The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Wake-up call for Gen-Next
Rajiv Kumar Sharma

Are we raising a soft generation? This question often comes to my mind when I come across children looking for comforts and avoiding labour. It also occurs to me when parents approach me seeking comforts for their kids. Recently, we were facing very hot and humid conditions, with power cuts compounding the matters.

The school was due for reopening after a month long summer break when I started getting frantic calls from parents asking for extension of the summer break. They argued that the conditions were not suitable for children attending school. I agreed with them and promised to review the situation. I wondered what we were heading for? Come winter and they will start demanding the closing of the school saying that children can’t bear the cold. With these thoughts in mind I went for a round of the school to see the progress of maintenance work on various floors. Everywhere, I found people working to complete the tasks before the reopening of the school. Painters were giving finishing touches to the paint job they had done in classrooms. Carpenters, masons, labourers, workers and gardeners — everybody seemed to be going about their business happily despite the weather. The thought that came to my mind at that time was again the same, “Are we becoming too much comfort loving or are we becoming slaves of artificial comforts?”

We live on a part of earth where weather conditions are extreme. In fact, these conditions have made the people of this region adaptable and sturdy. This adaptability has helped them settle in different parts of the world successfully. With imbalances created by environmental degradation, the conditions are becoming harsher. But are we not supposed to gear up to face them? At least, the history of mankind and theory of evolution teaches us so. Our children have to face increasingly difficult weather conditions and complex world realities. Are we preparing them for these by protecting them? Physical and mental toughness are the biggest survival assets. If we will not work for building our strengths at the growing age, then when will we do so?

Recent health surveys show an alarming rise in lifestyle-related diseases in our region. Diabetes, blood pressure and other ailments arising out of sedentary and stressful lifestyles have reached epidemic proportions in urban areas. We are becoming physically soft and mentally comfort loving. This holds true for the large middle-class that is considered the backbone of any country. Increased incomes have made our homes our comfort zones. We have become so accustomed to these that we can’t think of surviving without them. No wonder there is a demand for air-conditioned schools among certain segments of society. Parents feel they have so much wealth that their children will never have to live without these luxuries. Then why should their loved ones not have the same comfort at school?

This brings to mind the recent debate related to educational reforms in the light of the statement given by the Human Resource Development Minister based on the suggestions given by the National Curriculum Framework committee headed by professor Yash Pal. While the recommendations are concerned with educational reforms making the process of learning and acquiring knowledge more holistic in nature, the debate seems to have entered a groove where the only concern is stress caused by examinations. It is a good idea to delink as far as possible the building of knowledge base in the formative years from measuring it through one-stage examination. There is a dire need to develop continuous, comprehensive and alternate means of evaluation and spare our children the unreasonable and unnatural hurdle race we call examinations.

However, stress or pressure of examinations is not entirely caused by the examination but by other factors of competition, which have become a part of present-day life governed by our social and global ambitions. Doing away of Class X board examinations or converting the marks to grades may ease the pressure on children, parents and schools. But that should not be the only focus when we go for educational reforms. By focussing only on stress, we run the risk of diluting the quality of learning and lowering the benchmarks of achievement. This seems like not having faith in the capacity of children and giving them experiences far below their capability. Educational reforms are the need of the hour and obsession with marks needs to be eased. But it should not come at the cost of the natural human spirit to excel and compete. We need to understand that over hyping the stress factor helps no one. We need to learn to manage stress and live with it. It cannot be avoided in any case; it can only be channelised.

We should prepare our children to see the other side of life too. Our mental conditioning to look at only the rosy side of the picture is detrimental to development of our future generation. They have to face challenges of life as they grow up. They have to take up responsibilities and make decisions. Will they be able to do so successfully, if we do not let them experience any hardships? Let us take up our responsibility first, by instilling in our children a spirit to face realities and to learn to adapt accordingly. Let us teach them dignity of labour and that comfort is best enjoyed after a hard day’s work. Otherwise, we run the risk of raising couch potatoes and a comfort-loving generation evading the responsibilities of life and society living in a world of short-lived comfort and entertainment, where, in the words of Michael Crichton, “the biggest fear is not of disease or death, but of boredom.”

Rural students get a taste of English
P. K. Jaiswar

DHULKA (Amritsar): It is unusual but true, the rural schoolchildren who often don’t get enough opportunity for getting quality education are being trained in spoken English by volunteer students of Oxford University, UK, under the Travel-Aid Project, which is a brainchild of an NGO, United Sikhs.

Volunteer students of Oxford University interacting with schoolchildren in a class at Standard Public High School, Dhulka, near Amritsar Photo: Vishal Kumar

Enjoying the lively environment with the presence of “foreign teachers” belonging to various countries, it was refreshing to see the students of Standard Public High School in Dhulka village responding to the difficult accent of their guest teachers.

Talking to The Tribune, Emer Morrison (21), a student of Oxford University, said they made conscious effort that the students understand their language properly. Initially, they had some problem communicating with the shy tiny tots. However, they became more comfortable and lively with the passage of time, as the students had been able to understand what they wanted to convey. Sometimes when the children did not understand the language, they conveyed their message by hinting with the movement of their hands, she said.

Another Oxford student, Elizabeth Manly (20), terming her experience in teaching in a rural school in India, said it was pleasure teaching the bright, enthusiastic and clever children. She added that the vocabulary and reading skills of the children were very impressive and she was sure that with some more confidence, they would be proficient in spoken English.

Lucy Craig said during their month-long visit to the school, they noticed a marked rise in the student’s confidence in spoken English and hopefully they would make a difference as comparison to others.

Navroop Kaur, a Class VII student of Standard Public High School, said learning spoken English it was a good experience Though it was difficult to comprehend their language due to different accent, they could understand what they wanted to convey and respond accordingly, she said, adding that it was an opportunity for them to learn practical English.

Class V student Harmanpreet Kaur, who is one of the six beneficiaries of the Scholarship as a Tool to Accelerate Rural Academic Excellence (STARE) programme of United Sikhs, said their guest teachers made best efforts to train them in spoken English besides teaching them general knowledge and grammar.

Randhir Singh, a senior teacher of the school, said the students eagerly wait for the August month when the Oxford students arrive at the school to teach them. He said it was also an opportunity for them to take a cue or two from visiting students in leaning the techniques of making teaching for interesting.

Harjyot Kaur, manager, United Sikhs Oxford University Travel-Aid Project, said the aim of this project was to promote the teaching of English language for creating international opportunity.

Campus Notes
Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar
Seminar on cyber law

The Department of Laws of Guru Nanak Dev University organised a seminar on "cyber law" in the lecture room of the department. The seminar was organised in collaboration with CyWhiz Consulting Pvt. Ltd., Puna.

Parneet Kumar, founder and director, CyWhiz Consulting, while speaking on this occasion gave an inside view of the role of law in regulating technology in the fast emerging field of relevance. He said CyWhiz had promised to provide intensive help to the department in future. The company would also conduct its courses through the law department of the university, he added.

Dr Jaspal Singh, head of the department, welcomed the participants of the seminar while Dr Rajinder Pawar presented the vote of thanks. Dr Viney Kapoor, Dr R.P. Singh, Dr Bimal Deep Singh and other faculty members and students were also present.

M.Phil entrance test

Guru Nanak Dev University has invited applications for admission to M.Phil courses in various departments. The last date for the submission of application forms is September 7 while the entrance test for the same would be held on September 15. A university spokesman said the test would be conducted in respective departments on September 15 from 2 pm to 4 pm and admissions would be made within a couple of days after the announcement of the results.

Felicitated

The management of Gurdwara Sahib in the Guru Nanak Dev University complex felicitated Bhai Nirmal Singh Ji Khalsa and Bhai Balbir Singh Ji (Panth Ratan) for devoting their life to rejuvenate and disseminate the ancient musicology as prescribed by Sikh Gurus. Giani Joginder Singh, head granthi, Golden Temple, Amritsar, presented the awards to them.

— Contributed by P. K. Jaiswar