Do\’s And Don\’ts for the Head Teacher

In your view, what are the three things a head teacher should NOT do?

And what are the three things she SHOULD do?

Your comments are awaited! Please enter in the comments section below. Later, I\’ll bring out a summary of comments received.

(As you can guess, an in-serve training programme for head teachers is under development, and your contribution will be both acknowledged and appreciated!)

Do\’s And Don\’ts for the Head Teacher

The Case for Children’s News Programmes

Imagine regular news programmes for children
While advertising and entertainment programmes have begun to cater to children’s needs, for some reason news channels have ignored children altogether! Imagine a regular children’s news programme, at a fixed time, presented in a lively way, as something for children to look forward to daily. It could be on radio and better still, on TV.

What such programmes could contain
While national and international events would figure in it, children’s news would focus on the world as seen by children. Background information would make the news more accessible, along with activities that can be done at home or school. There might even be discussions and debates on issues that children have views and opinions on, along with scope to engage with the channel through phone calls / sms / email.

Newspapers too
And perhaps newspapers would follow with some space for children’s news, based on what came on TV the previous night. This would not only enable greater understanding of the news itself, it would greatly boost higher order literacy (apart from newspaper circulation). This would also provide teachers with more current material for use in different classes across a range of subjects!

Many benefits
The immediate benefits for the channels themselves would be in terms of developing loyal viewers for the future (and perhaps an expanded revenue source through increased advertising range).

However, the longer term implications for children themselves, for society and the country would be enormous.

Children who have had the opportunity to engage with a world beyond their immediate environment would develop cognitively and socially (well exceeding the abysmal levels attained at present!)
Focusing the programming at special groups (e.g. girls, or children with disabilities or the rural poor or those who need help to learn the state language – such as tribal children – or English) would dramatically increase learning opportunities for the marginalized and the disadvantaged.
Wide spread use of such programmes would also help harness the demographic dividend India has at the present.

If handled sensitively, this could help create a nation where plurality is cherished and the narrow confines of identity are not allowed to become a source of conflict.

What We Learn Cannot Be Burnt – ‘An Afghan Neo-Literate Woman

As we work in education, it often tends to get too ‘sanitized’ – as if it is not about real people in real situations, where education has a meaning that’s almost impossible to comprehend. Here’s a story from Afghanistan, from a programme called Learning for Life that sought to provide initial literacy and health awareness to enable women to become CHWs (community health workers, sorely needed in the country). This story was documented in June 2005, by Judie Schiffbauer, and shared by Katy Anis.

Each morning, six days a week, 40 year old Zeba Gul wraps a light gray shawl around her head and shoulders and leaves her family’s mud-walled compound in the Afghan village of BegToot. She follows a path that winds through dusty alleyways and then along green fields to arrive at a two-story building constructed of unbaked brick made from mud and straw. Inside, a set of narrow stairs leads to the Learning for Life classroom, where other women are already gathered. Removing her shoes at the doorway, she enters and lowers herself to the mat-covered floor, tucking her long legs beneath her.

In December 2004, when the LfL health-based literacy program began in BegToot, wind whipped snow against the classroom windows, but on this fine summer day, the windows are open to admit a pleasant breeze. The room looks out over groves of mulberry trees, for which the village is named. Tall, creviced mountains rise high in the distance, still bearing traces of winter snow.

But the 26 women in the class are not admiring the view. Instead, each attends to Qotsia, their 21-year-old teacher, who stands beside a small blackboard at the front of the room. One of millions of Afghans who fled the war-torn country, Qotsia grew up as a refugee in Iran, where she received 12 years of formal education. Now she has returned to BegToot, and the women are grateful.

Dressed and coifed in black, Qotsia begins to write with a piece of chalk. Carefully demonstrating each stroke, she writes a word in Dari composed of several letters from the alphabet displayed on a poster on the wall. The dark black letters on the poster are easy to see, but six months ago, no woman in the class could have named or written a single one. Today, hands shoot up when Qotsea asks someone to spell out and then read what she has written. One woman rises and comes forward: k a r u m (worm). “Very good, Pashtoon Jan!” says Qotsia. Pashtoon Jan smiles as her fellow learners sound out the word, repeat it in unison, and write it in their notebooks: k a r u m. Worms are the topic of today’s lesson.

To the left of the blackboard, a series of drawings depicts women busy with women’s chores: one is cleaning vegetables; one is boiling water to be stored in an earthenware jar; another is feeding a sick baby; and one is washing a child’s dirty hands. Now the women in this Level One literacy class are going to learn how worms and a child’s dirty hands are related.

As one of six Community Health Workers enrolled in the class, Zeba Gul already knows a lot about worms. Their life cycle and method of transmission were explained to her when BRAC, a REACH NGO-grantee, trained her as a CHW. But until now, Zeba Gul has never known how to spell, read or write the names of the parasites– roundworm, tapeworm, and pinworm—that sicken so many children and adults in the village.

As Qotsia begins the lesson, Zeba Gul leans forward and points to a young woman sitting nearby: “That’s my daughter,” she whispers. “Because of this class, she is learning to read and write before her hair turns gray.”

Later, the class at an end and women lingering to talk, Zeba Gul told her story. She was born in Paghman, but she has not always lived there. When she was sixteen, she married and moved to Kabul with her husband to live with his family. Her daughter and several other children were born in the city.

“It was good,” says Zeba Gul. “My husband had a small shop. He worked hard. In the morning, he opened the shop. In the afternoon, he had a second job in a government building.”

Even during the dark days of war, the family chose not to leave Afghanistan for sanctuary in Pakistan or Iran. “We stayed,” she says, remembering their struggles with a hint of pride in her voice. “We were hard workers, and we stayed.”

For a time after the Russians left, Zeba Gul thought the worst was behind them. But peace did not last long. “After that,” she said, “I wasn’t sure what the fighting was about; I know only that it did not stop. So much fighting.”

When Zeba Gul explains that both the family’s shop and home were near Damazang in Karte Seh, the room grows very quiet. Everyone knows that Karte Seh was virtually destroyed during the civil war. “Ay, Khoda!” the women whisper, as Zeba Gul continues her story:

“One night, our shop was ablaze. How it burned! And our house burned too. Everything we had was swallowed in fire. Oh, God. What could we do? We had nothing left! So we returned to Paghman. It was more than ten years ago. Here, my husband is a farmer. Thanks to Allah, he is alive.”

Many of her listeners have been less fortunate, and the widows nod in agreement as Zeba Gul utters her prayer of gratitude. The women in the room have known great sorrows, but it is resilience that binds them.

“Now,” continues Zeba Gul, “I am a CHW. And I am learning to read and write in this class. See there: my daughter is also here! Faz l’Khoda–Give thanks to God. What we learn cannot be burned.”

Are teachers villains or victims?

At some point or the other in their lives, almost everyone has held the view: ‘If only teachers did their work better, so many problems would be solved…’ Schools would be so much better off, isn’t it? Education would be great and our lives very different as a result; in fact, society itself would change, if only teachers did their work better.

People who think thus are, of course, only being ‘nice’. Because there are any number of others who have less ‘nice’ ways of putting it. ‘Bloody teachers, curse them, they don’t work at all. They’re never there in school, and when they’re there they don’t teach. And if they teach, they don’t teach properly, beat children, and don’t even know themselves what they’re supposed to teach. All they’re interested in is their salaries, and making money from the grants that flow to the school.’

In fact, this is unfortunately a very widely held view, especially among officials, supervisors, trainers and others who are in any way responsible for and towards teachers. Condemn them, point out all their flaws (exaggerate where it helps) and hold them accountable for all the ills of the education system. Teacher condemnation remains the starting point of many discussions related to improving education.

Anyone who spends time in school trying to implement what teachers are asked do on a daily basis soon finds that motivation has a way of evaporating rather rapidly. You’re supposed to teach children of one class, but you find yourself teaching more than one class, of children at different ages, with huge variations among them. Often, you don’t know their language, and whatever you do, so many of them seem not to be getting it at all (partly also because they cannot attend regularly). Far from support, you get indifference (often derision) from those who are supposed to support you (head teachers, community representatives, supervisors, officials). Soon, if you happen to be from another area than your posting, you start trying to get yourself transferred.

Those ‘above’ them are not immune to exploiting teachers either – using their services to support their own administrative tasks, or even asking them to pay bribes for getting their travel allowance or even school grants (I came across a state where teachers used to be paid only Rs.400 as the TLM grant, with someone siphoning off Rs.100!).

But this doesn’t mean teachers should absent themselves from school or beat children up, you would say. It’s true, they shouldn’t. It’s just that it’s so hard (and rare) to experience success as a teacher that it’s not so surprising. Perhaps our system is victimizing teachers such that they’re becoming villains? Or do you think they’re only victims? Or are they really villains?

The Qualities of a Change-Maker

Improving educational quality ends up being about change rather than tinkering with some elements.

What then are the qualities of those involved in bringing about this change?

Here are my guesses. As can be expected, this is a long wish-list! I need your help to identify which ones are really important. And suggestions, too, about how to generate these qualities in the people we work with.

A change-maker:

is sharp, can quickly see what needs to be changed, and has effective ways of helping others see this too, but without getting into a conflict!
can spot opportunities for introducing change
does not have a sense of hierarchy; does not discriminate
has a sense of humour, which gives her/him the ability to live with the difficulties and slow pace of change
at the same time, s/he can take quick decisions and act fast if needed
is aware that he may himself by a victim of the old ways of thinking and living; so is constantly examining himself and trying to improve himself
can help a person see what is wrong without feeling bad or without that person feeling he is being disliked.
has a sense of strategy – that is, of actions that will slowly, perhaps indirectly, bring about the change desired, in stages
is honest and has the greatest accountability to herself, on behalf of those she works for
is aware that there will be some conflicts, and has a plan and ability to deal with this; if necessary, generates conflict, though in a calibrated manner
is aware that his role is that of enabling others to deliver rather than deliver on their behalf
knows how long change takes, and does not give up
Can work as a team member, and also get others to work as a team – for which, helps by:

Sharing goals
Sharing information
Recognizing, utilizing and balancing the strengths and weaknesses of the group
Ensuring recognition as a team

What kind of process would help develop these qualities?

What kind of reflection, debate and conversation do you think is needed?

And can it be done in the kind of time-frames we usually have?

Pseudo Solutions for Real Educational Problems

Ask an intelligent question and get a ________ reply!

Here’s an experiment. It seems to work well with functionaries from educational systems in India, Bangladesh and several other countries in South Asia and beyond.

Bring together a group of educational personnel such as academic supervisors, district and state / provincial educational officials. Pose a critical educational problem before them. Of the kind that they probably deal with on a daily basis, such as:

How to improve learning among children? Or
What action to take so that classroom processes become more interactive than they are at present? Or
How to enable children to enjoy learning mathematics (rather than being afraid of it)? Or
How to ensure and increase teacher attendance?

Now, monitor the responses you get. They will usually include answers such as:

Teachers must be dedicated / devoted to the profession.

We must ensure that the system functions well.
We must increase monitoring and do it properly.
Teachers must be made aware of their responsibilities.

That didn’t surprise you, did it? These are the typical answers one hears (you can probably increase the list greatly). But why should these answers worry us?

Because these answers are positively dangerous!

Either they reveal that our education system is in the hands of people who don’t know what to do. Or, what is worse, it is in the hands of those who know what to do but are trying to hide behind these kinds of answers.

You can decide for yourself – after taking a look at the explanation below.

THE RICH VARIETY OF PSEUDO SOLUTIONS

The key issue is that instead of actions and concrete steps, those responsible come up with other things instead. From an educational planning point of view, a step or an action is something that you have to do, that you can set in a clear time-frame, that can be budgeted, broken down into clear parts to be implemented. It is not a vague statement of good intent.

And by coming up with statements that are not actions or steps, those making these statements are actually preventing solutions from really coming about. Here’s how.

Give a quality instead of an action

A commonly offered ‘solution’ – ‘teacher must be dedicated to his profession’ – is not an action but a quality, the outcome of many other steps that we would have to take. Since those talking are often even responsible for recruiting teachers (and they did not take into account whether the potential teacher had a sense of ‘dedication’ or not), they need to discuss exactly how this dedication will now be ensured. E.g. by conveying to teacher that they matter, are valued, by visiting them, developing and disseminating performance standards (and using them to identify good performance, in an objective manner), or by setting role models in the form of the seniors themselves following a code of conduct, or a thousand other activities…. But instead of concrete action, we are presented sermons. Basically, offering a quality instead of a step merely looks like a ploy to avoid the necessary!

Defer the solution through ‘action’ that keeps on requiring further action

Do you remember those little ‘Russian’ dolls we used to get long ago – you lifted one and found another doll inside it, and another one inside, and so on. This variety of ‘pseudo-solution’ is just like those dolls. Here, the proposed solution is nothing but a guise to postpone committing oneself to actual action. For instance, you commonly hear suggestions such as ‘Teachers must be trained properly’, which begs the question: ‘What should we do to ensure that teachers are trained properly?’ Answer: ‘We must have proper trainers.’ But: ‘How will we get proper trainers?’ Answer: ‘By recruiting them properly.’ And so on. The solution is never really in your grasp; it keeps on evading you because it contains in itself yet another question, the answer to which contains another one…. Even Socrates with his Socratic Method would have had a tough time pinning down the actual action required. Lesser mortals like us just go mad and give up!

Show resolve, not necessarily solve!

Here, the answer to the critical problem is in the form of some very resolute-sounding statement. It gives the feeling that people are ‘very serious’ about doing something (never mind if scratching the surface shows that it can’t really be converted into action). Pseudo-solutions of this category sound like this: ‘We must ensure discipline.’ Or ‘We have to cover every single school.’ Or ‘The inputs must be made regularly.’

Nothing wrong with these statements, except that they are only resolutions and not clear steps or concrete action. They don’t take into account that the present action, which is so strongly being proposed to be improved, may itself not be the right action to start with. Or may not even have anything wrong to begin with. For instance, before concluding that inputs must be made regularly, we need to take into account that perhaps the inputs may be inappropriate, and making them regular will not help. Also, the feeling is that having said that they will be regular, what are the steps to make them regular? (E.g. use of scheduling software and training everyone it its use, or interactions to discuss the needs of the different components of our programme in terms of regularity as well as the nature of inputs needed, and exploring whether more than just regularity it is how well they are implemented that needs to be improved…)

Once again, the feeling is that having declared something solemnly, it will now happen. Unfortunately, it doesn’t.

Everyone except us!

This is encapsulated in statements that exhort everyone to pull up their socks (or equivalent), except the people making these statements. Hence in a discussion on the kind of improvements required to increase the effectiveness of an educational system or a programme, it will be said that teachers must be devoted / dedicated, that supervisory staff must be capable, that managers must be professional and administrators sensitive and flexible apart from being committed. Such statements will be made about categories other than that of the solution givers, of course! And of course it is still not clear as to how the suggested change will be brought about.

The monitoring myth

For some reason as yet not very clear, a lot of proposed solutions have to do with monitoring – it is pointed out that monitoring is very poor, ineffective, irregular, and several other words that I’m sure you can reel off. Well, excuse me, but monitoring is extremely limited as a solution. A commonly used example: I’m monitoring the weight of a child regularly and it keeps on decreasing – all this regular monitoring does not help me if I don’t know what to do – the kind of nutrition to ensure, how to obtain / procure and prepare the required nutrients and enable the child to ingest these in an appropriate manner over the required period… I can keep monitoring without necessarily bringing about any improvement.

The dangerous part is the feeling that programmes and systems work only if they are monitored. Not necessarily – in order to work well, those involved need to feel that they are doing something worthwhile, that someone cares that they are there, that the task is challenging yet doable and enjoyable, that they are equipped to do it, enjoy doing it and are supported in their actions. Under these circumstances monitoring can indeed play a role to enhance effectiveness, but it is no substitute for the basics that need to be in place. It’s a little bit like a car that has a very good speedometer and odometer (monitoring devices), but no engine (implementation requirement)! Good monitoring is not necessarily equal to good implementation.

An accompanying myth is that better planning is the solution. In fact, if you look at the kind of technical professionals brought in by donor agencies, multilaterals, development partners and even governments, there seems to a far greater concentration on the planning and the monitoring/evaluation parts, but very little on the stuff that comes in between the two – i.e., implementation! And that is why, when educational functionaries are asked to come up with solutions or steps that will lead to specific outcomes, they tend to suggest action related to better planning and monitoring, rather than improved implementation.

The thesis, and a question

So that’s the thesis – that when asked to identify actions / steps / solutions to address critical educational issues, those responsible come up with things that might look like them but are not the real thing. And it is this that has kept us back, preventing the huge amounts of money and effort being invested from translating into reality.

But if this is actually the case, is it due to sheer incompetence, or is it a deliberate ploy to ensure that real change does not happen (because behind it all, people are very uncomfortable with an education system that actually works). If you’re a conspiracy theorist too, let me know!

Taxation, Labour and Other Laws being simplified to boost the growth of the Corporate Sector

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi said that the goal of achieving the 5 Trillion Dollar Economy is achievable.

He was participating at the inaugural session of the Hundred Years of ASSOCHAM in New Delhi today.

Addressing a gathering of leaders from the Corporate World, Diplomats and others, the Prime Minister said that the idea of making India a 5 Trillion Dollar worth economy is not a sudden one.

He said that in the past five years the country had made itself so strong that it not only could set for itself such a target but also make efforts in that direction.

“Five years before, the economy was heading for disaster. Our Government not only stopped this but also brought in a discipline in the economy”

“We brought in fundamental changes in India’s Economy so that it can run with set rules in a disciplined manner. We have met with the decades old demands of the Industrial Sector and we have built a strong foundation for a 5 Trillion Dollar Economy”

He said, “We are building the Indian Economy on two strong pillars of formalisation and modernisation. We are trying to bring in more and more sectors into the horizon of formal economy. Along with this we are linking our economy with latest technology so that we can speed up the process of modernisation”

“Now instead of several weeks it merely takes a few hours to register a new company. Automation is helping quick Trading across borders. Better linking of Infrastructure is reducing the turn-around time at Ports and Airports. And these are all examples of a modern economy. “

“Today we have a Government that listens to the Industry, understands its needs and which is sensitive to its suggestions.

Prime Minister said that the country could make a significant jump in the rankings of Ease of Doing Business due to a sustained effort.

“Ease of Doing Business may sound just like four words, but in order to improve its rankings there is a lot of effort that goes into it including changing the policies and rules at the ground level”

Prime Minister also emphasised the efforts being made towards a faceless Tax Administration in the country in order to reduce the human interface between the tax payer and the authorities.

“In order to bring about transparency, efficiency and accountability in the Tax System, we are moving towards a faceless Tax Administration”, he said.

Prime Minister said that the Government has decriminalised several laws in the Corporate Sector in order to reduce the burden and allow the industry to function in a fearless ecosystem.

“You know that there were several provisions of the Company Act as per which even small deviations were also dealt as a Criminal Offence. Our Government has now decriminalised many such provisions. And we are trying decriminalise many other provisions.”

Prime Minister said that the Corporate Tax at this time in the country is the lowest ever and this would propel a boost in the economic growth.

“The Corporate Tax is the lowest at the moment, meaning if there is any Government that is taking the lowest Corporate Tax from the Industry, then it is ours”

Prime Minister also spoke about the efforts being made towards bringing about Labour Reforms.

He also spoke about the sweeping reforms in the Banking Sector to make it more transparent and profitable.

“Owing to the steps taken by the Government today 13 Banks are on the path of profit which 6 banks are out of PCA. We have also hastened the process of unification of the Banks. Today banks are expanding their countrywide networks and are in the direction of achieving Global recognition”

He said with this overall all round positivity the economy is propelling towards a 5 Trillion Dollar target. Prime Minister said that the Government would invest 100 Lakh Crore Rupees in the infrastructural sector and another 25 Lakh Crore Rupees in the Rural Sector in order to provide support to achieve the target.

Letting go

When your child is born, it is probably the greatest moment of your life. It’s your child. It is the creation of you and your partner. It’s a new life created out of the blue. And only because of you.

You then slog your butt off to raise the child. You shower it with love and affection. In the first years of the child’s life, you don’t have a single night’s sound sleep. You worry about your child every minute. You take joy in every smile and gurgle. You get terrified if the child were to as much sneeze.

As the child grows up, you continue to sweat over it. You work hard to earn money to provide for the child. You are willing to sacrifice anything to ensure a top quality education. You try and impart your values. You even discipline the child when she does something wrong. You have every possible aspiration for the child – she will be famous, she will be wealthy, she will excel; above all she will be happy. You even transfer your own aspirations, which you were not able to achieve, on to her.

All too soon, the child grows up. She is now a teenager. She has her own wishes. She does not want to ask your permission for everything. She perhaps listens to music that you cannot even understand how it could be called such. She wants to stay out late. You want to impose your will on her, because in your eyes, she’s still the baby and you want to protect her. She rebels. You argue.

And then, in the blink of an eye, she is an adult. She leaves home; first to study somewhere else and then to work and be independent. You have a lump in the throat.

What do you do as a parent ? You have to let go.

What if she wants to marry somebody from a different world and the polar opposite of what you determine to be a “good man”. You have to let her go and warmly and enthusiastically embrace both of them.

What if she takes up a profession (maybe singing in a night club). It’s against all your values. But you have to let her go. Wish her every success.

What if she takes up something unpleasant. Like, say, smoking. You can certainly give her a hug and say quietly that this isn’t good for her health. But is she going to listen ? No way. You have to let her be. Yes, you can worry inside your heart. But that’s all you should do.

You came from a very middle class family where you lived frugally and never bought anything for yourself. She decides to blow her first salary on 25 designer dresses. She flaunts bling. Yes, the neckline is too low. Do you chide her ? Of course not. You let her be.

The worst thing you can ever ever do, is to bitch about her to all and sundry and say what a disappointment she has turned out to be. You will gain absolutely nothing from it. You will only demean yourself in the eyes of everybody else. And she is not going to be one inch different.

For you see, its her life. The values you tried to drill into her are all very much there. She just sees life very differently from you. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you. It doesn’t mean that she is “bad”. She is just she. The angel she always was, is, and will be. Let her be.

I know its not easy. But its a mark of your greatness, if you can let her go. It does not negate the immense effort and everything you have done for her.

Mr Murthy; I am talking to you.

For those readers who are not following Indian business news every day, this post was prompted by this news.

The Seven Myths That Make Education Difficult To Improve

Listening is seriously valued – you must listen to your elders, pay attention to your teachers… as if major wisdom is dangling on their lips and will be lost if not caught by the ears that very instant. Now that you can not only look up information but actually hear lectures on all conceivable topics on the internet, this is one notion that is already past its sell-by date. In fact, it should never even have been available in the ‘sell’ category. Ultimately, it is what we reflect on, try out, adapt and work into our own understanding that emerges as learning, something the ‘constructivist’ thrust of the current NCF keeps emphasizing. By continuing to practice ‘listening-to-teacher-explaining’ as the core pedagogy, we ensure our students don’t get around to learning in the manner and at the level they are capable of.

One reason why this continues to prevail is due to the notion that teacher must ‘control’ the class – and the class can be controlled only if the teacher has something to offer that can be held back at will – namely, explanation-giving talk. By treating themselves as the ‘source’ of learning, adults in general, and teachers in particular, manage to hold themselves in a position of power vis-à-vis children, choosing what and when to offer – and emaciate children (mentally). All this talk of ‘developing our human resource’ and the ‘demographic dividend’ will bear fruit only if adults seriously make an effort to give up this kind of ‘power’.

In many ways, therefore, this myth is a bigger blockage than you might anticipate, since it operates to defeat the purpose of our efforts after we have succeeded in bringing the teacher and the student into school for a duration that is long enough to enable learning. This is the hole in the bucket, or one big explanation of the continuing low levels of learning across the board.

Unfortunately, it is proving really difficult to deal with. Despite the enormous amount of resources and effort spent on teacher development, practice continues to revert to the listening mode. Part of the reason may be cultural – after all the concept of the guru \’giving\’ his knowledge to the disciple orally is three thousand years old, runs in our blood and makes it difficult for us to believe that teaching can be anything else.

One of the ways to address this might therefore be societally – it is only when parents, communities, society itself start expecting teachers to something different that it might happen…

What does \’taking pride in being an Indian\’ mean?

Anyone working on curriculum or materials or education in general, ends up wanting children to take pride in being an Indian. But what does \’taking pride in being an Indian\’ mean? Though the idea of \’taking pride\’ can be questioned, here are some things a person \’proud of being an Indian\’ would do / not do (not in any particular order):

celebrate the uniqueness and successes of those who are \’different\’ from us – whether belonging to different religion, ethnicity, language, region, profession…
not spit out in the open anywhere (surprised? well, this is a leading cause of diseases like TB still being active and killing people)
stop complaining about what is wrong (hoping someone else will do something about it) and start taking small steps to make things better, and also urging others to do the same (there\’s power in numbers!)
not restrict their sense of identity to a state or a region or a sub-set of India…
taking the responsibility of being at one\’s best (whether in health, or talent or work or socializing) so that one can ADD to what is already good in India
taking responsibility of keeping one\’s immediate surroundings at the best we can (in terms of things being well-organized and clean/hygienic as well as in an \’ecological\’ sense)
not simply keep harping on the \’golden days\’ of India\’s past but be aware of what we are at present… and hence
not be afraid to face what is really wrong, accept it and work to changing it (e.g. recognize the \’ugly Indian\’ who jumps lines, is rude and selfish, flouts rules and grins when he gets away with it. Or, of course, the bigger issues of poverty, security, discrimination…)

So what does it mean for you, to be a \’proud Indian\’?

And once we\’ve sorted it out, how should it reflect in our curriculum, materials, textbooks and classroom processes?

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