Language Learning Skills of Kids and Current Trend in India & Saiha

Today i was reading an article by SSA Aiyar on Times of India about learning process. The article emphasized that the first learning is best in mother tongue. With my limited study of human psychology with regard to cognitive development, I also agree with the view of the author. In fact in our country we have "English Fixation" with respect to learning obviously because of long years of English rule and the consequent inferiority complex developed in the mind of a common student.

Today the Indian students are a harassed lot from the childhood itself. His natural inclination in the childhood is to learn his mother tongue and understand everything through this medium, but the prevailing societal trend forces her to learn new language by mugging and because of this his cognitive development suffers. This process is continued even at the later stages.

Our education system is full with " रटंत " (Mugging & Memorizing) methodology, and there is no space for those students who want to understand the phenomena through their own ways. Films like "3idiots", "Taare Jameen Par" highlights such phenomena. This education system produces student in mass, it does not give any opportunity to the kids to explore herself.

Even at higher level, this situation continues as our education systems give mugging an incentive in scoring marks, which continues till higher education as even I had experienced it. This results into negative self belief among natural learner and this inferiority complex kills the scientific temperament among vast percentage of students. This manifests in the number of patents filed or in number of scientific discoveries made by our scientists. Unless, the imaginations are given wings right from the formative years we can produce only unemployable products, no any natural thinker.

But at least some glimmer of hope has started coming through innovative learning processes. I myself have encountered such a process in Tamilnadu in the form of "Activity Based Learning" being promoted under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan. This involves learning as activity not as a mugging process. The role of teacher becomes more of a facilitator, not as a autocrat wielding stick. The learning is not only faster but also deep rooted. Such innovation should be replicated in all the states.

Even here in Saiha, the situation is more or less same. The products coming out of the the education factory are not different from other parts of the country. Apart from these language factors, the biggest problem with the district education system, I feel is obsoleteness of the system. Education Department has become one of the means of giving employment to deserving persons. Once they are employed, they stop learning and so do their students. The problem with the students in this part of the world can be enumerated as:-

1. Up to middle school level medium is Mara
2. After middle level medium I feel is Mizo.
3. If he wants to do something in life then he has to learn English
4. If he wants to stay in Northern India, then he has to learn Hindi.

So, the energy of a common student is used in learning and unlearning several languages and the result is frustration and stoppage of learning. An alternate to such a tyranny is needed, but even that system is not in sight. 

I am trying to use the Activity Based Learning of Tamilnadu in teaching process in Maraland. But that will also take considerable amount of effort and time and lots of persuasion. But definitely this whole process of playing with the students has to be changed otherwise we will have an education system, whose only use will be a jail for the kids during the day time without any real outcome. 

Fatherhood

Becoming Father is a great event for anyone. It shows that a part of you exist in the world and suddenly you start feeling more associated in the world. All good things are written about it.

But after becoming father you have to

1. Forego your sleep: as everything depends on the little angel. If she requires a walk in the night you have to do. then you may not get sleep again. This is the reason of reading you this beautiful prose.
2. Be innovative: Whether in your life u have innovated any thing or not, but when u get a baby you have to innovate a lot, that to original innovation. Your baby may not like her great Papa copying others. So, what Aamir Khan was telling in "3idiots" will automatically become a part of your life. Innovation is not only required to keep the baby pleased, but is also required to feed her the meal which she dislikes the most but you have to feed as her Mama says so. If she cries then you have to innovate to calm her up.
3. Be perfect in Non Verbal Skills: Till this time no one think about non verbal communication except out Business Motivators (Which I doubt) & Salesgirls (They r perfect), but your baby makes you a perfect person in non verbal communication. Infact the God wants everyone to know this art but very few perfect teachers are available, so, he sends kid with all the non verbal skills, and after hit & trial.. u make the discovery...eureka... My daughter was making this face because she wants me to dance...
4. Getting Bashed up for being irresponsible father: All your sense of responsibility fails, because baby's mother and your mother gets tired in updating themselves in above three matters and they have to find time for themselves to continue domination over home affiars, so, the father becomes the favourite whipping boy. The kid keeps on updating her non verbal skills, her demand for your innovation grows; but u have to take time to learn new things and unlearn old things, so, in the mean time u become an easy target of your wife and mother and your irresponsibility towards baby, wife & mother keeps growing.... Which even the most perfect father can not fathom.

(Disclaimer: This post is not based on true experiences, but on imaginations. Any similarity with anyone's experiences is purely common and if someone has different experience, then he is not common)

Republic Day Celebration 2010

This Republic Day in Saiha was different as what everyone is saying. It may be because we had tableau presentation by different department and NGOs, Taekwondo and Karate show and Mara Dance by MTP. This year really everyone worked very hard to make it a success. Most entertaining tableau I found was of PWD. A live road laying operation. Pu Lalfakzuala has made a nice report on it on DIPR Website. This time Assam Rifle also participated by having a static display of weapons. It was also a hit among participants. The "At Home" was also quite good with a nice gathering.

The Republic Day speech is embedded here.

I along with Pu Beisia, EM(RD) and ADC(P) Pi Marilyn went to Maubawk village for special Republic Day Gram Sabha meeting. Had a nice practical session on Village Visioning exercise as a first step in preparation of village level planning. It was a mixed success. Now a proper method for planning has to be used for real planning other wise earlier there used to be just ad hoc planning on the basis of scheme and not on the basis of the requirement and also convergence between different programmes were not thought of.

Finally the day was over when we returned back to Saiha after sunset at 06.00 pm.