Principals’ talk is an initiative by Ya!, DNA’s Sunday weekly magazine for children between the ages of seven and 14. Principals and educationists belonging to various schools and boards across the city participated in the discussion on the
current education scenario today.
The main focus of the talk was whether India should have one school education board and one national curriculum. Most principals agreed with the one board idea but also pointed out that the logistics and infrastructure could be a problem. “Having a same board is not a problem — in fact it will make the admission process easier but we need to have good infrastructure and teachers in the rural area,” said principal Archana Singh, Ryan Global School.
Many radical ideas were put forth such as bringing back the 9+2 system, making the tenth standard exam necessary for those students who don’t want to pursue studies anymore, and such. Most of the principals felt that this Ya! initiative gave them a platform to voice their opinions.
T Kalithanathan, principal of the Atomic Energy School 2, felt that one board was a good idea as it would provide a uniform standard of education across the country. The need for college reforms was felt strongly by all principals. “They felt that there should beadynamic discourse between schools and universities,” said principal Mallika Subramanyam, Naval Public School.
All principals agreed on the fact that pressure on children should be reduced and that the learning experience should be enjoyable and stress free. “We have certain type of conditioning towards educational practices. A lot of unlearning and learning is required. The transition is difficult but it’s happening at different levels,” said vice principal Sunita George, RN Podar.
A detailed version of the Ya! Principals’ Talk will appear on DNA later this week.
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