Education

Everyday when we read the newspaper we see the names of overachievers in our society. Even when you read a regular teen novel you hear how amazing high school is. Well guess what? It is called 'fiction' for a reason. Simply because it is unreal! High school can be the most difficult period of a student's life. It is when most boys and girls go through adolescence, their hormones start acting up and they simply start acting mean. This is something I have always failed to understand. How do girls become so mean? No, not mean - cruel, cunning and…

Shikshana, a non-profit organisation based out of Bangalore, is working towards improving the quality of education in government primary schools by participatory intervention. The representatives talk to the school administration, teachers and students about their opinion on how to make the learning effective. In some schools students are encouraged to perform through incentives. File pic: Padmalatha Ravi This approach is completely alien in a setting where schemes are made at the power centers and the benefits trickle down. ‘I've been working for twenty two years, and this is the first time someone has come asking for what I think', remarks…

Stonehill International School in Jalahobli, Bangalore North, has been ranked the best international school in Bangalore with a score of 4.30 out of 5, in a survey conducted by ThinkVidya.com, an online community of parents, students and schools. The International School Bangalore (4.09), Sarjapur Road was ranked second, Trio World School (4.07), Sahakarnagar and Jain International Residential School, off Kanakapura Road, were jointly ranked third. Twenty-six International schools were shortlisted for ‘International Schools in Bangalore’, the first time such an independent survey was being conducted in the city. Nearly 200 individuals filed responses to the survey.  The report noted that…

The Winds of Change Civic Club, VET school, J P Nagar, Bangalore, celebrated Pourakarmika day on September 5th, 2011. The children collected money by selling newspapers, and used that funds bought some snacks to distribute to the pourakarmikas. Students interacting with pourakarmikas. Pic Courtesy: CMCA Students took permission from the ward office, and gathered near the ward office at the time when the pourakarmikas gather after their morning shift. The children greeted them with a 'card' (poster made on chart paper), said thanks for their services, and distributed the snack-packets. The pourakarmikas thanked the children, and expressed their difficulties in…

Parents always compare their children's accomplishments with other children. I know my mom does! It is funny how she seems to always say, "look how your friend studies! She gets A+ in everything and you are sitting in front of me with what is equal to a fail mark? Why can't you be more like her?" My usual reply is, "she is my friend, not yours so I know how much she gets!" "I have spoken to her parents! I know she does very well. At least much better than you!" "Ma, you stretch the truth about how well I…

Making Human Rights a Household Concept is its mission. Standing by victims of discrimination, repression and violence is the very raison d'etre of the South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (SICHREM) headquartered in Lingarajapuram in Bangalore. Envisioning a fearless society which uniformly respects the rights of everyone and particularly the marginalized, some concerned citizens started SICHREM in 1995. The NGO has been responding to the growing insensitivity to the law by the state and others through direct intervention, helpline, campaigns and tracking and reporting on unacceptable actions such as torture of prisoners, ill treatment of kids in…

At Christ University, the just concluded intra-collegiate fest 'Darpan' was a milieu of interesting activities. The students eagerly await the events designed for them such as the Western Electricals and Indian Non-theme Dance. Aditi Kashyap, 18, a journalism student at Christ University who participated the various art events says "taking part in Darpan is refreshing and a break from the hectic schedule that we have. I go with the intention of participating, and not winning." Since the winners of the events held here get to represent the college in inter-collegiate fests, there is a lot of hype surrounding the events.…

Among the many times that I wonder about how the extremely marginalized cope with an empty stomach is when I hear the words "Mummy, I am hungry" on television. It is the ad jingle for a snack popular with children and youth since it entered India over twenty five years back. And it reminds me of the umpteen choices of 'fast' foods (usually unhealthy), available in urban areas. But, unlike the mum in the commercial, mothers of many children in this unenviable position cannot conjure up anything filling or tasty in two minutes! Take the case of Vimala and her…

St Joseph's College of Arts and Science, has become the first in the city to be completely powered by solar energy. In order to meet all its energy requirements, the college has a solar power plant, comprising of 432 solar panels, which provide electricity to power all the facilities. These panels produce a 100 kilo watts of power and were installed at an estimated cost of Rs. 1.6 crore. The solar power plant has been operational since May this year. The person who initiated the project in the college is former Principal Fr Ambrose Pinto, who resigned this April. Explaining…

Four years into her career as a software developer, Rashmi M, 27, is doing a course in technical writing. Technical writing, for her, is a way to weave in her knowledge in technology and interest in writing. "Technical writing is more creative, also my knowledge in technology will be useful in this field," says Rashmi, a resident of Banshankari 1st stage.With increasing opportunities and demands in the market, youngsters in the city are constantly updating themselves with knowledge in new domains. While for some this is a way to move into a new field, for others it is to enhance…