The article “I only want to enjoy my childhood, ma” (Nov. 8) was impressive and so was the thought-provoking response article, “Need for creativity in classroom,” by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (Nov. 12).
Not long ago did I witness this incident during a train journey. A mother was trying to explain to her child how rice was produced, showing him a paddyfield. The child listened to it with rapt attention but asked back: don’t we people in towns easily get rice in supermarkets rather than toiling like these village folk? The mother was flummoxed. The child was justified in asking this simple question because he had never seen a field before. There is a big lacuna in the education system. From 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., the child gets nothing except books. Feeling a rain drop is more enjoyable than learning about cloud formation in the stratosphere.
There is need to first educate parents. More hours in classroom is not equal to more knowledge. Let the child’s mind wander and feel nature.
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Coimbatore