Schools adding fun to make 'weak' students catch up

In a bid to remove the social and peer stigma attached to after-school classes for “weak” students, schools are fast developing initiatives and systems wherein fun and education can be mixed to evolve an educational strategy during school hours itself.

Rather than asking a child to stay back after school, and inviting disapproving glances from his classmates and parents, city schools have adopted the ‘no-detention policy’ for children between six and 14. While implementing unique remedial programmes during school hours, specially-trained educators try to change the attitude and the mindset of parents and children.

Christened Mauj (fun), a remedial programme started in Mahatma Gandhi Vidya Mandir at Bandra (East) is fast catching on in its several neighbouring schools. The initiative by psychiatrist Dr Ashish Deshpande has many unique features, among them to avoid the singling out of problem children or slow learners for remedial classes. “Instead, the children are taken all at once and engaged in various activities, so that they do not label each other,” said Deshpande.

Stating that the aim was school, and not individual, counselling, Deshpande said, “Remedial programmes usually single out students who are found to lag behind in class or have a learning handicap and make them attend these special classes with the school counsellor.  This makes their class look at them differently; they might pick on them or label them as “slow learners” or “weak”.

Conducted by the special educators, and not counsellors like before, the remedial programme is part of the regular school time-table.  ‘’All children—weak or strong—benefit mutually as they are made to participate in certain common activities. Children feel that they are playing, but the activities are specially designed to test them. Parents also do not feel ashamed to send their children for such play-way methods,’’ he added.

Having conducted pre and post-tests that assess the child’s progress, experts will present the results on February 11.

Stating that such programmes were the need of the hour, educationist Basanti Roy, also the former state board secretary, said remedial education has become even more important in light of the Right to Education Act. 

‘’Schools keep complaining about the falling standards due to the ‘no-fail policy’. They forget that the policy does not mean blindly promoting children to higher grades, but giving extra help to students who are lagging behind and bringing them on a par with others. Unfortunately, in the city, not many schools seemed to have understood this,’’ said Roy.