My current research interests are focused on writing up the History of Teacher Development in India. This is a multi-state study commissioned by the Azim Premji Foundation, and I'm part of the research team, writing up on the subject for Tamilnadu and Kerala (and a small note on Jammu and Kashmir, with special reference to my experiences of working in Kargil in the past one and a half years). Our cut off point is the National Policy on Education (NPE, 1986). So, for all the states chosen for the study (Tamilnadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Rajasthan and to a limited extent, J&K), we are doing a fairly detailed documentation of efforts in the last 20-25 years. Such a comprehensive documentation does not exist at present.
I have finished writing the Tamilnadu chapter and thought of sharing this with those of you who would be interested in knowing what has been happening with teachers there.
Researching Tamilnadu and its teachers has definitely been an eye opener. Though I have been
working in education for 15 years now, I have realized that it is only when one examines a theme or subject in greater detail that one begins to appreciate its various dimensions. Historical research is a powerful tool that enables us to go down to root causes and determine the complex interconnected factors that influence many a development in policy and practice.
Without getting into details here, all that I would to state is that the Tanilnadu study made me sit up in alarm, for what the state is doing to its teachers is not in their interest, and icertainly not in the interest of children, if one goes by current trends and developments. There is hope, for sure, but the gains made can very quickly be negated by retrogressive measures...
To obtain the full textof what we have found in Tamilnadu, e-mail me at giri.shesh@gmail.com
By the month end, I hope to write the Kerala chapter as well...
Monday, June 9, 2008
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