The Hindu Business Line : Banish the boredom

TALK of history lessons, and likely you're transported back in time to school. And to memories of learning the dates of invasions, and the social welfare projects of various kings by heart.

It was a question of no application of mind, merely memory power. And those good souls of yore were cursed heartily in the bargain for making it into history books and your curriculum.

How wonderful it would be, instead, to learn history in a different way. For instance, you open a page on the Chola kingdom, and hey presto, the events of the period unfold before your eyes as visuals, with colour and clarity.

Rue your bad luck, you can't go back in time, but rejoice that today's children are luckier. They are indeed learning subjects such as social studies and science in such a way that events and facts come to pulsating life on screens in the classroom.

But for the story, eWorld had to trek some 40 km off Coimbatore into a place to which apparently no roads led. But we didn't give up, just moved on.

And there, in the midst of nowhere huge, expansive concrete structures came into sight. We sought to confirm if this was our destination. And yes, as you may guess, the mobile phone wouldn't work, as it was in the `out of coverage' area. Proof enough that you really are far from the urban setting — and in a Government Higher Secondary School in the rural interiors.

The effort was worth it. eWorld spent time in a classroom to watch a Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Programme initiative. Mooted by the Centre, it is a project that has been introduced on a pilot basis in select schools across the country.

As part of it, the IL & FS Educational Tool for Schools (IETS) has developed technology-enabled learning and training modules for the different learning segments.

"Currently, the educational programmes are operational in over 800 schools covering 10 ten lakh children," says Alok Bhargawa , Executive Director, IL&FS.

Under the programme, IL&FS has prepared CDs based on the school curriculum. For one hour a day, for five days a week, these CDs are played by teachers who have learnt to operate the system though they have no technology exposure as such. Rotary and Lions Club sponsors, besides NGOs, have donated the gadgets required for the initiative x the screen, computer system, printers, etc. The teachers play the CD lessons that are meant to supplement the regular classroom learning.

We watched a social studies session for middle school students who sat dutifully on the ground, eyes glued to the screen in front of them. They are predominantly children of labourers (workers in banian factories nearby) to whom even a TV set at home is a luxury.

The lesson was on the Chola kingdom. And it brought alive temples of the period and pictures of the various kings on the screen.

The science session was on the digestive system. And the children said later that they really understood now where the food and wind pipes are placed in the body and how these organs help in the breathing and eating process.

Earlier, in the traditional way of teaching, the teacher would have drawn the diagrams on board and sought to explain the concept painstakingly. But the complexity of anatomy concepts could limit comprehension. This is where such aids score.

Teachers showed some initial reluctance but have now begun to appreciate such aids. After the screening of the CD come one-word sessions based on the lessons. And the children get their answers right, underscoring the effectiveness of this kind of teaching and learning.

For now, the CD is in English, and is translated into Tamil for the students by the teachers. The children aren't deterred by the language hitch. They understand key words and relate to the lessons, with the teacher's help.

The students have begun to enjoy these classes although they don't get to touch the system, or even lay a finger on the keyboard.

Select teachers in each identified school have undergone training, which has been sponsored by IT training institutes.

The enthusiasm of these students gives the lie to the view that schoolchildren in rural areas attend school only because of the noon meal.

And perhaps it is also no surprise that three children of Std 10 of this school bagged state ranks in the board exams.

Picture by Mohammed Yousuf

lnr@thehindu.co.in

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