This article is based on my learning from education. People say that education is a lifelong process. What is Nayi Talim? It may be to understand the students and connect with our selves.
Dhamtari district, with its diverse geographical and social features, lies in the central part of the state of Chhattisgarh. A significant - and fertile - part of the district falls in the Mahanadi basin. Paddy cultivation under irrigated farming system is one of the important contributors to the livelihoods of the people in this area. A distinct area in the south of the district has an undulating terrain with thick forest.
I was just lying down after returning from the school, when someone knocked on the door. Vijay, from grade 5th and Rakesh from grade 6th were standing at the door. They entered and demanded,
‘Ben, we want bhakhri’
‘Please, I am tired. Not now,’ I replied.
‘But Ben, we will help you. Please do it.’ They brought me to the kitchen.
To understand Gandhi’s educational ideas one has to explicitly keep Dewey’s following quote in mind “We will know what type of education to provide, if we know what type of society we want”.
Are certain individuals born to be teachers and can only those be truly competent? Or can people without such aspirations develop to become ‘great teachers’? Are there certain conditions, the presence of which foster such development?