Losing childhood to playway schools!
Asha Ahuja

Ludhiana, June 17
Creativity and originality, the two qualities which should be nurtured among tiny tots, have been conveniently sacrificed by schools at the altar of consumerism. So now you have fully air-conditioned schools where children as young as two years old are made to go through the rigours of learning the alphabet, names of colours and animals and even poems that they neither comprehend nor understand. This at a age when they should be free to learn things at their own pace.

This misplaced priorities are nowhere more evident than in holding Ms and Mr fresher competitions for pre-nursery and nursery students, who are bewildered at the goings on. Are we heading for the day where the future generation will be judged by their ability to wear the right clothes, shoes etc ?

Diana and Lia, teachers from USA who were teaching KG classes in a city school, told Ludhiana Tribune that they were shocked at the lack of originality among the city toddlers. Ask the kids a simple question like what they wish to be when they grow up and they give contrived answers : “I want to get good marks” or “I want to stand first.” “It seems like no kid here fantasies to become an actor, a pilot, a postman or a fireman like any normal kid would,” they pointed out.

“The schools as well as parents teach the children to concentrate on frivolous things and be particular about outward appearances rather than to be natural. For example, the kids could be taught about colours and objects by asking them to bring things from their homes like tomatoes, apples, oranges or even clips of their dolls and so forth,” the two added, instead of arranging lavish activities in the school to teach these.

There is also a growing tendency to hanker after the media to seek space for even routine and mundane activities. “The kids before joining any school have already learnt the basics, “chips in Ms Bakshi, a former KG teacher.

Dr G.K. Nakra, a city physician, says, “Air conditioned atmosphere provided in schools cannot prepare the children to face the ups and downs of life and the adverse weather conditions in the country. The frequent power cuts makes it uncomfortable for the children. These children also do not develop immunity,” he added.

Dr Rajiv Gupta, a psychiatrist, feels the fashion shows organised in almost all schools and modelling makes the girls and boys very conscious of their bodies. “I have eight-year-old girls coming to be with symptoms of severe malnutrition on account of wrong dietary habits. They are too obsessed with looking fashionable while the parents complain that they are watching Fashion TV all the time. Exposure of semi-clad bodies at a tender age and making the children conscious of their physical attributes is wrong,” he stressed.

“The pace at which the nursery and pre-nursery schools have mushroomed has taken the city by storm. Playschools to entice parents offer alluring discounts at the time of admission,” asserts a principal of a playway school.

“We never imagined education would reach a stage where so-called educationists would put up admission fee rates and then slash it as discounted fee. Thus, older and committed schools are losing out as they do not offer heavy discounts,” laments a principal.

“The major distressing factor is that too much stress is laid on the form or presentation of educational ideas in a very shallow way. Content is the real sufferer. Nowadays, every school seems to be competing with one another to hold parties or modelling shows,” says Ms P. Kahlon, a former KG teacher of a convent school.

Nowadays playway schools proudly say that they use LCD projectors so that the children can learn better. But sitting before the screen for long hours does affect the eyesight and also kills imagination, she adds.

“What Indian children need is a balanced mix of good Indian education and with the right use of technology from the West. Our education is mainly focused on a fixed routine and discipline whereas in the West they believe in giving more space to the child for experimentation and exploration.

Books are necessary to give a sound base plus allowing the child to be creative. When the end product is seen in its true perspective it is the Indian system which scores as Indians are leading in IT sector, engineering and in medicine,” says Ms Harpreet Kaur Gill, principal of a playway school.

One should not imitate West blind-fold but rather balance our ideas with theirs. The need of the hour is to preserve the sanctity of education for the betterment of our future generations.

Summer camp at Doraha school concludes
Our Correspondent

Doraha, June 17
A summer camp organised by Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, concluded here today. The camp which started on June 2, was the eighth summer camp of the school and for the first time the camp was also opened for students of other schools.

More than 120 students in the age group 4 years to 18 years participated in various activities. Aneesh Bhanot gave bhangra training to students while Shagun conducted art and craft and the personality development classes. The camp also included activities like cooking, acting and pool parties and games like hockey and basketball.

On the concluding day, a variety of entertainment programmes were presented by the students. Four students of the school from Class X, who performed well were also honoured.

Mr Sukhpal Singh, Chairman, Doraha Institute of Management and Technology, was the chief guest for the occasion. He applauded the efforts of teachers of the school who organised the camp. He noted that many former students of the school and parents also lent their talent to make the camp a success. He congratulated the management for opening a camp where parents and former students work in harmony with professionals for the all round development of the children.

Students pick up skills at summer camp
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 17
Myriad activities were held today at a ‘summer workshop’, conducted under the guidance of Dr Harbans Singh, at Child Development Centre, BRS Nagar. ‘Smart Kid Day’ was organised in which the students participated in activities like paper reading , debate, declamation and extempore speeches.

Junior children participated in story telling and poetry writing competitions. Ms Navpreet, principal, said the school organised such contests to develop confidence and develop overall personality of the students. At today’s function, ‘guest of honour’ was Ms Ravneet Sandhu. She gave a demonstration on how to make the best use of waste material. 

Teachers attend workshop
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 17
A workshop on ‘Education for all’ is going on at Government Senior Secondary Model School, PAU, these days. State award winner teacher Kusumlata delivered a lecture to the participants.

According to a press note, teachers from rural as well as urban schools are participating in the workshop under the ‘Sarv Siksha Abhiyan’. Ms Sarabjit Kaur is coordinating the workshop and Ms Usha Sidhu, Principal of the Inservice Teacher’s Training Institute, also attended the workshop. Ms Parveen, Ms Kusumlata and Ms Ashmi are conducting the workshop as resource persons.

A paragon of virtues
Raj Kumar Masih