There were no fancy ribbons, spotlights, expensive costumes or long speeches, leaving the forum just for exchange of ideas. The get-together of parents and teachers organised at the Chennai Primary School, Jones Road, on Friday was a simple yet meaningful affair.
Organised by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) as part of the series of the Village Education Committee (VEC) meetings, it was aimed at providing an opportunity for the parents to give their feedback and the school teachers to explain the new pedagogic practices they were adopting. The VEC consists of representatives from the school, parents, Education Department, Chennai Corporation and non-governmental organisations.
Headmistress K. Jeevarathinam addressed parents on the Activity-Based Learning (ABL) methodology used in primary classes. “lasses I and II in our school are offered in English medium. The ABL has reduced the burden on children and has also made learning easier for them,” she said.
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Parents were evidently surprised when a class II student solved a mathematics addition problem, showing how to find the sum of 555, 680 and 781, using colourful beads. Some children read out pieces in English and a few others were part of a short villupaattu performance.
Some parents expressed concern that the new textbooks for English medium classes were yet to be issued, to which teachers said that they would soon receive them. “The idea is to gather different stakeholders and have a healthy exchange of ideas so that the teaching and learning process can be reviewed and improved,” said M. Baskar, one of the Block Resource Teacher Educators, SSA, for the zone.
Every primary school coming under the SSA's purview would receive Rs.300 to organise such a meeting.
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