Being a parent for toddler to teen

Being a parent : For Toddler to Teen

by with No Comment childrenLifestyle

Children

February, 20,2023

Prof. S. Ramkumar

Being a parent : for Toddler to Teen

1. Parent-first, friend-next

Be a “friend” to your child; but always, first be a “father” or “mother”.

Never be hesitant, worried or upset to say “No” to a child for things which need not be done : nicely and truthfully narrate why you said No – let her/him realise that your No is a beautiful good!

Appreciate the child for all the good (s)he speaks and does. Never hesitate to compliment on any nice things – irrespective of whether its small or big as you may feel. “Google” your “child’s mind” to give the best. Handhold to understand and explore the world as it is!

That helps make them fit for tomorrow.

2. “Listening” parents

A child should be able to open her/his mind confidently to a parent.

Never blast at a mistake of a child in the first instance.

Listen to a child patiently. “Show” the child that you are listening. Even if you are doing something serious, just pause or postpone it for few minutes to give attention to what the child wishes to say: maybe a worry or complain. If you are attending a cell phone, keep it down or away and listen!

If you simply listen, it gives comfort to child. This comfort that you will listen and help/support/guide the child, gives confidence for her/him to tell anything to you.

Listening also includes “‘observing” your child on what is not being told by words. Keep an eye on his/her usual nature, alertness, energy, happiness.. If you feel something is not normal to your child, calmly look into and find why so.

If you are upset and angry with what your child has done or said, hold it, within you. First listen. After listening and soothing, you may add a tough voice to conclude, if needed!

Remember:

“if a child is hesitant in opening her/his mind to a parent, parenting is at flaw somewhere” – examine and change to facilitate the children to come and tell you.

6

The Last Man

by with No Comment Poem

The Last Man

(The title reflects on the imaginary last human being on our planet. It can be a man or woman but for consistency and rhyme mentioned as man. It is essentially the outcome of foolishness of the human species which did not care for a future life of the planet with happy humans. It is time for us to think and act wisely so that one of our grandchildren doesn’t turn out to be the last man!)

Walking through the days and nights,

to the endless horizon,

I see none like me;

the world is weird,

with empty paths and hollow boundaries

and me the only being!

Thirsty, I reach for water,

not a drop anywhere,

hungry, I search for food,

scanty greens of trees and plants,

to flash somewhere.

Walking beside them,

only tirades to travel with!

I realize, I am the only man,

left as a trotter in the globe,

which doesn’t need a map anymore!

I stroll –

besides the canopies of computer heaps,

with peeping glitters of piled up phones,

and the mountains of dreadful weapons.

I run –

past the endless dumped graveyards

dead with unsung diseases;

All from unknown hatred and known wars!

Realize I am the only man

and wander fast to see

a being to be with;

but only to be left as the last man.

I see the comforts of life

built by devotion and sacrifice,

for need and greed, frozen in every street.

The cruising ships still

and staggering in every sea,Cars and buses left packed in every space;

the jets that jutted the busy travel era

zigzagged silent in the large ports;

the empty malls, huts and houses,

the sand less sea sides,

with no lives in them!

I walk with zeal

To find a being on the way,

Through seasons that spelled,

Anew which I never felt:

Snow in summer, heat in winter,

buds in autumn and

Falling leaves in spring….

I walk with zeal

To find a being on the way,

To tell her/him what I see, feel and sense;

But to also find

not scared or worried

in the lost and lonely world.

For,

Worried and scared we are

only with a world of beings around!

Alone, I walk to find a being.

For,

the wealth, joy, love, sorrow, hope or happiness,

has no meaning without sharing.

Language and symbols turn needless,

as I speak to myself,

only with thoughts.

Alone,

we don’t “live” only “exist”,

to the panic and pressures of an alien world.

As the last man to leave this world,

I wish in wane to have a being left,

To sing the story

of the beauty of this world,

not to be faded forever to a lost humanity!

- Prof. S. Ramkumar

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Examination Anxiety

by with No Comment Education

Education

November 21,2021

Prof. S. Ramkumar

EXAMINATION ANXIETY

(The role of teacher revisited in the context of the transition from Online examination to Offline examination)

In the distorted life period of the pandemic, students have undertaken only Online examinations which were taken at home and had a different pattern of answering questions and now with schools and colleges reopening, it is back to the in classroom examinations. This is when the concerns of students, especially those who haven’t undergone an in-physical classroom examination for a long period, need to be genuinely and carefully addressed.

The classes of theory were largely or fully online, which had they’re own modifications in facilitating a situation that suited the pandemic situation (including technology like mobile phones, computers, signals, cost of mobile data..), This may not have been an ideal situation any student or teacher aspired for – but was good enough to help in the context of the world wherein the single prime motto was the control and prevention of the COVID 19 pandemic .
 
Considering the period from April 2020 to October 2021, students (and teachers) have been through various experiments mainly regarding teaching online and conducting examinations online. These have subject-wise specific opportunities and challenges.
Now, after repeated exposure to online examination there is a transition based on the COVID protocol, with colleges reopening and examinations being conducted in offline mode. There is a great responsibility vested with the Faculty in this period of “come back” to normalcy, to understand a student’s mind ; to get back from the ‘Solitary learner’ mode at home to real class room teaching and examinations.
 
The COVID-19 period has taught us that Education need not be equal to examination. It’s only a process of evaluation. However, this revival/transition period is now putting back examinations, in position as per the University directions. This transitory period for a student to face an offline examination needs to be empathetically understood.
 
We need to realize this as ‘teachers’ who need to adapt to support the feelings, ward off the worries, give direction and build confidence among students to write examinations in classroom mode. This is a great moral responsibility vested on us, by the unique time we have gone through and are going through.
 
From the online to classroom examination, the genuine anxiety should first be taken off from the minds of students. It’s time for us to handhold them to be confident first so that they can concentrate and start studying, rather than worrying on writing an examination and ‘passing it’.
 
The challenge for a teacher now is not the subject-matter; but the ‘subject”(student) to whom we taught largely in the online period, who have to be calmed. Also need to understand that an examination is not to find out what a student doesn’t know, but rather what a (s)he knows. This transition period is the apt context that highlights and reminds us of this responsibility.
 
I think considering the constraints of online teaching and earlier online examinations, setting of questions play an important role. We should remember that these are students who have been taught through the online mode, who are appearing for examinations. The fundamentals that a student should know should be a priority, rather than testing deep-knowledge.
 
Introducing question papers to students in short sessions, model tests, revision of subjects within an hour, skimming through the major titles etc. can build confidence in students to go ahead and appear for the offline exams, since they reassure students of the commitment and handholding of a teacher in supporting them.
 
Ultimately, when a student writes a classroom examination after a series of online exams during lockdown period, it’s only natural for them to have worries. Teachers need to focus on “subjects” (students) so as to help them deliver the subject matter.
With worries being helped to be warded away, students are sure to perform well in this period of recovery from the pandemic.

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Teachers: students make them!

by with No Comment EducationLife

STRANDOMS: the stray and random thoughts

August 7, 2017

Prof. S. Ramkumar

Education, Life 

Teachers: students make them!

Man-making or Nation-building , the teacher is the instrumental foundation and means. This is an attempt to crystallize the thoughts on becoming a good teacher, may it be in schools, Colleges, Institutes or Universities.
  1. Preserving the curiosity

Primary to PhD , the pristine element of a teacher is the same “creating and leading a learning environment”. However I feel the responsibility is more so with school teachers, especially primary and secondary schools. In fact after the family to which a child is born (the members of which are the first teachers of their life), the inquisitiveness of the child is to be kept alive and promoted by the primary teachers, the foundation builders. I remember Mother Prosperous who was more than a teacher to me when I was in my 2nd standard, whom I met after so many years after she became the Generalite, who recognized me as the child who persistently asked questions. I remember her as a patient listener lovingly trying to explain to a 7 year old on the myriads of life, quite incomprehensible at that age.

  1. Nothing less than a role model

“The classrooms shape the destiny of a country”- brings out the role of teacher inside a classroom. Teachers are creating the future society, a responsible a and continuous task. This demand that there is nothing less than a role model expected from a teacher. This attributes great responsibility and sense of satisfaction for a teacher. Students learn what you do, not necessarily what you teach or say (except a subject taught). It’s not what is being taught that the children learn; its you they learn!

  1. Connecting to every student

Every learner, ( irrespective of the varying capacities we attribute to them) should feel that (s)he is being cared by the teacher. Classrooms should not be a generic totality of “one teacher” to “collection of students”(we do not have a collectivity name of a collection of learners like the pack of hounds or murder of crows, which can remind a teacher that each learner is unique with potentials of thinking and reasoning )); rather it has to emulate the feeling of “one teacher” to “each student”. This connectedness to each student is vital to create interest and involvement of students. The method of linking to each student involves innovations on creativity of connectedness on the part of teacher. Think a situation that every student feels that the teacher is his or hers!

4.Teaching doesn’t happen in vacuum

Every student or learner (an infant child to an old person; poor or rich; literate or illiterate) have a knowledge set of his own. Teaching is a process of sharing between two sets of knowledge, which is essentially communication. This should start by understanding and respecting this knowledge.

  1. Teaching to prepare for life: the litmus test : Teacher need to realize his/her role in a wider context to position himself or herself. Teaching cannot be measured in terms of the books or compositions corrected, examination papers set or answer books evaluated or the number of hours or periods spend in a class or laboratory (though all these are needed!). It is the qualitative change that has been brought out among the students in the “learning for life” that decides the result of teaching. The disciplines or subjects we try to transfer knowledge about are one of the tools effecting this change. Any subject for that matter is important, a tool that should be used in a wider understanding of purpose of education by a teacher. It has a lot to do with fitting into the setting, culture or heritage. “ Education is the perfecting of life- the enrichment of the individual by the heritage of the race. Let this vital process of transmission and absorption be interrupted for half a century, and civilization would end, our grandchildren would be more primitive than savages” Will Durant: 2014 “Fallen Leaves: last words on Life, Love War and God”. Swami Vivekananda’s advice as “ Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man”, is relevant and simple in making realize the role of a teacher to bring out the best in a child, which is already there. Any subject we teach is an opportunity for this.
  2. Being a Pansophist : Comenius, the famous educationist of the 17 century (sometimes named as Father of Modern education) had his concept of philosophy of “pansophism” which related to education for everyday life and called for a systematic relationship to be developed for all knowledge ( as against the conventional encyclopedic teaching”). He advocated teaching in the common or vernacular language of students rather than in Latin (in his place at that time!), and the establishment of a universal system of education with opportunities that included women and people of all nations. Interestingly India has preached one form of this as Vasudhaiyva Kudumbakom ( the vedic concept of world is a family). Pansophism would make a learner capable of wisdom in any subject and be “able to see any subject in relation to others”. (Robert. R. Rusk: The doctrines of the great educators: 1954). Teachers need to be attempt to be pansophists, at least to the extent that is possible.
  3. Teacher in the digital environment :As teaching undergoes changes, one of the new and powerful entrants to the field is the “Digital environment”. Actual learning happens now, as in earlier times in family, school and society. But one of the influential factor in all these is the digital teacher. The teachers need to rationalize the application of these for children giving them the opportunity to experience both the virtual and real. Teachers cannot take this as a matter of convenience or inconvenience. It’s a matter of opportunity , the ultimate aim is making the children fit for a successful life within a technology-led day of the present. The world has been so, applying the teachings of the day – logic, religion, science or – from Plato to Dr Abdul Kalam!

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PLANTING PERSONALITIES IN THE PLANET

by with No Comment LifeLifestyle

STRANDOMS: the stray and random thoughts

September 3, 2017

Prof. S. Ramkumar

Life 

PLANTING PERSONALITIES IN THE PLANET

September 5th is the Teachers Day. A look into the role of teachers. Dedicated to those great minds that create generations of goodwill.
“If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.” (John Dewey, American philosopher and psychologist)

Everything teaches us: situations, people, flora, fauna… what doesn’t? But the contribution of “teachers” in molding us to be what we are, reverberates by the imminent touches of teachers in our daily lives. Good teachers live through, and with the learners, in maybe small but beautiful ways of how they deal and dwell on this planet.

Good teachers have a part of him/her living as a legend with us (the only systematic influence other than the inheritance of genes from parents!). My class mate in school, recently chatted from Panama; the first thing he typed was about Ramachandran Sir who taught us geography and about Panama Canal. My friend was so thrilled (and we all were ) that his efforts live: it’s not the subject, but how he delivered. Compared to the present day opportunities of teachers, we are quite sure that he had not been to Panama at that time!

You become a teacher when you realize that students respect you , not fear you. The respect is the realm of a new love- of freely speaking with a teacher- which evolves to the ideal relationship of a teacher growing to mentor.

“I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.” (Einstein)

The tools of a teacher are appreciation, compliments, respect, love, care , concern and participation in guidance though the life of the learner. These tools have to be sensibly applied to raise the confidence and capacities of students, so as to make themselves happy in the path of life.

We often remember teachers, and hold them to heart for taking us through tough situations like when students think:

“Marks are less”

Complexity of thoughts like “ I am not as good as him/her”

“What shall I do in life?”

“I am Poor”

“I am not good at this”

“ I have problems at home, do I have a future?”

It’s not History, Chemistry, Computer Science, English, Medicine, Business or Engineering (ie. Subjects) that is vital for us as a teacher but how (s)he creates confidence in the learner to deal with life with the above tools that were mentioned earlier. It’s challenging. In teaching, the subject is only a medium – to create a mind to apply that- is the task of the teacher.

Teach them to walk alone or together in life.

“Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time.”

(Chinese Proverb)

This is evident in the present day, when value education is repositioned with lesser priority in Schools and on the other end we need to build “committed citizens” (irrespective of knowledge brains) for building a Nation at a later stage. As Dr. Abdul Kalam envisions in “ A Manifesto for change”, “ we need to have a creative classroom, creative syllabus and creative teachers. The first two are comparatively easy, but the challenge is how to find creative teachers. Finding such teachers is the hardest task.

I remember many teachers (and students too!) for the “lessons of life” they taught me rather than the subjects dealt with. The students are amazing resource in teaching us many things. They remind us of the World that is transitional, lead us to the challenge of debating with ourselves on “right” and “wrong”, change our mindset on perceiving things- all for the better.

Back to teachers, the list for me starts with Late Sister Prosperous, who with her patience probably would have instilled a little something called ‘curiosity’. The list is never ending and can never be complete. But just few examples on the lessons learnt and subjects taught:

Amazing were the classes of Shri. Panikkar Sir in science, but what I learnt is the way of orderliness on his entry into the class, keeping books on one side of the table perfectly in an order, taking time to arrange himself, and his smile.

Prof. W. H. Mackaden, the passionate and Mrs. Radha Padmanaban, the elegant (writer of children’s stories) in Malabar Christian college who taught English, were magnets to whom we were hooked for long, during the “science dominated” courses. Inborn raconteurs. The passion for understanding writings and literature is the lesson learnt for life!

In Veterinary College it’s a long list, worth writing another Strandom!

In University of Reading, UK, again it’s a long list. Remember Prof. Maurice my mentor (a serious but genuine teacher) who taught travelling is learning and Prof Chris, the dynamism of decision making without delay. One of the softest feeling is for Late Gwynn Jones from Wales a real Country man reminding me of a straight innocent grandfather figure from a rural area of India. Was a pleasure to be with him.

Other than Judges in a Judiciary system, probably teachers are the only people who have the attribute of being neutral – to a group of students of a heterogeneous class at any time. Class, colour, community, creed, gender – nothing matters to a teacher who sees only a learner in every one. All are equal, capable (maybe in different aspects) and beautiful.

The onus of identifying, nurturing and creating generation of “responsible humans” largely lies with teacher, whether it’s in the first standard or during his PhD.

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2018: the take away – part 1

by with No Comment Education

Education

December 9, 2018

Prof. S. Ramkumar

EXAMINATION ANXIETY

(The role of teacher revisited in the context of the transition from Online examination to Offline examination)

In the distorted life period of the pandemic, students have undertaken only Online examinations which were taken at home and had a different pattern of answering questions and now with schools and colleges reopening, it is back to the in classroom examinations. This is when the concerns of students, especially those who haven’t undergone an in-physical classroom examination for a long period, need to be genuinely and carefully addressed.

The classes of theory were largely or fully online, which had they’re own modifications in facilitating a situation that suited the pandemic situation (including technology like mobile phones, computers, signals, cost of mobile data..), This may not have been an ideal situation any student or teacher aspired for – but was good enough to help in the context of the world wherein the single prime motto was the control and prevention of the COVID 19 pandemic .
 
Considering the period from April 2020 to October 2021, students (and teachers) have been through various experiments mainly regarding teaching online and conducting examinations online. These have subject-wise specific opportunities and challenges.
Now, after repeated exposure to online examination there is a transition based on the COVID protocol, with colleges reopening and examinations being conducted in offline mode. There is a great responsibility vested with the Faculty in this period of “come back” to normalcy, to understand a student’s mind ; to get back from the ‘Solitary learner’ mode at home to real class room teaching and examinations.
 
The COVID-19 period has taught us that Education need not be equal to examination. It’s only a process of evaluation. However, this revival/transition period is now putting back examinations, in position as per the University directions. This transitory period for a student to face an offline examination needs to be empathetically understood.
 
We need to realize this as ‘teachers’ who need to adapt to support the feelings, ward off the worries, give direction and build confidence among students to write examinations in classroom mode. This is a great moral responsibility vested on us, by the unique time we have gone through and are going through.
 
From the online to classroom examination, the genuine anxiety should first be taken off from the minds of students. It’s time for us to handhold them to be confident first so that they can concentrate and start studying, rather than worrying on writing an examination and ‘passing it’.
 
The challenge for a teacher now is not the subject-matter; but the ‘subject”(student) to whom we taught largely in the online period, who have to be calmed. Also need to understand that an examination is not to find out what a student doesn’t know, but rather what a (s)he knows. This transition period is the apt context that highlights and reminds us of this responsibility.
 
I think considering the constraints of online teaching and earlier online examinations, setting of questions play an important role. We should remember that these are students who have been taught through the online mode, who are appearing for examinations. The fundamentals that a student should know should be a priority, rather than testing deep-knowledge.
 
Introducing question papers to students in short sessions, model tests, revision of subjects within an hour, skimming through the major titles etc. can build confidence in students to go ahead and appear for the offline exams, since they reassure students of the commitment and handholding of a teacher in supporting them.
 
Ultimately, when a student writes a classroom examination after a series of online exams during lockdown period, it’s only natural for them to have worries. Teachers need to focus on “subjects” (students) so as to help them deliver the subject matter.
With worries being helped to be warded away, students are sure to perform well in this period of recovery from the pandemic.

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Vuja de on “Yes sir!”

by with No Comment Lifestyle

STRANDOMS: the stray and random thoughts

 04 January 2019

Prof. S. Ramkumar

Lifestyle

Vuja de on “Yes sir!”

How the sheets of the attendance register of students we taught live with us.

Recently in a get together, in the ambience of pleasantry exchanges, a shy participant, hesitantly came to me and whispered, I was a student of yours and you may not remember me sir. His face was familiar, though he had grown up to be plump, mature and stout. He cordially told his name. Then the magic – words flicked my brain, opening the box of identity. Yes, it was almost 25 years back since I called this name (along with many others), regularly for a long period as their course teacher. I could describe his nature, how good he was in some things and how he could have cared some more on certain things as a student. He was surprised and astonishingly asked me how I remembered him ?

Well, it was spontaneous tracing from the memory lane. I also learnt that repeated calls of names for attendance were an interactive meaningful exercise I was undertaking within a short period of time in the beginning or the end of lecture/class. It’s just that you tell a name and it introduces you to certain traits of the students. Calling the attendance – often considered a monotonous and official requirement to calculate the minimum percentage to appear for an exam – has lots more for a teacher. We all have started saying “Yes Sir” for a teacher’s call on our name, from a time when we cannot imagine, even as kids! Now many of our children and grand children continue the legacy.

From Anitha to Maria, Shafy to Venkatesh, Abhiramy to …., it is over three decades that this class room experience has been going on for me.

Marking attendance is a brief but rich opportunity of instant connectivity with the student. The tone (weak, feeble, loud, clear, slow, fast..) of the student, their body language, face expression (the eyes especially- sparks, brightness, droopiness, expectations, hope, frustration), gestures etc speaks a lot within a few seconds during that mandatory “Yes sir”.

As McLuhan said: “the medium is the message”. You do this for 6 months or a year, the name along with the nature imprints within you as a part of you for your life. Well, as a teacher you have additional observations and opportunities to pick and choose from with them. However, we are blessed with the boon of forgetting, and many are kept in the long term repository memory of life. But then what you repeated several times lives within you, and instantly refreshes the feeling of familiarity once someone utters the name. It is just like chanting mantras or verses from a favorite book repeatedly.

Efforts are going on in many institutions, as a matter of fact, in line with present time, to save the time of calling attendance through electronic mode of marking. Understandably if you have more numbers of students it has to be addressed.

For me though, I have felt that the response of “Yes Sir” to attendance-calls as:

1 an amazing experience of varied beauty with which students respond to their names,

2 an immediate perception to their status/mood; and above all, the best one

3 an unique experience to store the names of the wonderful students down your memory lane, which can be opened by a click of name in the future.

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The unsung heroines : A tribute to Grandmas

by with No Comment LifeLifestyle

STRANDOMS: the stray and random thoughts

January 6, 2019

Prof. S. Ramkumar

Education

The unsung heroines : A tribute to Grandmas

Grandparents are irreplaceable sources of love in our life. The merry-life of grandchildren are enriched in the presence of grandparents. They are often the soul mates to whom children share all secrets and apprehensions, including how strict and tough their parents are, how silly sometimes friends are and how cruel teachers are in asking them to do homework and learn! Children have favourites among the grandparents. In an age of technology dominated by short settlements in different regions of the world for work, and nucleated families, the roles of Grandparents are changing. This is an attempt to recollect few incidences with my grandma, and I write it as a tribute to all grandparents.

“Granny expresses her approval of this attitude (of Swami) and then begged leave to start the story of Harischandra, who, just to be true to his word , lost his throne, wife, and child, and got them all back in the end. She was half-way through it when Swaminathan’s rhythmic snoring punctuated her narration, and she lay down to sleep.”

(Swami and Friends: R. K. Narayanan)

Grandma narrated stories which were short, expressive and emotional, and it’s a great feel of hearing the stories lying beside. The story-telling by my grandmother often took me to a world of imagination from where it took time to get back to the real world. I remember how she told on Krishna going to Hastinapaura to appeal for peace with Duryodhana on behalf of Pandavas, after their 12 years of exile in the Forest and a 13 nth year of incognito. He was to ask the Kingdom for Pandavas! Duryodhana wanted to show his pride, power and ego and wanted to disparage Krishna, in spite of his father and other Gurus advising him not to do so. Duryodhana instructed his court members to sit in their chairs and not stand up as respect when Krishna arrives in the Court. They all sat firm to their chairs. The reaching of Krishna was indicated through the Panchaganyam (the conch) which was blown on his way, in the chariot. The kings and ministers and Duryodhana’s brothers started shivering since their chairs shuddered on the sound of the Panchajanyam, and they started to fall from their seats! What a picture she has drawn on a nine year old and stimulated the art of imagination. The dramatic, exaggerated version had no physical gestures – all were through the gentle voice changes which brought a movie in front of me.

Parents are our ideals.. However children feel they are strict with many schedules (of course aimed at the goodness of children!). At an young age the only person who could overrule my father’s decisions on my freedom was my Grandma. She tried her veto power mainly in my interest for playing (often at the cost of the studies!) and lying idle hearing her stories. The compliments of grandma on our achievements (and non-achieving) are so heart warming.

Remember once my maths teacher, Joseph sir (an old wise man) who came home occasionally to teach me maths , taught multiplication table. One day he asked to recollect the tables and tell him which he taught several times. I could easily say the multiplication tables of one to 12. Tables from 12 to16 required some more efforts from me which I didn’t put in, especially my Grandma being around. He scolded and I started to cry loudly (if it was my parents they wouldn’t mind though). Grandma came as an Angel from inside and told the teacher “your teaching is enough”! Joseph sir couldn’t convince her in any way. My father at that time a Professor of Education came to know of it in the evening when he returned from the College. He talked to his mother and requested her not to intervene in teaching. However she refused to hear him saying “any teaching which makes the child cry” is not real teaching! I was so happy when she reminded my father on how he has studied without getting any scolding or slaps. He had answers but was difficult to explain in front of me!

When I was eight I was to write the Sainik School exam. Grandma told my father that it’s not a good idea since I will be moved away from family to a hostel at a young age. Father had his reasons which were fair and asked me to write that. Though he was serious on me attempting it, grandma had a personal session with me on why that life would be difficult. Anything for her! I made sure I didn’t get through the test! The attitude of taking certain things lightly in life might have been planted in me by her.

Grandma used to explain about the relatives, relations and was open in her versions of who are good and who are not so. They were straight talks- simple and loving – and offered unfiltered joy. I used to enjoy helping her crush the betel leaves (vettila) and areca nuts (paakku) in the small stone, kept for that, which was her most relaxing time.

A grandma’s presence in a home moulds the children, without her/his knowing and, they are often least credited to this personality formation. Grandmas are always a joy – whether we are sad, angry or happy they “talk to” and “feel you”. They hear to all our petty complains and silly stories at home and school, and join us. Grandma to grandchild is a special bond.

Though short, I cherish the best moments of my childhood and now realise the depth of impact it had in me. Above all I loved her nose-jewel stud, mukuthi (the red stones in gold nose stud). She had the aristocracy of maturity, unbounded love, a simple and straight heart.

Grandmas – the invisible evangelists who shape us!

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The stroll of sense and strength

by with No Comment Lifestyle

STRANDOMS: the stray and random thoughts

March 29,2020

Prof. S. Ramkumar

Education

The stroll of sense and strength

Recently, I received a postal letter from Prof.Maurice Rolls who was my PhD Guide in the University of Reading, UK (1991-1994). He had retired two decades back and is settled in Wales. I met him last in 2002 , in Reading. Not connected with email or smart phone, my only way of reaching him was via ‘snail –mail’. This letter, after many years was so heartening to me, revealing the love of a great teacher. There is one part of the letter which says “happy memories of studying with you” which has brought back lovely memories for me too. A great teacher, researcher, administrator and an extension worker, who is an amazing painter. Recollecting one incident among many !

It was almost the end of autumn in UK,1994 and winter had already announced its arrival. In my research room in one of the old buildings of the famous International and Rural Development Department (IRDD) of the University of Reading (which is now embedded in the School of Agriculture Policy and Development -SAPD – at present – with a new building), I was with the final assemblage of the thesis document that had to be submitted and defended for my PhD, a research journey which started in 1991! The days of 1994 autumn were satisfying as they indicated an end to my PhD work, arriving at some meaningful conclusions based on the attempt of research. However it was a bit chaotic pulling papers of all sorts to assort, identify and arrange, with impeccable accuracy! Added to that was the thought of convincing the unknown examiners on my study to be offered a Doctor of Philosophy.

I heard a gentle knock, and on opening could see Professor Rolls , my guide with his classic stingy smile, and soft but firm voice asking me “Ram, can we just take a stroll out”. As a senior Professor, and that too a traditional British Educationist, Maurice has always been a role model for me. I put on my winter jacket and we went out only to be wrapped by the chilling cold and the early darkness at 4pm. Maurice had short strides as was his nature with short simple sentences. “Now that you have completed your research study and documented it we are planning to have your defence viva” as we walked he told in this whispering voice . “We have three choices for you as the external examiners :one is Burt Swanson (a well know Extensionist from US ), Niels Rӧling (another extension scientist from Wageningen) or Mr John Howell the Director of Overseas Development Institute (ODI, London)”. I have read, referred and studied many of them since my research started in Reading. Readers who have an exposure to Extension science ( as agriculture, Veterinary, dairy, gender studies, welfare, Home science, Development studies background) may be familiar with popular names.

One theme of Extension that spinned off globally during that period (late 1980s into 90s) was the “Systems approaches” to studying Extension Science, with Wageningen (The Netherlands) and Reading Schools (UK) being the premier proponents . The Wageningen School had lots of useful and interesting theories including the “Actor oriented approach” largely a sociological approach to development (Long et al being the major proponents) and the Agricultural Knowledge and Information Systems (the AKIS) for which Niels was one of the foremost advocate. I was trying to pin this just for the readers who are not aware of Extension science! The Reading School had useful studies on Agricultural Information Systems, the AIS (with Maurice Rolls and Gwynn Jones ) earlier to these. There were active scientific discussions and debates between these two schools on the relevance and utility of approaches. It’s exactly when I walked into the Reading School in 1991 with my ambitious interest of poignant research in University, that too to associate with one of the tall leaders of AIS, Prof. Rolls!

The six months of my review in the amazing wealth of the reading materials in the University and the Department Library, with the silent occasional nods of Maurice seasoned me to put up a third theory of “Actor oriented information systems Approach “ at the philosophical level which had practical application. But then it was a bold step of taking over the theories mentioned, but largely built from them. Maurice was with me, though apparently silent.

As I tried deciphering the algorithms of my research problem over the three years (1991 to 1994), Maurice used to give consultations, wherein he preferred to listen a lot, endorsing the views and airing his doubts. Maurice had never been argumentative or loud in his views or expressions. But he expressed firm beliefs with pleasure or displeasure, if any, in his facial expression – all with soft words.

As we walked along the pathway of the Whiteknights Lake, under the yellow halo lights, he continued, “Mr Swanson who agreed to be the examiner considering your new approach , couldn’t make it since he had an unavoidable meeting in Rome at FAO. And finally Mr Howell, the Director ODI will be coming”. Rolls also told that he, as the main guide will not be in the Examiners board. In fact he is the next person to me who knew in and out of my works for the last three years, with some strong debates between us happening. Now as we walked tearing through the wintry mist, I realised that he was a little tensed on my defence, as the Guide, and advised me not to worry on anything “you have a sound thesis of yours- just explain”. This was a bouquet of confidence he gave me. I knew later that he wanted to ensure that I wasn’t getting worried of the formal thesis-defence, though I had given many seminars and meetings on this which were held earlier. As we walked in to the Department which was warm, he shook hands with me wishing me best of luck. The fifteen minutes of stroll with him has been one of the life time experiences I love.

One, that he selected the best stalwarts of Extension at that time as my examiners and two, he gave the confidence that I can defend my work among any experts just before I undertook it. It gave me the strength not only for that Viva voce, but lessons for the teacher in me on

  1. how to help researchers emotionally at times they needed that most.
  2. how to handhold the learners; take them to purpose of learning. Help achieve the best. The learners need not necessarily know that you have been handholding them!

Epilogue: The thesis was commented well by the Board and the University of Reading was kind enough to offer me a post doctoral bursary (the first of its kind!) to undertake a study on Hillside Forest Information System in Sri Lanka based on our theory of AIS.

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The ladder to the first 200 Global Universities: an Indian perspective

by with No Comment Lifestyle

STRANDOMS: the stray and random thoughts

August 22, 2018

Prof. S. Ramkumar

Education

The ladder to the first 200 Global Universities: an Indian perspective

One of the major concerns in many corners of education is that Indian Universities are not finding a slot in the rank list of first 200 Global Universities. These thoughts are centered around two points.

Point 2 – That we need to improve the quality at different levels inside and outside the University level.

Point 1 – The stronger perspective is that India was left with the back pack of the long years of colonial rule. And the development that India had in different fields from 1947 to 2018 is remarkable (though one can always ask for better results).

The ranking of Indian Universities as against the Universities of developed nations need to be viewed based on the “Indian context” of the society. From what we inherited (good and bad) and how we addressed these in the field of Education. If we have a yardstick added in the ranking on the entry of underprivileged women, the poor and the rural people then, the Universities of India will be higher in the ranking scales. Performance of any University that exists in a society is linked to the structure and function of the society. (This is again with reiteration of point 2).

If the ranking of Universities takes care of point 2 and point 1, I am sure that many of our higher educational institutes / universities will be in the first 100 of the world

The yardsticks make the steps of the ladder.

Mind the steps!

The ladder to the first 200 Global Universities: an Indian perspective

Remember addressing the PG students of Arts & Sciences of Bangalore University in their Senate Hall of grandeur in 2013. The talk was on the challenges of higher education sector. Following the conclusion was the discussion in which a student raised the doubt on why Indian Universities do not find a place in the first 200 of the world which triggered a long and insightful debate. Educationists and policy makers debate this theme in various media and fora. They suggest methods for Indian Universities/Institutes to slide into the list of first 200 world-ranked Universities.

This article is an attempt to capture the context of education in the “Indian” situation which may help us to understand the “unseen” and often “invisible” good outputs of education in India, amidst the attempts to be a winner within the global rank race.

I have two points and prefer to make it explicit and clear about Point 2, first. Point two is that that there is a lot of room for improvement in quality enhancement of Higher Education institutions, which many are trying to achieve. These improvements inside an University is context-based, dependent on the society in which it functions and on which it is embedded upon. Various articles on this spread in newspapers, reveal its accruing relevance for the present times. What ails our educational institutions (nurturing institution of excellence is a slow and painstaking process) in Business Line July, 24th 2018 by Dilip Ahuja and the thoughts of Raghuram Rajan, an academician and former RBI Governor, in the Business Line on July 25, 2018 are just two examples to quote.

  1. Mr. Rajan mentions that we need to revolutionize education and that “India could make huge strides in education. Raw material in the form of children were available in plenty and good quality. They could be molded. Despite the problems of malnutrition, poor school and collegiate education, the raw material was useable and fresh. Even if they get a moderate education, you can still do great things with them” . He proceeded to give creative ideas for this.

I take my route to Point one of my thoughts from the above( ie. point 2: which is to state in simple terms Universities need to make lot of qualitative charges in areas such as the pedagogy, performance indices, content, interdisciplinary researches, attitude to science and society, need- based research, reformed examination systems etc., to be in the forefront of the Global University Rankings)

However, Point 2 -I feel that not being in the “Nth rank” in a list of Universities which are charted based on internationally set yardstick of higher education, should not be a worry as often thought for; no doubt, it can be a motive to address point one !

For e.g. The “Times Higher Education World Ranking of Universities” has designed the performance indicators of Teaching (30%), Research (30%), Citation (30%), International Outlook (7.5%) and Industry Income (2.5%). www.Times HigherEducation.com. Each of these is calculated with different criteria, like the Teaching has components of Staff to student ratio, Doctorate to Bachelors ratio and Institutional income. The implications of these have different degrees of importance in different countries.

India is unique in different ways. The fabric of Indian Society is rich in its years of culture and diversity; unique in its socio-economic platform on equalities; modeled as the largest successful democracy and above all the second most populous nation of the globe. The development of every society (at macro level) and identity of every individual in society (micro level) is dependent on the “back pack of the culture and civilization history” it carries. Education has a lot to do with fitting into the setting, culture or heritage.

“ Education is the perfecting of life- the enrichment of the individual by the heritage of the race. Let this vital process of transmission and absorption be interrupted for half a century, and civilization would end, our grandchildren would be more primitive than savages” Will Durant: 2014 “Fallen Leaves: last words on Life, Love War and God”. This vision is an example for the macro level identity.

Swami Vivekananda’s advice as “ Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man”, is relevant and simple in making realize the “micro level” identity of individuals.

Very few countries can claim the historical heritage that India has. This is a very broad area of discussion. To make it as simple (which in reality is as complex as the Universe which Stephen Hawking was astonished to explore and reveal) we can start from a portion of history that suits the discussion on ranking of Universities.

India was ruled by the British (leaving the long history of the pre-British Indian era, which have contributed the Nalanda and Takshasila to the world, Gurukul system, community schools etc) and in 1947, we were left with a “colonized education system” of more than 200 years. The great visionary leaders of Indian Independence in their attempt to rebuild India have toiled a great for the growth and development (from a socio-economic perspective) of our nation. Education had a vital role in it. The context included the “back pack of the culture and civilization” like caste, religion, class, tribe – ultimately we wanted inclusion of the poor and down trodden (to address poverty and adopt democracy) in nation building. Gandhian thought of “Compulsory school education” aimed at inclusive development (and nutrition) and he knew that India was best under the British rule.

Education played and plays a vital role in this take off from 1947.

Minoo Masani in his book “Our India” in 1941 narrates the great richness and diversity of India amidst the 16.1% of literacy. We moved from this to 74% literacy in 2011. As Amartya Sen says: “Illiteracy and innumeracy are major deprivations – profound “unfreedom” as their own. Not to be able to read, write and count makes a person less free to have control over one’s life.” British rule have left us with that illiteracy in 1947.

Adam Szirmai (1997) in his book on Education and Development: the dynamics of socio economic development, an introduction, observes that Education tends to be academically oriented and has little relationships with the life situations of most students.

I shall share few of the points of Amartya Sen (devoid of his stylistic explanation!) to take support for my thoughts.

This is from his article (one among the many he wrote on development issues specific to India) on “Sunlight and other fears: the importance of school education” ; in “The country of First Boys, 2015) talks on What’s the point of going to School ?

  1. Basic education can be very important in helping people to get jobs and to have gainful employment.
  2. Schooling is not only an educational occasion, it is also a “social opportunity” to come out of one’s home, and to meet others, who come from different families, has dissimilar values and have knowledge of disparate walks of life.
  3. When ultimate, their ability to understand and invoke their legal rights can be very limited.
  4. Illiteracy can also muffle the political voice of the underdog and thus contribute directly to their insecurity.
  5. The respect and regard for women’s well-being is strongly influenced by such variables as women’s ability to earn an independent income, to find employment outside the home, to have ownership rights, and to have literacy and be educated participants in decisions within and outside the family (This has direct connection to reduced mortality rates and positive health building in family too).

How many of the top ranked Global Universities (majority in the so called developed countries) have gone through a similar process of Nation building as given in the Indian context.

From 1947 to 2018 India has consistently progressed in all the “a” to “e” factors as mentioned above by Amartya Sen (though one can arguably ask for more efficient outcomes) for which education was pivotal. The ones who have gone through school education- many of them the underprivileged and privileged; girls and boys, poor & rich; rural & urban – enter colleges. This is one of our important yardsticks on progress of education : the number of universities and colleges after the independence and students enrolled in them.

As mentioned in the beginning of point 2, Reghuram rightly says “The raw materials in the form of children were available ………and they could molded.” We could achieve that with vision and implementation of reforms in education sector from Shri Jawaharlal Nehru to Shri Narendra Modi.

India is showing development in terms of socio economic parameters though challenges diversify as decades change.

What did the British rule leave for us:

  1. An examination System rather than an Education system.

(The Hunter Commission constituted by the UKK Parliament direction in 1882 has observed that there is no education system in India but only examination system. Students are being prepared for examinations to get a degree certificate to get a job and the prestige in society. The Kothari Commission report of 1952 endorsed the views). The education system in UK during colonial rule in India gave importance to Character building and overall personality development to face real life situations, while in India it was based on getting a certificate for job.

  1. Macaulay introduced English education in India in 1835 and this system created a class of anglicized Indians who would serve as cultural intermediaries between the British and the Indians. Though years have passed by Miniya Chatterji in her book on Indian Instincts : essays on freedom and equality in India (2018) discusses the feeling of some of the Indian parents even today : “ …the generation that does not speak English wants their children to do so. Education is an asset that has changed fortunes-parents who have not had any know its value and push their children towards it”. And Macaulay prevails!
  2. British Higher education system did little to promote analytic capacity or creative thinking and certainly no independence of mind. It produced a group of graduates with a better-than basic knowledge in English, in adequate in ninety percent of the cases to hold one’s own with an English man, but adequate to get a clerical position in the lower rungs of Government service.(Shashi Tharoor-2016. An era of darkness: the British empire in India p 223)

The ranking of Indian Universities as against the Universities of developed nations need to be viewed based on the “Indian context” of the society. From what we inherited (good and bad) and how we addressed these in the field of Education. If we have a yardstick added in the ranking on the entry of underprivileged, women, poor, rural, the Universities of India will be higher in the rank scales. Performance of any University that exists in a society is linked to the structure and function of the society. (This is again with reiteration of point 2).

If the ranking of Universities takes care of point 2 and point 1, I am sure that many of our higher educational institutes / universities will be in the first 100 of the world.

The yardsticks make the steps of the ladder.

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