West meets East

Updated on: Thursday, December 15, 2011

Caroline Harmer was lost in the midst of Mahatma School students enacting out the story of Christmas. “Never for a moment did I feel I was far away in India. All along, I felt I was listening to Christmas carols sung by children in my country, the U.K. You students were so perfect in your performance,” she said later to them, before her departure after a five-day whirlwind tour of 10 schools in Madurai under the Global School Partnership Programme, an initiative of the British Council.

It was a compliment for the students and their teachers alike. A loud round of applause drowned her voice even as Caroline – totally ‘Indianised' in her attire – waited for the din to die down. Dressed in a cotton kurti and donning a Nehru cap, with kumkum on her forehead, mehendi on her palms, besides a wrist band and a garland in our tricolor, she looked every bit an overwhelmed teacher who was returning after a “rewarding and fun experience.”

Of course, there was “challenge” too. “Whichever classroom I entered, I felt lost with oodles of questions thrown at me. Frankly, I did not know the answers for many. The students are so bright, smart and intelligent,” Caroline said.

Two of her counterparts, Lindsay West and Ruth Farrell, who were busy visiting other schools, shared a similar experience. They too returned seeing the “world differently”. Sharing a class, a meal, a dance or life's experiences here left an undeniable mark on them as teachers. “The world to us now is bigger than just one tribe or country,” they said.

When the trio landed here last week wondering what education is like in a big country like India and what the priorities of Indian teachers are in a small town like Madurai, the sheer size of the schools left them initially awestruck. “From the huge number of students to the big buildings of Mahatma group of schools in particular, we found everything much better resourced than we expected. Children are so enthusiastic about learning and the dedicated band of teachers is so engaged in work,” they said.

Thousands of miles away from Britain, thousands of primary, middle and high school children in this dusty town ended up impressing the British delegation of educators, showing ways to establish long-term learning opportunities for both the countries. While the British education system follows an intense skill-based creative curriculum where every child has ample freedom to do what he or she enjoys doing, most Indian schools follow learning by memory. The concept of potential-based, talent-driven or interest-centric teaching is rarely seen.

At every school Caroline, Lindsay and Ruth visited, they asked a common question to all the students: “Do you enjoy education?”

“We find education has been built effectively here. Children are rooted to their tradition, culture and customs while managing to share a large knowledge base about the world,” said Caroline, after observing the school activities from assembly time to class dispersal at the end of the day. All three actively participated in and keenly watched every event – prayer meetings, yoga and co-curricular classes, classroom teaching, dance performances, science exhibitions, art classes, various ongoing projects on environment and waste management, and the staging of plays.

“It was a dynamic opportunity. It will surely help to enhance the present educational models, and remain focused on team teaching, information sharing and skill building,” said Ms.Jacqueline Vardon, principal Mahatma Baba Building. “The idea is to connect schools internationally and work on collaborative projects,” added Ms.Shanthi, Vice- prinicipal.

The10 city schools have now entered an agreement with schools in Wiltshire, UK, and representatives from here will be going there next year.

Though the delegation took back several handmade items by students as gifts, it is the memory of their visit that will linger long. When asked about the favourite part of their trip, they took a long pause. “It is difficult to choose. The hospitality and kindness of our hosts, the charm and intelligence of the students, the commitment and sincerity of the teachers will stay in our minds. India is very safe in the hands of its children.”

The Visit

The British delegation of teachers spent their time at the Mahatma group of Schools at K.K.Nagar, Alagar Koil and Baba Building; Jain Vidyala, Adhyapana School, VKK Playgroup School, SPJ Matriculation school, Indira Gandhi School and Guhan Matric School.The tie-up schools in UK include Woodlands Primary School, Sarum Academy, The John of Gaunt School, Pembroke Park Primary, Semley CEVA Primary School, Sarun St. Primary, Hilperton CE Primary School and Wilton & Barford Primary School

West meets East

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