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“Empowering society through Education”STATE COUNCIL OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH & TRAINING

SCERT - SIKKIM’S QUARTERLY NEWS LETTER

REFLECTIONSVOL. II FEBRUARY : 2018 No. 7

NATIONAL CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK-2005

SOME DEVELOPMENTAL CONSIDERATIONSChildren’s interests, physical skills, linguistic capacity, and

ability for abstract thinking and generalisation develop over

the span of schooling, from the pre-school period through

higher secondary school. This is a period of intensive growth

and development, and also of fundamental shifts and changes

in interests and capabilities. Hence, it is an important dimen-

sion of determining the approach to, and selection and

organisation of the areas of the curriculum.

The creation or recreation of knowledge requires an experi-

ential base, language abilities, and interaction with other hu-

mans and the natural world. Children entering school for thefirst time have already begun constructing knowledge of the

world. Everything they learn later will be in relation to thisknowledge that they bring into the classroom. This knowl-

edge is also intuitive. School provides opportunities to buildon this in a more conscious and engaged manner. At the early

stage of learning, from pre-school to the primary school years,an important place must be given to language and mathemat-

ics in all activities across the curriculum. The division intosubjects is not very significant, and the knowledge areas dis-

cussed above can be totally integrated and presented to chil-dren in the form of learning experiences of the environment.

This should include an enriching interaction with the naturaland social environment, working with one’s hands, and un-

derstanding of social interactions, and developing one’s aes-thetic abilities. These early integrated experiences of the natu-

ral and social environment would later become demarcated

into science and thesocial sciences in the middle school years.

The upper primary or middle school period may be the place

for the emergence of better defined subject areas, taking into

consideration the above-mentioned forms of knowledge. At

this stage it should be possible to create spaces across sub-

jects in which children engage in the process of data collec-

tion ,natural, social, mathematical or linguistic, to classify

and categorise, and also analyse the same through certain

knowledge areas such as ethical understanding and critical

thinking. The creation of a space for explorations into social

issues and knowledge without boundaries could at this stage

go a long way in encouraging rational thinking.

By the time children reach the secondary stage of education,

they have acquired a sufficient knowledgebase, experience,

language abilities and maturity to engage with different forms

of knowledge in the full sense: concepts, structure of body of

knowledge, investigation methods and validation procedures.

Therefore, the subjects could be more closely linked with the

basic forms as listed above and the disciplines as they are

recognised in higher education today.

The issues of adequate representation of all forms of knowl-

edge, and emphasis on similarities, special characteristics,

and the widest possible inter connections between them, be-

come important when the subject areas are more clearly de-

fined.

CURRICULAR AREAS, SCHOOL STAGES ANDASSESSMENTThe main areas relevant for curricular planning have remainedremarkably stable for a long time, despite major changes in

social expectations and the academic study of different broaddisciplines. It is important that each curricular area is revis-

ited in depth, so that specific points of entry can be identifiedin the context of emerging social needs. In this respect, the

status and role of the arts and health and physical educationdeserve special attention in view of the peculiar orbit of the

‘extra-curricular’ to which they were relegated almost a cen-tury ago. Aesthetic sensibility and experience being the prime

sites of the growing child’s creativity, we must bring the artssquarely into the domain of the curricular, infusing them in

all areas of learning while giving them an identity of theirown at relevant stages. Work, peace, and health and physical

education have a similar case. All three have a fundamentalsignificance for economic, social and personal development.

Schools have a major role to play in ensuring that children

are socialised into a culture of self- reliance,resourcefulness,

peace-oriented values and health.

LANGUAGELanguage in this document subsumes bi-/multilingualism.

And when we talk of home language(s)or mother tongue(s),

REFLECTIONS 2SPECIAL FOCUS

it subsumes the languages of home, larger kinship group, street

and neighbourhood, i.e. languages(s) that a child acquires

naturally from her/his home and societal environment.

Children are born with an innate language faculty. We know

from our everyday experiences that most children, evenbefore

they start their schooling, internalise an extremely complex

and rule-governed system called language, and possess full

linguistic capabilities. In many cases, children come to school

with two or three languages already inplace at the oral-aural

level. They are able to use these languages not only accurately

but also appropriately. Even differently talented children who

do not use the spoken languages develop equally complex

alternative sign and symbol systems for expression and

communication.

Languages also provide a bank of memories andsymbols

inherited from one’s fellow speakers and created in one’s own

lifetime. They are also the medium through which most

knowledge is constructed, and hence they are closely tied to

the thoughts and identity of the individual. In fact, they are

so closely bound with identity that to deny or wipe out a

child’s mothertongue(s) is to interfere with the sense of self.

Effective understanding and use of languages(s) enables the

child to make connections between ideas, people and things,

and to relate to the world around.

If we wish to launch any sound programme for language

teaching in schools, it is important to recognise the inbuilt

linguistic potential of children as well as to remember that

languages get socio-culturally constructed and change in our

day-to-day interactions. Language(s) in education would

ideally build on this resource, and would strive to enrich it

through the development of literacy (scripts including Braille)

for the acquisition of academic knowledge. Children with

language-related impairments should be introduced to

standard sign languages, which can support their continued

growth and development to the fullest. A recognition of the

linguistic abilities of learners would encourage them to believe

in themselves and their cultural moorings.

Language EducationThe linguistic diversity of India poses complex challenges

but also a range of opportunities. India is unique not only in

that a large number of languages are spoken here but also in

terms of the number and variety of language families that are

represented in those languages. There is no other country in

the world in which languages from five different language

families exist. Even though they are so distinct structurally

as tomerit classification as different language families,

namely, Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Austro-Asiatic, and Tibeto-

Burman and Andamanese, they constantly interact with each

other. There are several linguistic and socio linguistic features

that are shared across languages that bear witness to the fact

that different languages and cultures have coexisted in India

for centuries, enriching each other. Classical languages such

as Latin, Arabic, Persian, Tamil and Sanskrit are rich in their

inflectional grammatical structure and aesthetic value, and

can illuminate our lives, as many languages keep borrowing

words from them.

Today, we know for certain that bilingualism or

multilingualism confers definite cognitive advantages. The

three-language formula is an attempt to address the challenges

and opportunities of the linguistic situation in India. It is a

strategy that should really serve as a launching pad for learning

more languages. It needs to be followed both in letter and spirit.

Its primary aim is to promote multilingualism and national

harmony. The following guidelines may help us achieve this

aim:

F Language teaching needs to be multilingual not only in

terms of the number of languages offered to children

but also in terms of evolving strategiesthat would use

the multilingual classroom as a resource.

F Home language(s) of children, as defined abovein 3.1,

should be the medium of learning in schools

F If a school does not have provisions for teaching in the

child’s home language(s) at the higher levels, primary

school education must still be covered through the home

language(s). It is imperative that we honour the child’s

home language(s). According to Article 350A of our

Constitution, ‘It shall be the endeavour of every State

and of every local authority within the State to provide

adequate facilities for instruction in them other-tongue

at the primary stage of education to children belonging

to linguistic minority groups’.

F Children will receive multilingual education from the

outset. The three-language formula needs to be

implemented in its spirit, promoting multilingual

communicative abilities for a multilingual country.

F In the non-Hindi-speaking states, children learn Hindi.

In the case of Hindi speaking states, children learn a

language not spoken in their area. Sanskrit may also be

studied as a Modern Indian Language (MIL) in addition

to these languages.

F At later stages, study of classical and foreign languages

may be introduced.

REFLECTIONS 3SCERT IN ACTION

Few lines from the Editorial Team

In this issue, we recount the various projects and activities in which SCERT and its members were activelyinvolved since November 2017 - Jan 2018.However,the latest development in SCERT is that, a forty fivemember State Resource Group ( SRG) has been formed comprising of 45 experienced teachers/lecturers ofall the four districts of the state, to develop Primary level textbooks and English textbooks of elementarylevel. The task would be to improve, enhance and incorporate them with Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) of UNESCO and Learning Outcomes,(LOs), NCERT. The task is huge and all the members are busyexploring all the possibilities of making our textbooks “exemplars” of the country. SCERT/ Sikkim hopes toprovide new textbooks to schools, soon.

REPORT OF ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED BY SCERT- SIKKIM (

NOVEMBER 2017- JANUARY 2018)- Dr. Pema Subba

1. Academic Support to Different Sections of HRDD and Other Institutions1.1 Academic support to other institutionsThe officials and faculty members of SCERT are invited by the various directorates of HRDD and other institutes as re-source persons during several programs organized by them. The table below shows SCERTs participants as resource personsin such programs during this quarter-

Table 1

Sl. Name of the Programme Name of the Organization Date(s) and Venue SCERT RepresentativesNo

1. Activity – based learning in SSA, HRDD, Gangtok. 1st November 2017, Mr.Sekhar ChettriMathematics and Science for TNSS, Gangtok. Mr.Parijit Sutradharupper primary teachers

2. One day orientation in Temi BAC 6th November 2017, Dr. Genevive SyangboLearning Outcome at the South Sikkim. Temi BAC Dr. Pema SubbaElementary Stage South Sikkim.

21st November 2017 Dr. Rabin ChhetriDIET- Geyzing Ms.Surki Bhutia

Ms. Malati RaiMs.Tshering L BhutiaMr. T.B. GuragainDr.Ranjay SinhaMs. Lata SharmaDr. Genevive SyangboMs. Ranju Pradhan

3. Coordination Meeting SCERT, Gangtok. 22nd November 2017 Dr. Rabin Chhetriwith DIETs DIET- Namchi – Ms. Surki Bhutia

Ms. Malati RaiMs. Tshering L BhutiaDr. Ranjay SinhaDr. Genevive SyangboMs. Ranju Pradhan

28th November 2017 Dr. Rabin ChhetriDIET- Gangtok – Ms. Surki Bhutia

Ms. Malati Rai

4. One day orientation in Language Section, 11th December 2017, Ms. Ranju PradhanLearning Outcome on HRDD, Gangtok. Conference Hall, Dr. Pema SubbaLanguage HRDD, Gangtok.


2. SCERT’s Participation within the State ProgrammesSCERT- Sikkim also participates in programmes organized by different directorates of HRDD, Gangtok and other organiza-tions within the state of Sikkim. Below mentioned are the briefs of the programme(s) attended by SCERT representativesduring this quarter-

Table 2

Sl. Name of the Programme Name of the Organization Date(s) and Venue SCERT RepresentativeNo.

1. Consultative Workshop HRDD, Gangtok. 4th -5th December 2017, SCERT Officialson Quality Education - Hotel Lemon Tree, and FacultyUniversity of Helsinki, Gangtok.Finland and HRDD,Govt of Sikkim

2. Building a shared vision and HRDD, Gangtok. 8th December 2017, Dr. Rabin Chhetriplanning for alignment Conference Hall, Ms. Malati Rai

Dr. Shanti Ram AdhikariMr. Suraj Bir Singh

3. One Day Orientation HRDD, Gangtok. 27th January 2018,programme for centre Sir Tashi NamgyalIn-charge and Resource Senior Sec School, Dr. Shanti Ram AdhikariPersons for online Gangtok.D.El.Ed programme

3. SCERT’s Participation in National ProgrammesThe names of the programmes organized by various national institutes and attended by SCERT representatives outside thestate during this quarter -

Table 3

Sl. Name of the Programme Name of the Organization Date(s) and Venue SCERT RepresentativeNo.

1. Development of Manualfor RMSA Project CELL, 1st-3rd Nov., 2017, Mr. Rajiv PhilipTraining Needs Analysis for NCERT, New Delhi. NCERT, New Delhi.the Conduct of In-serviceTeacher Training Programme

2. Capacity Building of Teacher NERIE, Umiam, Meghalaya. 13th-17th Nov., 2017, Mr. Rajiv PhilipEducators of NE States on NERIE, Umiam, Mr. Sekhar ChettriUsing Training Module on Meghalaya. Mr.Parijit SutradharNCFTE-2009, JVC ParitoshReport-2012 and NCTERegulation -2014

3. Sikkim Embedding Project UNESCO MGIEP, 16th-17th Nov., 2017, Dr. Rabin ChhetriMeeting with UNESCO New Delhi. UNESCO MGIEP, Ms. Malati Rai(Representatives from New Delhi Ms.Larrisa LepchaUNESCO – Ms.YokoMochizuki, Head, CurriculumProgramme Mr. ShankarMusafir - AssociateProject Officer)

4. Roadmap of School Trans- NUEPA, New Delhi. 11th -13th Dec., 2017. Dr. Rabin Chhetriformation: Regional NUEPA, New Delhi. Ms. Malati RaiWorkshop on School Mr. Thupden Bhutia

(DEO, East)


Mid Term Review Meeting and Monitoring of NationalPopulation Education Project

Regional consultation workshop on post – NAS Interventions

Capacity Building of Teacher Educators of NE States on UsingTraining Module on NCFTE-2009, JVC Report-2012

and NCTE Regulation -2014

Leadership Development and Ms.Kabita MoktanTeacher Development (Deputy Director- RMSA)

Mr.Ugen T. Kaleon(Deputy Director, SSA)Ms. Tshering. L. Bhutia(Pirincipal, DIET, East)

5. Workshop on post NAS UNICEF and NCERT, 29th -30th Dec. 2017, Mr. Suraj Bir Singhdata analysis (classes III, New Delhi. Guwahati.V and VIII)

6. Workshop for Institutional NCERT, New Delhi. 15th -16th Jan. 2018, Mr. Suraj Bir SinghCoordinators NCERT, New Delhi.

7. Mid Term Review Meeting National Population 21st -23rd Jan., 2018, Ms. Ranju Pradhanand Monitoring of National Education Project Somnath, Gujarat.Population Education Project NCERT, New Delhi.

8. Meeting with Jodogyan and Jodogyan,New Delhi. 19th -20th Jan., 2-18, Dr. Rabin ChhetriCreatNet for EQUIP scale up New Delhi. Mr. Rajiv Philip

9. Meeting at NEC Secretariat NEC Secretariat, 23rd Jan., 2018, Dr. Rabin Chhetrifor funding of EQUIP Shillong. NEC Secretariat,

Shillong.

10. Regional consultation SCERT, Manipur. 29th -30th Jan., 2-18, Mr. Bhim Thatal, Dir. SSAworkshop on post – NAS SCERT, Manipur. Mr. Suraj Bir SinghInterventions

“The more that you read, themore things you will know.The more that you learn, the

more places you'll go.”

-Dr. Seuss


6 Days Training onTeaching of English andSocial Science for Elementary Teachers

Orientation on Planning and Designing Research Projects for faculty of SCERT and DIETS of Sikkim.

Final Review Workshop for preparation of D. El. Ed Resource Material

4. Programs for Professional Development of Teachers and Teacher Educators

Table 4

Sl. Name of the Programme Organizer Date (s) and Venue Resource Persons No of ParticipantsNo

1. Final Review Workshop for SCERT, Gangtok. 6th -9th Nov., 2017, Faculty from Ajim DIET (East) – 7preparation of D. El. Ed . SCERT, Gangtok Premji University DIET (West)- 2Resource Material Mr. Bijoy Das DIET (South) – 1

Ms. Nivedita Bedadur TTI, Carmel - 1Ms. Nimrat KaurMs. Chandni KhandujaMs. Anupama SM

2. 6 Days Training on Teaching SCERT - Sikkim 13th -18th Nov., Ms. Larissa Lepcha 6- teachers fromof English and Social Science in collaboration 2017 & Ms Ranju Pradhan EMRS Gangyapfor Elementary Teachers with Social Justice, SCERT, Gangtok, (English) 6-teachers from

Empowerment and Dr. Pema Subba & EMRS SwayamWelfare Dept., Ms. Anjali Rasaily 5- teachers fromGovt of Sikkim. (Social Science) Padma Odzer

Dr. Genevive Syangbo Choeling School,(Learning Outcomes). Chongay

2- teachers fromDPCA Pelling

3. Orientation on Planning NUEPA, New 29thJan.– 2nd Feb., Prof.S.M.I.AZaidi SCERT- 9and Designing Research Delhi in collabo- 2018, Hotel Sikkim Prof.K.Biswal DIET(East)-12Projects for faculty of ration with Retreat, Gangtok. Dr. N. K. Mohanty DIET(South)-8SCERT and DIETs SCERT, Gangtok Prof. N.K. Paswan DIET(West) -3of Sikkim. Dr. SumanNegi

“Do not read, as children do, toamuse yourself, or like the ambitious, forthe purpose of instruction. No, read inorder to live.”

- Gustave Flaubert


5. Participation of Government Schools at the Eastern India Science FairThe winners of State Level Science, Mathematics and Environment exhibition 2017-18were selected to participate at the

Eastern India Science Fair, organised by Birla Institute of technological Museum, Kolkata from January 9-13.

A team comprising of 20 students, 3 Escort teachers Ms.Namita Pradhan, Ms.Phurba Lhamu Sherpaand Mr.Shyam Kumar

Pradhan and two faculty – Mr Rajiv Philip and Mr Parijit Sutradhar from SCERT were invited to participate. Deorali Girls

GovtSenior Secondary bagged the best exhibit award in the state category. The exhibition had 13 States participating from

the Eastern Zone. The exhibition was a big exposure for our students as they had a first-hand experience to interact with

some renowned Scientist and students from other states. The children also had the privilege to visit Science City, Kolkata

and other places of interest. Given below is the list of participants –

Table 5

Sl. No. Name of Student Name of School Name of Student Name of School

1. Chetan Kumar Prasad Govt. SSS, Rangpo 1. Allen Tshering Lepcha2. Pravesh Basnett 2. Rupen Rai Govt. SSS, Linkee

1. Satan Prasad Saha Govt. SSS, Singtam 1. BhimBdr. Chettri2. Anil Dhakal 2. Mithlesh Shah Govt. SSS, Darap

1. Avhinab Chhetri Govt. SSS, Tashi Namgyal 1. Anil Basnet2. Biswadeep Sharma 2. Denika Rai Govt. SSS, Sadam

1. Vishal Sharma Govt. SSS, Tadong 1. Subhagya Limboo2. Divyanand Rai 2. Sagun Tiwari Govt. SSS, Namchi Boys

1. Pranita Sharma Govt. SSS, Deorali Girls 1. Deepak Sharma2. Sushmita Sharma 2. Raju Sharma Govt. SSS, Modern


6.Performance Indicators (PINDICS) 2017-18PINDICS, a self-assessment tool for elementary teachers developed by NCERT, New Delhi has been implemented in thestate of Sikkim by SCERT in coordination with Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA),HRDD, Govt. of Sikkim. The study covered560 elementary teachers of all JHS, SS and SSS in the state. Elementary teachers also included the language teachersteaching at elementary level.

District wise distribution of teachers and schools for PINDICS, 2017-18

Table 6

District Total teachers Total schools District Total teachers Total schools

East 2252 124 North 559 33

West 1413 95 South 1396 109

SCERT organized a one day orientation for 99 officials /school heads (two school heads/ teachers from each block and to allthe 31 Block Resource Centre Coordinators of the state. The oriented school heads/ teachers further administered the PINDICStool to all elementary teachers teaching in all JHS, SS and SSS in their respective blocks. The Orientation Programme wasconducted on 30th November, 2017 for East, West and North districts and for South district on 1st December, 2017 SCERTfaculty members. The details are as below-

Table 7

District Date Faculty Incharge Total Participants

EAST 30th Nov, 2017 Ms. Malati Rai, Ms. Larissa Lepcha School heads – 22 BRCC- 10 =32

WEST 30th Nov, 2017 Paritosh Pathak, Ms. Anjali Rasaily School heads – 19 BRCC- 9 = 28

NORTH 30th Nov, 2017 Ms. Ranju Pradhan School heads – 8 BRCC- 4 = 12

SOUTH 1st Dec, 2017 Mr. ParijitSutradhar, Dr.Genevive Syangbo School heads – 19 BRCC- 8 = 27

The administration of the tool is completed at the school level. The same has been compiled by BRC Coordinators at theirrespective blocks and submitted to SCERT for data entry and analysis. The analysis of the tool is in the final stage ofcompletion. The compilation of final report of the study will be done and submitted by end of March, 2018.

7. State Coordination MeetingOn behalf of NERIE, Umiam Meghalaya, SCERT – Sikkim organized a “State Coordination Committee Meeting” at theConference hall of HRDD on 28th November 2017. The meeting was held to understand the educational needs of the state.


As per the need, programme will be framed by NERIE, for the state of Sikkim during next financial year. Prof B BarthakurPrincipal, NERIE, and Dr.SimaSaigal, State Coordinator, for the state of Sikkim were present as representatives from NEIRE.The meeting was chaired by Mr. M.T. Sherpa, Special Secretary cum Director, School Education and was also attended byDirectors of various sections and other officials of HRDD. Principal DIET (East ) with two faculty were also present in themeeting. Representation from SCERT included Director, Joint Director, Deputy Directors and two faculty.

Team SCERT understanding PINDICS (Performanance Indicators)

REFLECTIONS 10SECTION REPORT - RMSA

Report on 16th Anjali International Festival Organized bySwaviman Bhubaneswar, Orissa, Venue: Aadivasi Ground

Unit -1 Bhubaneswar Orissa, 14th -18thNovember 2017Sushma Sharma,

Special Educator, HRDD/East

Five day long 16th Anjali International Festival was held atBhubaneswar Orissa from 14th November2017 to 18th No-vember 2017 .The programme was organized bySwabhimanBubaneswar Orissa. The main aim of thisprogramme was to create a world where all children, learnand interact together that transform the children’s understand-ing of the world around them and celebrate diversity throughjoyful learning.

Day 1

The programme was attended by Six CWSN (Children withSpecial Needs) of Government Senior Secondary and Sec-ondary Students of four district and three Special Educatorsas escort from Sikkim. CWSN and Escorts from various statesof India and International countries also attended theprogramme. The programme was inaugurated by Governorof Orissa Shri SenayemgbaChubatoshiJamir, Dr.SrutiMohapatro and other dignitaries.

Day 2

Students participated in different workshops like Cartooning,Story Telling, Dance, Music, Art &Craft etc.

Day 3

Due to heavy rainfall in the area, the workshop was shiftedto BharathyaVidhyaBhawan and out of six students three par-ticipated in cartooning, two in Art & Craft and one in storyTelling.

After the workshop, the children were taken to the East CoastRailway workshop, where children were welcomed with redroses as token of love and Railway officers explained howrailway has developed in India and how they repair railwaybogies. The children also experienced joy rides on open trainbogies in a big platform.

REFLECTIONS 11SECTION REPORT - RMSA

After the Railway East Coast workshop, children were takento ECoRWWO (East Coast Railway Women’s WelfareOrganisation), MANCHESWAR School along with childrenof other states from Rajasthan, Nagaland, Tripura, and Jammu& Kashmir. Programme on quiz competition, Dance, Gamesand singing competitions were also organised in which stu-dents from Sikkim participated and won many prizes.

Day 4

On day four after workshop, the teams were taken to Re-gional Natural Resource Museum, Bhubaneswar, Orissa,where students got an opportunity to see new things and learnabout them in a more unstructured way. In the evening all theparticipating teams of various states were felicitated.

Day 5

On the last day Sikkim, the Australian team were taken toAditya Birla Public School, Bhubaneswar, where studentsinteracted with each other and also sang the song called“Malai Sikkim Mannparcha”

The 16th Anjali International Festival programme came to aclose with a formal vote of thanks by Dr. SrutiMohapatrofounder of Swabhiman Organization Orissa.

REFLECTIONS 12

Performance Indicators (PINDICS) 2017-18, incollaboration with SSA/HRDD

SECTION REPORT - SSA

PINDICS, is a self-assessment tool for elementary teachers developed by NCERT, New Delhi has been implemented in thestate of Sikkim under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA), HRDD, Govt. of Sikkim.

The present study covers 5600 elementary teachers of all JHS, SS and SSS in the state. Elementary teachers also includelanguage teachers teaching at the elementary level.

District wise distribution of teachers and schools for PINDICS, 2017-18

District Total teachers Total schools

East 2252 124

West 1413 95

North 559 33

South 1396 109

Total 5620 361

SCERT, the implementing agency administered the PINDICS tool through the SCERT faculty members who were orientated

by Dr. Genevive Syangbo and Dr. Pema Subba, on 23rd November, 2017, in the first phase.

The second phase of orientation was conducted for 99 officials /school heads (two school heads/ teachers from each block

and to all the 31 Block Resource Centre Coordinators) of the state. The oriented school heads/ teachers further administered

the PINDICS tool to all elementary teachers teaching in all JHS, SS and SSS in their respective blocks. The Orientation

Programme was conducted on 30th November, 2017 for east, west and north districts and for the south district on 1st

December, 2017. The orientation was conducted by seven the SCERT faculty members. Both the orientation programmes

were conducted through hands on activity on the PINDICS tool and the consolidated formats for school heads and the Block

Resource Coordinators. Handouts and PINDICS tools were distributed to the participants for their personal study and under-

standing of the programme motive.

Orientation Programme for PINDICS- 30th November, 2017

Sl No. District Room Date Faculty Incharge Total Participants

1 EAST DIET, (East) HALL 1 30th Nov, 2017 Ms. Malati Rai School heads - 22

Ms. Larissa Lepcha BRCC- 10 = 32

2 WEST DIET ,( East) HALL 2 30th Nov, 2017 Mr. Paritosh Pathak School heads - 19Ms. Anjali Rasaily BRCC- 9 = 28

3 SOUTH SCERT SeminarHALL 1st Dec, 2017 Mr. ParijitSutradhar School heads - 19Dr. Genevive Syangbo BRCC- 8 = 27

4 NORTH SCERT Library 30th Nov, 2017 Ms. Ranju Pradhan School heads - 8BRCC- 4 = 12

5 Total School Heads-68BRCCs-31=99

The administration of the tool is completed at the school level. The same has been compiled by BRC Coordinators at theirrespective blocks and submitted to SCERT for data entry and analysis.

Dr. Genevive Syangbo

REFLECTIONS 13SECTION REPORT - SSA

“Read, read, read. Read everything -trash, classics, good and bad, and see howthey do it. Just like a carpenter who worksas an apprentice and studies the master.Read! You'll absorb it.

Then write. If it's good, you'll find out.If it's not, throw it out of the window.”

-William Faulkner

REFLECTIONS 14SCHOOL PROFILE

SIR TASHI NAMGYAL SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL

In Pursuit Of PerfectionFACT FILE

Principal : Mr.T. Gurung

Year of establishment : 1966

Area : 7 acres

Number of Students : 1177

Staff (Teaching and non-teaching) : 81

K Streams : Science/Humanities/Commerce, IT/Retail

K Awards/Achievements : International School Award ISA(2013-2016) by the British councilBest Performing School 2017

Collected by Ms. Larissa Lepcha

Sir TashiNamgyal Senior Sec-ondary School,(TNSSS)nestled in the heart ofSikkim’s capital, Gangtokstands aloft as a premier in-stitution of the state with aglorious history of fifty years.It maintains a serenity andstature from all that theschool has achieved over themany years as it stands on itsbelief of self-confidence,self-esteem, self-disciplineand self-analysis.

In TNSSS, the school missionstatement hinges on the dedi-cation to achieve the 3R’s.

READING: Fostering love ofreading in students and mas-tering the basic skills in-volved in communication.

RESULT: Promoting aca-

demic excellence and achieving 100% result.

RESPONSIBLE: Shaping our students to become respon-sible and productive citizens, ready to serve the needs of adiverse global society. The school strives towards excellenceas an on-going process where all its resources and experi-ence are channeled and employed.

The mission of Success for all Students offers a wide rangeof activities which the school believes is key to a holisticdevelopment of students. Academic curriculum is given top-most priority and a successful academic performance is re-flected in the performance of the students or the result thattheschool achieves each year. The school has consistently pro-duced state toppers for the past many years both at the sec-ondary as well as the senior secondary level.

REFLECTIONS 15SCHOOL PROFILE

In addition, students are also encouraged in activities that meettheir interests and needs. Following are some of the activities:

School Nursery YojanaThe school is a part of ‘The School Nursery Yojana’, aninititative of Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climatechange, Government of India. The main objective of theprojects is to create an everlasting bond between the studentsand nature. In the project, students participate in planting andraising saplings in the school nursery (which measures 38 ftx30ft and has a covering of agro net.). The yojana has beensuccessful in creating an army of young ‘green warriors’with a strong sense of urgency towards protection of the en-vironment.

Atal Tinkering LabIt is said that innovation is the key to everything the futurecan be. Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, selectedthe school to set up Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) which wasinaugurated by the Hon’ble HRDD Minister last year. ATLsare dedicated work spaces where students learn innovationskills and develop ideas that will go on to transform India.The lab contains educational and learning ‘do it yourself’kits and equipment on science and robotics. The school alsowon the second prize in the State Level Science, Math andEnvironment exhibition,2017and was adjudged the mostpopular stall in the exhibition.

SwachchhataAbhiyaanThe schoolis also contributing in its own way in the cleanli-ness campaign. Students are always encouraged to adopt goodhabits of cleanliness. Active participation of NSS volunteersand students is helping to maintain cleanliness in the schoolpremises. Students were made to participate in SwatchSankalp Se Swachh Siddhi and Swachchhatha Pakhwadawhere in students took the pledge on cleanliness. A short filmwas also made to create awareness on swachchhata or clean-liness.

The school continues to exercise its energy and resources tomould all students to meet the changing needs of society andprepare them to face the real world. When a pupil finisheshis schooling, apart from being an erudite person, the schoolwants to see him as a good human being and a useful citizenof the country. It is rightly said, “Perfection is not attainable,but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence” and ex-celling has become a way of life for T’Nites.

(Inputs from Rama Chettri, PGT, TNSSS)

“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills youwith this weird evangelical zeal, and you

become convinced that the shattered worldwill never be put back together unless and

until all living humans read the book.”

-John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

REFLECTIONS 16EDUCATORS SPEAK

THE SCHOOL TEACHER IN SOCIETY– an ideal perspective

Teaching in the twenty first century has spontaneously

emerged as one of the most demanding and intricate of

all the professions. The dynamic nature of education and bur-

geoning demands of times have juxtaposed with each other

to add new dimensions to its ever growing circle of concern,

entailing myriad responsibilities for practising teachers.

Every society has high hopeson teachers. As an enlightened

and constructive member possessing profound knowledge

and experience, they are expected to make significant con-

tributions in all round development of the community, be-

sides their traditional role of educating the learners.

When Nelson Mandela famously articulated Education to be

the most powerful weapon for changing the world, he was

perhaps hinting on the possibility of effectively exterminat-

ing a plethora of social taboos, prejudices, apprehensions,

maladies, disparities, and evils with teachers and society work

in tandem.

Though there is absolute affirmation in the fact that a versa-

tile teacher commands reverence and special status in the

society, it is up to his passion to motivate himself to walk

that extra mile notwithstanding the initial hurdles. A con-

certed approach would slowly but surely foster an ambience

of mutual trust and camaraderie.

We often see such esteemed teachers leading several NGOs,

clubs, associations, advisory bodies, planning forums, cul-

tural, spiritual, literary and sporting organisations producing

credible and exalted results in the larger interest of school

and community. Their tireless endeavour has enabled such

societies to forge crucial partnership for the holistic growth

of the school as such joint ventures organically lead towards

community ownership of the school. The entire society per-

ceives the school as its own and is always eager to come

forward with all possible help in effectively addressing sev-

eral pressing issues. Through forums like parent teachers’

association, mother teachers’ association, alumni association,

school managing committee and so forth, they contribute a

great deal in making schools the focal point of the society.

Be itmotivating educated youths to serve as voluntary teach-

ers, mobilising the community for constructing school build-

ings and other infrastructural facilities, raising resources for

sponsoring meritorious children hailing from economically or

socially backward families, tackling absenteeism and truancy,

combating substance abuse and other social woes, genera-

tion of various assets necessary for the school, setting up of

libraries, laboratories and sports academies or sending chil-

dren to exposure trips, they have always led from the front –

islands of excellence floating in the sea of mediocrity.

Schools nowadays are also the nodal agencies for various

governmental and non-governmental functionaries who ap-

proach them with several child centric agendas. In the pro-

cess, teachers become nodal officers and resource persons

and hence gain expertise through specialised in-service train-

ing in vital domains like consumer awareness, adolescent re-

lated issues, human and child trafficking, environmental

awareness and conservation, health, hygiene and sanitation,

disaster and risk management to name a few. Such teachers

are capable of guiding and hand holding the learners and the

parents alike in the nitty-gritty of afore mentioned areas of

concern. Crucial tips and suggestions imparted to the parents

would enable them to handle their children better, prevent

them from exploitation, usher awareness and ultimately help

them to lead healthier and happier lives.

As a reciprocate gesture, skilled and competent members of

the society would in turn act as experts to impart training to

the learners in traditional art and craft, folk music, literature

and dance thereby conserving and perpetuating their affluent

culture, some of which are sadly on the verge of extinction.

The unprecedented paradigm shift in pedagogy, evaluation

and assessment have explicitly and

oftenimplicitlytransformed the roles of all stake holders in-

cluding teacher and society. If the role of a teacher in bygone

era was purportedly confined within four walls of classroom,

a school teacher under the prevailing circumstances encom-

passes every section of society as far as his/her circle of in-

fluence is concerned. A teacher teaches eternity, you never

know how many lives he / she can actually touch in subtle or

unsubtle ways.

- Sekhar Chettri

“I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns

on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.”

- Groucho Marx


SAVING HUMANITY, GOD BLESS, SOS! Anjali RasailySCERT

SOS VILLAGEAs I sit to write.... , this trip to SOS village comes rolling byas fresh, as the fragrance of flower. I find myself so engrossed

in it, that my fingers move flawlesslyin the key board to writeabout it.....

Creek..... the door opened, all eyes turned towards it tosee,Rebicca , Prachi and Nibha( ECCE lecturers) enteringRoom no 421 where we used to have to our ECCE classes atNCERT , New Delhi Rebicca puts up the routine on the board.All eyes turned with excitement thinking what it would be?

TheECCE participants were from different states and Unionterritories.We gathered near the board and, it read as ......14th

November 2007- Visit to SOS Village. Lunch at Bengalimarket.

Three Cheers!!!!!! We all shouted.

My mind quickly started to work ... SOS? What is it? I liter-ally tried to guess the meaning of it. . “S” for School ... “O’for organisation and what doesfinal ‘S” stand for? Every timeI tried to arrive at the meaning, but failed. Just then ma’amRomila Soni (Assistant Professor) entered the room. I quicklyasked her,”What is SOS? “ She cleared my confusion andsaid SOS means, “Save Our Soul”!Children there are not

called orphans! But confusion still remained.

On14th November, we all boarded the bus forFaridabad , sing-

ing and shouting like real ECCE children. Though I was intune with others, still the picture of SOS Village was unclearin my mind. My imagination informed me that, SOS Villagemight be a small village, with children playing around andfull of trees and greenfields. There might be a narrow roughroad leading tothe villagewith thatched roofs. We might haveto walk on a slippery pathwith cow dung spread all around.My imagination was running wild!

Soon we reached Faridabad. My eyes were stuck at the gatewith bold names engraved....SOS ENCLAVE. It was a to-

tally a different place from what I had actually imagined. It

was not an outskirt village but it was in the heart of the city.

Through a long and beautiful lane, we all walked into the big

campus where there was a big play ground and massive build-

ings. I was gazing around with admiration and awe..... the

difference between my IMAGINATION and REALITY about

SOS Village.

Hermann Gmeiner founder of SOS children

REFLECTIONS 18

We all were waiting for SOS member s to come. After a

while three ladies and a gentleman (Director, SOS) arrived

and welcomed us and brochures were distributed .

We started the tour with the Director explaining to us that...”

SOS stands for SAVE OUR SOUL and the first SOSChildren’s Village was founded by Hermann Gmeiner inTyrol, Austria, in 1949, who was actually a medical studentin Austria. He started to work as a child welfare worker. Hesaw how children were orphaned as a result of World War IIand suffered. Hundreds of children became homeless, or-phans, emotionally disturbed and tormented by the war.

Hermann Gmeiner, of SOS, himself had experienced the hor-

rors of war as a soldier in Russia. He was then confrontedwith the isolation and suffering of many war orphans and

homeless children, as a child welfare worker, after the end of

the Second World War. He felt this work can never be effec-

tive as long as children have to grow up without a home of

their own. He set about implementing his idea for SOS chil-

dren village. Gradually,Gmeiner’s life was inseparably linked

with his commitment to a family- based care concept with

the four pillars, of a mother, a house, brothers and sisters and

a village. He focused on helping abandoned children. He

served as SOS village Director also. He acted like father to

all the abandoned children.

He felt that motherly care and love for these children were

the greatest need .Children can again be assured of accep-

tance. At least nine to ten children could live with a woman

who would be a mother to them... “MOTHERLINESS IS AT

THE HEART OF THE HEART OF SOS CONCEPT”

SOS is a curative programme that provides a family like envi-ronment for parentless and abandoned children to grow upin. Each village has 12-15 Family Homes, where each homeconsists of 8-10 children

Gradually SOS Village started to spread in India. In the year1964, headed by Smt. Archamme Matthai as President andShree Kaul as Executive Director, on 31st August 1968, amother and nine children were shifted toa first completedhouse in Delhi- Mathura highway.

Faridabad,where we went,has the smallest SOS Village withonly five cottages and approximately fifty children and fivemothers,” the Director informed.

“Mothers? They are not the real mothers, do they really feelthese children as their own”? Somebody asked, “Ofcourse!”the Director informed, “These mothers have uncon-ditional love for these children. The bond between them iscemented so strongly that the question of detachment witheach other hardly arises” .

He also added,”no one can call these children orphan be-cause they have MOTHERS!”

“Then who is their father?” A lady from behind asked.“TheDirector is the father figure for all these children in eachSOS Village”. The Director has to see the need of the chil-dren and of the mothers he is like a brother, friend and aperson who guides and encourages them and helps the moth-ers to look after the children”. We were informed.

We were taken for a tour to SOS Village. Five beautiful cot-tages were there with the name of rivers as their address. Ineach home we entered, mothers were busy cooking food,cleaning and waiting for their children. Then the childrencame running and jumping and hugged their mother.. Weasked one of the mothers,”How many children do youhave?”She said, ‘ten”. Where are they? The Mother proudly said,“My eldest daughter got married and has settled down inAmerica, and keeps visiting me. The others are also doingwell.” Her eyes filled with tears when she remembered herdaughter. We visited all five cottages in one village. We in-teracted with mothers and children. They were real families!

As we started to move forward we saw a massive building, Itread “Hermam Gmeiner School, “ where, children were pro-vided with quality education. With all the facilities and lat-est technology. Next to the building stood a huge auditoriumwith sound and light system exactly like a theatre. These chil-dren were really lucky. I thought to myself.

We then moved towards the classroom and watched from out-

EDUCATORS SPEAK

SOS Children with their mother

SOS Children’s Village is an independent Non-Governmental International DevelopmentOrganization which has been working to meetthe needs and protect the interest and rights ofchildren since 1949. Its Headquarter is in


EDITORIAL TEAM :

Ms. Malati Rai, Deputy Director

Mr. Rajiv Philip, Lecturer

Ms. Larissa Lepcha, Resource Person

Dr. Pema Subba, Lecturer

Ms. Ranju Pradhan (Lepcha), Faculty

Mr. Manoj Limboo, Data Entry

Paritosh Pathak, Resource Person

E- mail your articles at:[email protected]

side. To our surprise it was different from other classroomwhich we normally see .These classrooms were such whichour great philosophers and the Educationist had dreamt of !!!

Quality Education is the main Motto of SOS Schools. Wevisited Day Care Centre, Learning Centre and many more.Experts were giving training to the ladies aged around 25-38who would be mother of the children and after two years ofmotherhood training, these ladies are first addressedas,”aunties”. Once they get the position of mother, they re-main with their children.

There was a question, “How do you select a mother for thesechildren? The lady answered, “Mothers are usually the warvictims without family, widow, victim of poverty, divorceewithout a family or children, victims of different abuses. Af-ter training when they are selected, the need of the motherand children are fulfilled. They rarely leave their childrensince the emotional bond between the mother and the chil-dren is so strong. SOS mother is the first and foremost amother to her nine or ten children, in thought, word and deed.”The village Director and the Councillors are also concernedabout each child.

Another question was, “Can anyone adopt thesechildren?”.The answer was very beautiful “ No , they are notorphans, they have a mother, brothers, sisters , and SOSDirector, a fatherly figure. “A complete family!

We asked, what is the source of income? The Councillorsaid,”We get support from donors, sponsors and friends ofSOS. Ex SOS children who are holding high positions in vari-ous economic sectors in different countries also help in add-ing tothe funds. It is thesepeople who make SOS possible.

Today SOS Children’s Village is active in 135 countries andterritories around the world; they help hundreds and thou-sands of children each year through care,family, schools, andhealth centres etc. The SOS children are also holding highposition in almost all the countries of the world. Every yearhundreds of abandoned children, victims of war and calami-ties are taken into the care of SOS

The visit to SOS village was an eye opener to me and mademe realise that in this selfish world good people also existwho irrespective of their personal relations with others, comeforward to help the needful. God bless you, SOS!

“It is what you read when you don't haveto that determines what you will be whenyou can't help it.”

- Oscar Wilde

“'Classic' - a book which peoplepraise and don't read.”

- Mark Twain

“I declare after all there is no enjoymentlike reading! How much sooner onetires of any thing than of a book! WhenI have a house of my own, I shall bemiserable if I have not an excellentlibrary.”

- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

“Only the very weak-minded refuse to beinfluenced by literature and poetry.”

- Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel

REFLECTIONS 20

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