PUDUCHERRY: As part of a pilot project to align education to the National Education Policy (NEP), the Sri Aurobindo Society (SAS) in Puducherry is conducting a five-day workshop for teachers of Army Public Schools from the Southern States. The workshop which commenced on Monday at the society's premise at Sharnam in Poothurai village near Ousteri lake on Monday will be replicated across India.
A group of 30 teachers--including 24 from the Army Public Schools from all southern States, four from UT Government schools, two special educators from Satya Special School here-- are participating in a residential workshop. The workshop, fully funded by SAS, intends to bring a paradigm change in the education system by bringing modern technology for a better teaching-learning experience, said Pradeep Prem of SAS who is the project director.
A pre-assessment of the participant teachers was done before the workshop through nine links, added Prem. On completion, a post-assessment will be done to understand the success of this pilot programme, he said. After this, SAS will prepare a programme to be offered to all 197 Army Schools of India.
Theatre, therapeutic movement, arts, puppetry, technology, drumming and yoga will be used in education. Coordination with others, movement as a group, adapting and adjusting, expressions, developing mental skills and perception are some of the skills that will be imparted in the workshop.
"The teachers are exposed to movements and motions that help in educating students," said Preethi Rajagopalan of the Creative Movement Therapy Association of India, a resource person of the workshop. "I can better transfer concepts and make the classes more interesting and meaningful by breaking the monotony, '' added a participant teacher from an Army Public school at Hyderabad.
Resource persons from the National School of Drama, Nalandaway, Square Panda, SriMa International School of Transformational Yoga Auroville, Yogathalam, Movement and Motion in Education, are among the organisations involved in the workshop.
Meanwhile, Students of the Sellimedu Government High School displayed their craftwork, titled 'Something from Nothing. This will also be a part of the comprehensive solution that SAS will be offering to Army Public Schools.