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Aditi De

The launch of a TV channel for preschool children throws up an interesting debate on what early learning is all about.

When Walt Disney Television launched its preschool channel, Playhouse Disney, in December 2004, it went the whole hype. Mickey Mouse came "in person" to the Bangalore press conference in early February, in case the media wanted to get up close and personal with the legendary creature. And multimedia presentations provided a glimpse of what makes Disney one of the top half-dozen global brands.

But what is Playhouse Disney all about? Based on the `Whole Child Curriculum (WCC)' — its original programming for 2-6 year-olds, besides their parents and caregivers — is said to be endorsed by education experts in the US and the Asia-Pacific region. "This curriculum-based approach is designed to stimulate thinking skills, develop motor skills, foster early academic learning, instil moral and social lessons, and encourage creativity and artistic expression."

Scheduled from 8 a.m. to 12 noon on weekdays, and 6-8 a.m. on weekends, Playhouse Disney combines favourite Disney shows such as New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Bear in the Big Blue House with original fare such as Jojo's Circus, and Rolie Polie Olie. Olie happens to be a robot that imparts family values, the blue house-bound bear explores themes like water as he sums up each day to a friendly moon, while Jojo the clown invites the kids to sing or shake a leg. For local appeal, the channel has programming with local hosts Mona, Daman and Manoj such as Pet Pooja, Sair Sapata, and Hanste Khelte.

WDTVI-I's Managing Director Rajat Jain points out that Playhouse Disney aims to provide "special entertainment with heart." It was first launched in Australia in October 2000, premiered in Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines in July 2001, followed by Korea and Indonesia in 2002.

What does its advent as the first preschool pay channel in India signify? It's about connecting with nearly 100 million very young Indians, most of whom do not watch kiddie channels. It proposes to engage a wider audience through 5,500 episodes dubbed in Hindi. Playhouse Disney's target comprises about 45 million households that subscribe to cable and pay channels.

"We are trying to help parents and secondary caregivers raise well-rounded kids through learning powered by the imagination," says Hema Govindan, Marketing Director.

The curtain-raiser snippets make many wonder aloud. While Winnie the Pooh has his honey-coated appeal and Olie is endearing beyond mechanical stereotypes, why is the local programming so contrived? Why do the Indian hosts simper, preen, coo, even romp, as if turning back the clock? Do playmates/ guides/ teachers in any preschool mimic the toddlers who are their wards?

Despite the use of computer-generated images, animation and live action, the local fare does not yet measure up. While Pet Pooja is essentially a scaled-down cookery programme, Sair Sapata explores the world around, and Hanste Khelte showcases children in activities featured in a just-shown episode. But when children are such natural stars in everyday life, it is puzzling to watch them put through unusual cutie-pie activities that seem out of sync — cuddling up to a soft toy with a frozen smile, or wiggling a super-tidy ponytail. How does that connect with their real world?

Are Bangalore's preschool educators thrilled by the introduction of this new element in their lives? Communications expert Katherine Rustumji, who co-founded the Gintara preschool at R.T. Nagar two years ago with Nina Kanjirath (an expert in translating pedagogy into multimedia), responds, "Scientific research in the US has shown that below the age of three, children exposed to TV as a tool, irrespective of the content, suffer from attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). So, we say, no TV for those below three. The TV is not an appropriate learning tool because it is not interactive. The child in front of the TV is totally passive. Children learn mainly by doing."

Indira Swaminathan, who's Paati (or grandmother) to her gaggle of kids at the Playhouse Early Learning Centre at C.V. Raman Nagar, has become one of India's most respected pedagogues ever since she founded her first preschool in 1966. Though she does occasionally watch channels like Pogo with her granddaughter, to her the high-energy preschool bunch learns best when their experience is "hands on, feet on the move."

Is TV then an appropriate learning tool? "It can only supplement what the inputs are at home or at school. Since children are used to talking, moving, playing, listening, the small screen could turn them into passive learners. That could be dangerous," contends Indira, whose educational innovations have been lauded at conferences in China and Geneva. From 1985-90, she even developed an alternate nationwide preschool model for the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), funded by the Geneva-based Aga Khan Foundation.

"While I like animation as a communication tool, I'd be wary of imitative behaviour that results from TV viewing, unless supervised. Why would a child get up and jump, just because others are doing so on TV?" she stresses. "Most preschoolers learn much more from an empathetic, joyous, playful adult — and from incidental learning in daily life."

"For me, as an educationist, it is just so scary," argues Katherine. "With TV, the images need to move at a certain pace, the sound needs to be controlled. It over-stimulates the brain, and that's what's causing ADHD, as scientific research in the US has proved." She adds, "At Gintara, we create our own highly-interactive content on the computer. The teacher is in charge of that."

She recalls an argument she had with an NRI father who advocated TV as a tool for English language communication. "If watching TV is such a positive influence, how come the US and the UK have such a problem with teenage reading and writing, while Indian children excel?" she stresses.

"TV is not an end-all. It must be looked at with great caution. Because all preschooling must be value oriented. And we cannot treat the child as a mere receptor," says Indira.

The launch of Playhouse Disney has triggered a raging, many-sided debate on TV in preschool life. Katherine and Indira represent just select colours within the spectrum. We wonder what other shades will appear as the canvas grows day by day.

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