CRAFTING SCHOOLS OF THE FUTURE

Schools are still chained to textbook content and are more about ensuring teaching. As outlined by the National Education Policy 2020, they need to be freer, liberal learning spaces that can prepare students for work and life

- Rukmini Banerji

Sometimes in the month of August, even during heavy rains, there are days when the sky is bright blue and the sun shines brightly on the treetops.

On such days, it almost feels that you can see till far, far away. Today is a day like that. Let us gaze into the distance and in our mind's eye, imagine what a school can be like in the future.

Building foundations: The school for small children has four rooms built around a big internal courtyard. Each of these rooms has doors that connect into their neighbouring rooms.

Wide verandas wrap around the school building on the outside. The rooms are brightly painted; children's work decorates the walls. Shelves with colourful books and interesting toys and materials invite one to touch, smell, see and use. Although this is a school exclusively for children between the ages of four and eight, families are welcome.

Young parents, siblings and grandparents love coming to school and spending time with their children and others. To build strong foundations for learning, young children must be exposed to varieties of activities across domains. The aim in the foundation stage is to encourage children to explore and to acquire a breadth of skills that enable them to investigate the world around them.

This phase of a child's life should be seen as a continuum and stage rather than a series of age-grade classes.