat
No country has ever achieved a status of greatness without education. It is the only tool to improve the status of life and to make world a better place by eradicating poverty, unemployment and gloom from the faces of people around the globe.
As far as Indian education system is concerned, the country has been making tremendous efforts in the post independence era and a lot has been done while lots more is yet to be achieved. To achieve a major breakthrough we must make our Pre Primary education sector very purposeful and contemplative. This stage is verily a breather to the whole system. This is the stage which is exigent for development of cognitive, linguistic, social and psychomotor faculties, especially up to the age of 8 years. Besides other policy oriented measures, here are some suggestions which, if implemented, may prove to be decisive in bringing about a vibrant change.
Parental motivation: Parental motivation is key ingredient to rejuvenate this system. This step would enable govt. schools to flourish in the long run and for which govt. and teachers have to take some joint innovative actions to mould the behavior of the guardians of students.
Positive Learning Environment: As these buds are our material for upper primary, due care is needed to address their requirements, judging, employ class building games and other activities like friendly atmosphere etc.
Kinder garden rooms: Also called “Garden of Children” such efforts such be maintained in such a way that it should arrest the attention of buds. This would enable to teach children a rich meaningful and balanced programme of skills and information through age appropriate activities which ultimately encourage children to learn.
Teach through Rhymes: By separating syllabus, this technique would help us in connecting with letters, words, and sounds and enhancing listening and speaking skills. This way of teaching is much more interesting for pre-readers to develop different skills.
Motor skill development: This is the skill to develop habits like head holding, sit and crawl, walk and talk, run and jump and enable children to be physically fit and fine even in their later stages of life.
Games for Pre Primary: These should be identified keeping in mind the strategic thinking and interest development. There includes number of games like number games, shapes, boat, hide and seek, snake, signal and rope games etc.
Assessment of Learning: Assessment of learning is the technique that lets the teachers, students and parents know how about the children. It provides the information about the achievements and activities of our kids. This should be a continuous effort to get desired results well on time and plan academic things accordingly.
ICT Facilities: keeping the inclination and effect of the ICT on children in mind, it is very essential to introduce this facility on large scale. Teaching through videos, text, images and on computer projectors would definitely yield good result. This shift will bring magical consequences in the future especially to disseminate resources.
Well Infrastructure: A well infrastructure is always important not only to pre primary but in every stage of schooling. Clean, spacious rooms with good furniture, boards, and electronic gadgets like lights, fanes, clean and hygienic toilets, drinking water facility, child friendly elements, laboratories and other facilities would yield magnificent resulting in free education and obliterating mistrust between government school and society.
Health Checkups: This is not only for the important of health and well being for our buds but it also develops concept of medical know how among the children.
All this is possible if ideation is well, plan is best designed in coordination between government and teachers. We have to transform our education system to meet the aspiration needs of our new generation. Government must lay full emphasis by assisting schools, training teachers, supporting them with modern equipments, tools and other methods which include smart classrooms, digital facilities and so on. Teaching officials in general also have the responsibility to improve quality teaching so that their name would be written in golden letters and others may feel pride to take this job with honour and dignity.
The writer is a teacher and Resource Person, Zone Tangmarg
