England teachers praise celebration of education

Updated on: Wednesday, February 08, 2012

The sprawling premises of the Government Adi Dravidar Welfare Higher Secondary School for Girls and Boys in Kilambakkam Village near Tambaram wore a festive look on Tuesday. Students, teachers, NCC and physical training instructors had been preparing hard for a week, waiting for this day and when the guests arrived, the students presented a mix of traditional art forms of Tamil Nadu while welcoming the guests – a group of teachers from England.

At the end of the programme, the teachers were moved to tears watching ‘Kummi,' ‘Puliattam,' ‘Silambam' and ‘Karagam,' among others. “This is certainly the best ever welcome ceremony we have ever received in our lives,” said Lesly Welsh from Manor College of Technology, Hartlepool in England.

She and three others — Rosie Merifield (Greatham Church of England Primary School), Anne Barberi (Grange) and Amy McGee (St. Bega's Roman Catholic) — are in Chennai for a week as part of the Connecting Classroooms Project of the British Council. Four teachers from Kattankulathur and St. Thomas Mount Panchayat Unions had earlier visited England as part of an exchange programme.

The teachers from England were briefed about the daily routine in the school and they were surprised to note that the morning assembly lasted 15 minutes that included news reading and meditation. “There are plenty of similarities and differences. But one thing that is remarkable is that students value education and their teachers. They celebrate education,” Ms. Welsh said.

Despite coming from privileged sections, many students back in England did not attach so much of value for education or teachers. It was heartening to note that the government was providing uniform and nutritious lunch absolutely free to the students in addition to education. In England, schools were run by the government with funding by the local councils. Students had to pay for uniform and also for their lunch, which would cost Pound Sterling 2 per meal. Free food was provided only to those whose families were very poor. Ms. Welsh, while interacting with the school staff, said teachers were appointed by the respective school heads. P.Sugavathanam, Headmistress, informed the teachers from England that the school was run by the Department of Adi Dravidar Welfare under the Tamil Nadu government. There were a total of 1,378 students, including 688 girls, in Standards VI to XII. The pass percentage in class X and plus two public examinations was increasing each year. The visiting teachers wanted to know how it was possible to run an institution with so many students imparting them with knowledge and discipline in equal measure. School staff replied that they functioned as a well-knit family with the Headmistress functioning as the ‘head of the family.'

The team would also be visiting a private school. U.K.Perumal, Urapakkam Village Panchayat President and members of the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan also welcomed the teachers.

England teachers praise celebration of education

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