Times of India’s new social change effort: Teach India

very gud…begining…………….going to rock the nation……

So much is being made in very self righteous and self-congratulatory tone of Times of India’s Teach India campaign. Now that aamir khan has also joined the effort there is this great (though misplaced ) feel good factor. While the spirit and motives behind Teach India is fine, we need to recognize that volunteerism will hardly help in addressing the enormity of the crisis of learning that afflicts India. Education and teaching are intense jobs, emotionally consuming, intellectually demanding but of course can provide joy and stimulation like no other. But what Teach India is in fact doing, unwittingly perhaps, is again creating the impression that issues connected to learning can be solved by volunteerism.

We need to remember that learning is not just about acquring some skills – to add up, to read, to write but to facilitate deep and proper understanding of both the natural and social world around us. The prevalent discourse of voluteerism in the field of education, something which Teach India also seems to further, seems to indicate or rather reduce the whole teaching-learning process as a sum of skills – not learning. Mere literacy skills will hardly help to transform India into a nation of well meaning, informed citizens.

The real remedy to the problems of illiteracy and poor learning is to make teaching a worth the while profession which in turn can attract well meaning people into schools, who as teachers can truly make an impact on the students – equip them not just with literacy skills but who help them to mature into well grounded, responsible, thinking citizens. One is not just quick to find fault with teachers for the state of affairs in schools but by reducing teaching to a volunteering effort, one makes it appear that teaching-learning is such a simple process and all that is needed is a spirit of volunteerism to remedy the enormous problem. Do people have any idea what it takes to really teach or help a a child in a fashion where a child’s understanding goes beyond mere recollection, repeatition and memorization to reason, analyze, compare, apply, reflect or in other words where a child can be propelled on a trajectory of self-learning and discovery? Or has literacy agenda so colonized our educational policies that basic reading and writing skills alone are seen as sufficient goal or enabler of development? So may reports and studies indicate majority of our kids in primary schools after six years of schooling can barely read or write. Guess it’s time that we look beyond basic literacy and primary education and recognize that even ‘mere literacy skills’ needs intense work on the part of teachers and literacy as such is not (maybe should not be) separated from critical thinking skills. Volunteerism as propounded by Teach India or Teach For India type will at best provide cosmetic and superficial changes.

Why does not Teach India look into the issue of school teachers and teaching In India and why these days no well meaning person wants to get into school teaching? Will Teach India also look into the fact that how school teachers across the country (more so in private schools) are as such the most exploited professionals in India – exploited in terms of extremely poor pays, horrible work conditions and denying them self esteem? Will Teach India delve into the kind of emotional pressures that teachers are subjected to by all the other stake holders – students, school managements and parents – who see them as no more than very dispensable entities and who can be knocked around failing to meet “school/parental/student requirements” – and these requirements are as such the whims and fancies of either the (increasingly ill behaved) school students, self opinionated parents and scheming school managements? Will Teach India help initiate a debate by which means and methods are evolved (which goes beyond mouthing platitudes on teaching as a ‘noble profession’ and instituting few meaningless teacher awards) which brings in better talent to the teaching profession and gives teachers a sense of dignity?

I am interest to teach the student

hi ! it’s really very nice that we can change the outlook of the society… i am interested to work with the organisation.. plzz let me know how???? i had been to SOS once and it was really nice to see the kids have so much of talent.. plz let me knw..CONGRATS

Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. Cheers! Sandra. R.

a wonderful concept that would make ordinary people like us, stake holders inthe nation building. process.gives me a reason to dream big for my country and hope that our dismal lack of basic human rights would not come in the way of achieving happiness and contentment.”where knowledge is free .into that heaven of freedom my father let my country awake
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Pls mail a form to me as my Father wants to participate in this initiative……..

The recent change around and in side newly constructed Stone park (concept of parks with greenery and shaded trees has change in UP) found with lots of up-rooted Date trees (Khajur plant grow in dessert) replanted all over Samata Mulak chowk/ Dr. Ambedker garden. My view is, has there are shortages of NEEM trees, or any type of tree witch can provide shelter to small birds and also to other similar birds, which are friendly to human. Or the present Government is so insensitive that they replant dessert tree, which can not help improve/sustain environment. These park will be exothermic and create more heat which result in climate disturbance over the time. To help maintain the ecological balance it is necessary to remove these Date Plant and replace them with tropical variety. Please join me in this movement to keep Lucknow eco-friendly.