primary school teachers the twists and turns of everyday practice

Version 20 Oct 08, edited final
and it was this realisation that led to KSSP devising programmes and materials for basic
literacy and science learning.
Following the 1981 study, KSSP undertook several experiments. A 45-day literacy
programme for children called ‘Akshara Vedhi’ was started with support from parents
and teachers. The organisation also started school science clubs, first outside and then
inside schools and science fairs and quiz programmes. Its periodicals ‘Eureka’ and
‘Sastra Keralam’ were popular among teachers. A large number of teachers were
involved in this because veteran scientists and teachers lectured to teachers in the 1970s
when 1,500 school science clubs were started.
In the 1970s and 1980s teachers were the main cadres of KSSP. ‘We were able to support
the teachers in teaching-learning and relate this with outside society. Teachers realised
that when this happens, teaching can become more interesting. This, combined with a
‘hands-on’ approach with lots of experiments, got other teachers as well as parents
attracted to KSSP’s work. We tried to operationalise the concept of the School Complex
(as suggested by the 1966 Education Commission), we built resource groups and centres
at various levels within the system. Over time, KSSP experimented with textbooks by
changing the sequence of the content and exploring linkages between different subjects
(math and language, science and math), drawing examples from society and nature.
Many resource persons emerged from this process. We were able to do a lot with
ordinary textbooks’ (interview with M P Parameshwaran).
In the 1990s KSSP developed alternative textbooks for Classes 1-4—this was done by a
group of around 150 teachers. This was also the time when DPEP was launched in the
state. ‘We were apprehensive about the World Bank, but we also saw this as a big
opportunity to do something. The decisive moment for KSSP came when it was decided
that the state would go for curriculum and textbook renewal. SCERT was incapable of
doing this exercise and the DPEP State Programme Director and external experts from
Ed. CIL reached out to KSSP teachers and resource persons. The LDF (Left Democratic
Front) allowed us to work with the system and even “subvert the system”. Whenever
the textbooks were changed, this was followed by state-wide teacher-training. Again
KSSP resource teachers played a big role in these training programmes.’
The key to understanding Kerala is that the change started from below, beyond school
hours, on weekends and on holidays. What is interesting is that even the private school
teachers’ association (which is affiliated to the Congress party) worked with KSSP
during the 1980s and 1990s. Change cannot come about by writing a few policy
documents—it is people on the ground and in key positions and
organisations/institutions with vision who can make a difference on the ground.
(Source: Interviews with M P Parameshwaran and Trissur, A. A. Bose (teacher), K.K.
Krishna Kumar, C. P. Narayanan (Member State Planning Board) and Krishnan Master
(a teacher and mathematician in Thiruvananthapuram) between 17 and 20 May 2008).
Turning the system upside down in Tamil Nadu
In Tamil Nadu, teachers retraced with us the journey from the ‘joyful’ learning
package of the DPEP days to the ABL package of today. The overall environment in
teacher-training programmes seems a distant cry from what we saw just a few years
ago:
1988-89: P-MOST—Programme for Massive Orientation of School Teachers
based on the NCERT module.
1993-94: SOPT—Special Orientation Programme for Teachers, also based on
the NCERT module.
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