CHILDREN

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” - Albert Einstein. Whenever I read this this quote, I always joke that our Indian education system, being evaluation based, makes sure that we forget most of what we learn! But the same quote takes on a new meaning in the present context when children have almost forgotten what they used to take for granted – to learn in a physical classroom with a teacher supervising and teaching them, in person. Schooling in times of COVID-19 It will soon be six months since schools shut and…

Children are often under-prioritized or even disregarded in urban planning and design. It’s estimated that up to 500 children die daily in road crashes around the world; thousands more incur injuries and psychological trauma from collisions with vehicles that can affect them for years. Whether on the streets or in public spaces, feeling unsafe or uncomfortable in outdoor spaces also discourages children from physical exercise at a time when 80% of children between ages 11-17 are not physically active, and 38 million children under age five are overweight or obese. The coronavirus pandemic has further highlighted the urgent need for safe outdoor areas for…

“It has become a matter of routine for me to go to the police station once in every ten days,” says an inconsolable Kavita (name changed). Since this March, she has been desperately pleading with the cops at the Maduravoyal Police Station, asking them to do what it takes to ensure justice for her 10-year-old daughter. Kavita's daughter was raped and killed by their 29-year-old neighbour five months ago.  The girl who woke up in the middle of the night to go to the loo, which is detached from their house, never came back to sleep next to her mother. …

Kulsum Khatun and husband, a rickshaw puller, are residents of Jagdamba camp in Sheikh Sarai. Over the last few months of lockdown in the capital, none of them were able to find any work. “My two daughters, aged 7 and 9, study in a government school in Malviya Nagar (South Delhi),” said Kusum, “Mid-day meals were very important for us since we hardly make enough to feed them twice a day. Now, even that has stopped. We received around Rs 95 in March but nothing since then.” On March 23rd, seven days after the COVID crisis forced closure of all…

It has been over four months now that schools in the country are shut, due to the lockdown following the COVID-19 pandemic. While there has been a big shift towards online schooling over this period, mostly through synchronous classes on platforms like Zoom or Google Meet, parents of schoolchildren have raised a red flag about the massive increase in screen time for their children when schools replaced classroom learning with online classes. The HRD ministry stepped in to assuage their fears and  announced guidelines called Pragyata, which laid down a cap on the duration and the number of sessions in…

Translated by Sandhya Raju கண்ணகி நகரில் வாகன போக்குவரத்தற்ற குறுகிய தெருவில், ஐந்து வயது குமார் (பெயர் மாற்றப்பட்டுள்ளது) அவனை விட வயதில் பெரிய சிறுவர்களின் குழுவுடன் கிரிக்கெட் விளையாடுகிறான். மதிய உணவுக்காக அனைவரும் கலைந்து செல்ல, குமார் மட்டும் தனியாக அங்கயே இருக்கிறான். தெரு ஓரத்தில் உள்ள பெஞ்சில் அமர்ந்து, அடுத்து விளையாட யாரேனும் வருவார்களா என எதிர்பார்த்து காத்திருக்கிறான். சாப்பிட போகவில்லையா என கேட்டால் "பசி இல்லை" என்கிறான். ஆனால், உண்மை அதுவல்ல - வீட்டில் நல்ல உணவு இல்லை என்பதே உண்மையான காரணம். சென்னையில் பொதுமுடக்கம் தொடங்கியது முதல் குமார் மதிய உணவு இல்லாமல் இருக்கிறான். பொதுமுடக்கத்திற்கு முன், 23ம் தெருவில் உள்ள அங்கன்வாடி மையத்தில் தான் அவன் மதிய உணவு உண்டான். அவனுக்க பிடித்த சாம்பார் சாதம் முட்டையுடன் அல்லது காயுடன் அங்கே பரிமாறப்பட்டது. கடந்த மூன்று மாதங்களாக ஆசிரியர் இல்லாமல் மூடியே உள்ளது.…

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing closure of all educational institutions, India has seen a transition to online teaching at all levels, including in primary and secondary schools.  Predictably, it has not been a very smooth transition, however, and questions have been raised over various aspects of it:  What challenges does it pose for a schooling system that has made rare use of technology as an enabler? What are the ways in which classes are being conducted and how effective are they? Should private schools charge fees for lessons delivered online? How are schools bridging the digital divide that separates the privileged…

It was just like any other routine bike trip for Madhav (name changed) and his father as they started on their cycles that early Saturday morning. Little did they know how adventurous, and even stressful, the day would turn out to be. Madhav is an autistic teen, who enjoys cycling along with his father. This Saturday, driven by his instinct, he somehow rode away from his regular route while on the way back home after cycling for 2 hours. He had not been going for cycling for more than four months due to the COVID-19 lockdown, and that might have…

Ayesha is a 7th standard student at a Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) school at Chembur Naka. While earlier, she used to dress up and rush to school, these days, she begins her day with unread WhatsApp messages. Typically, the messages contain educational video links, homework assignments, and activities sent by her teachers in subject-wise WhatsApp groups. Ayesha watches the videos to understand a concept, completes assignments in her notebook, and uploads pictures on the appropriate WhatsApp group. The messaging app, previously used by her mother to stay in touch with friends and family, is a substitute for Ayesha's…

On the narrow and traffic-free roads of Kannagi Nagar, five-year-old Kumar (name changed) plays cricket with a group of boys. Most of them are older to him. As they disperse and leave for their respective homes at lunchtime, Kumar stays back, all alone. Sitting on a small bench by the side of the road, the frail boy waits for new company to play with. When asked if he is not going home for lunch, he shrugs, “Pasi ille (I am not hungry).”  The truth, however, is different -- there is no good food at home. Kumar has been skipping lunch…