One in ten students visits school medical room every month

Schools are more than just temples of learning. They are also an overactive arena for both physical and mental injuries. A unique attempt to map how injurious schools and their grounds can be showed that every month, almost one in 10 students of a suburban co-educational school made a trip to the medical room.

They were seeking attention for visible wounds (cuts, bruises, sprains) and not-so-obvious issues such as headaches or nausea, found a five-month survey of the 7,000-plus students of the school. "One in 10 is a big number," said Dr Vijay Shetty, an orthopedic surgeon with L H Hiranandani Hospital, Powai, who conducted the survey. "It shows there is an aspect of childhood we are not looking at. We need to understand the problem of injuries at school and take steps to improve the situation."

The survey identified a most innocuous object that could be quite a pain, literally: the all-important identity card. The school recorded 13 minor injuries caused by the cards that needed medical attention among children younger than 10 years. "The survey shows we need to put more thought into our I-cards . May be, schools need to use a rubber cover or innovate with I-cards for younger children," said the doctor.

The data, being analyzed by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, shows almost 56% of the children who go to the medical room need first aid. "The remaining 44% come with complaints of abdominal pain or headache," said Shetty, adding that many of these kids, especially those who return with the same complaints, could be victims of stress.

Injuries cannot be avoided at school or any other place, said orthopedic surgeon Sanjay Agarwala from Hinduja Hospital, but society can try to minimize them at schools. The US has an elaborate programme to do so. The US National SAFE KIDS Campaign has found that 25% of the 14 million unintentional injuries to children under 14 occur at school. "Annually, one in 14 students suffers a medically attended or temporarily disabling injury at school... studies indicate school-age children are nine times more likely to sustain an unintentional injury than be the victim of an intentional injury while at school," said US government data.

Dr Agarwala believes schools could make a beginning at the planning stage by taking away sharp edges in classrooms . "Children, as a function of their age and immaturity, will get injured, but furniture with rounded edges would help. Schools could also cut down on injuries in sports if they invested in protective gear,'' he said.

A senior doctor pointed out that Mumbai's schools with tiny playgrounds and narrow corridors are a hotbed for injuries. "Children will run wildly as is their nature. Yet, in Mumbai , school administration usually focuses on having more buildings, often at the cost of grounds," he said.

Physical injuries are not the only aspect that needs attention. The survey shows that 44% of the 3,285 visits to the medical room pertained to non-so-obvious complaints like abdominal cramps and headaches. "Other most common medical problems for which students sought medical attention were headache and abdominal pain. These are often signs of stress," said Dr Shetty.

Psychiatrist Harish Shetty concurred. "Medical rooms are neutral rooms in schools. There is no fear or anxiety of meeting a teacher there. They want to miss a period because they haven't studied or they are worried about their parents' reaction to their marks in class tests.''

Challenges facing education in 21 century

While countries around the world focus on the improvement of science and mathematics teaching and learning, one of the primary concerns seems to be the quality of education in schools and increasing the employability prospects of young people.

With this in mind, British Council India, in partnership with NCERT and Unesco, organised a global policy dialogue in the Capital on January 9 and 10. The event, 'Science and Mathematics Education in Schools - The Way Forward,' through interactions and discussions, aims to enrich learning environment in schools and help young people develop skills and knowledge to succeed in a 21century globalised world.

Senior policy level officials, education sector experts and practitioners from different countries, discussed and deliberated upon issues of widening the scope of science and mathematics education, supporting future-ready learning of science and mathematics and motivating and empowering young people to succeed in science and mathematics.

As to the challenges of teaching science and mathematics, Annette Smith, CEO, Association of Science Education, said that they need to be addressed at government and policy level, at national level and in individual classrooms. Good practices must be followed to ensure that teaching and learning becomes enjoyable for both the teacher and student.

At the classroom level, students must engage with questions, be aware of what they are learning and what is expected of them. They must be involved in learning that is inclusive, added Smith. In fact, she reiterated, it is imperative that teachers are equipped with right skills and training.

At the Imperial College London, for instance , professors hold classes for school teachers to help them expand their knowledge-base. "We also have a Reach Out Lab for school children. In this lab, school students come for free, spend time and learn about science from PG students and professors. This way, we reach out to schools, which may not have good provisions ," said Sir Keith O'Nions , Rector, Imperial College London.

Speakers included Shigeru Aoyagi, director of Unesco Office in New Delhi, and Parvin Sinclair, director, NCERT, among others.

Nursery point system set for rehaul on new directive

Parents on the hunt for nursery seats will no longer have to grapple with ambiguous parameters such as "noble cause" while negotiating the points system or the different upper age limits fixed by different schools. Heeding complaints on the ongoing admissions, the directorate of education has issued a seven-point directive to private, unaided schools in the capital, warning that any violation "will be viewed seriously and strict action against school management will be taken".

The directives, issued late Saturday night, are likely to put many schools in a spot as they will not only have to revise their admission criteria — which includes overhauling the point system — but also the eligibility conditions.

The DoE reiterated that it had only "defined the minimum age for admission" and the issue of uniform upper age limit was under deliberation. One school had dropped the age ceiling after a parent took it to court. Other schools said they would reconsider the issue only if the DoE cleared the air.

Issuing point-wise clarifications against grievances cited by parents, the DoE said schools could not force parents to buy the prospectus or charge processing fee, except the Rs 25 admission registration fee.

The directives also took cognizance of a complaint by activists, including the Social Jurist lawyers, that "schools are following separate admission process for their main school and montessori/ pre-school". The DoE said schools would "have to follow single admission process for their pre-school and main school considering them as one institution."

The DoE also said schools should not go by "unreasonable parameters" such as "noble cause" and "representative affirmative action" as they were not well defined. The number of seats at entry level "shall not be less than the highest number of seats in the entry class during the previous three years".

There were complaints against some schools that were refusing forms of EWS category applicants as they lived more than a kilometre away from the school. For such complainants, a circular clarified that no school could refuse to accept forms from all applicants under EWS and disadvantaged group, "irrespective of distance of residence from schools".

Some issues, however, remain. With just two days - Monday and Tuesday - left for the registration process, activists are hoping that the period will be extended.

School of Open Learning online admissions

Online admissions at the School of Open Learning (SOL), Delhi University (DU), are on till March 31. HC Pokhriyal, executive director, SOL says that students who are appearing for their first, second or third year papers in undergraduate courses and will be taking their exam from April to June this year, can avail of the system.

"Students can register themselves online and save time, money, transportation costs and register at their convenience. In all, three lakh students will benefit from this move," he adds.

In order to register, says Madhvi, in-charge, computer, SOL, students need to log on through the SOL roll number and fill in details such as name, valid email id and mobile number. One can then select the papers s/he wishes to opt for. The roll number remains the same till the student graduates.

The gateway for payments and fee transactions is the State Bank of India (SBI). Students can pay the examination fee through debit or credit cards.

She adds that around 300 students have registered themselves online.

"We are also planning to tie up with power jyoti, which is a programme of SBI. This is best suited for students who want to avail of the online facility but don't have credit/debit cards. Through this, students can fill in their details, get themselves registered on the SOL website and get the challan printed from the SOL website at the same time. Students need to take the challan to any branch of SBI in any part of India and deposit the fee in SBI. Payment details will be automatically updated at SOL by the data sent by SBI within the next working day. Students can take a printout of the receipt and exam form and post it to SOL," says Madhvi.

Those who are not comfortable registering themselves online, can register offline.

Am I job-ready?

All of us need to take responsibility for our own skills development, to be able to achieve our personal goals as well as contribute to the Indian economy, says John Yates

When FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) approached us recently to co-write a paper for their new 'Skills for All' initiative, it seemed simple. The heart of the concept of Skills for All is that any person who wants to undergo skills training is able to. So promoting it is just a matter of boosting supply (creating training centres of all shapes and sizes) and removing barriers for learners of all kinds to access this training, right? Well, not quite. As we prepared the paper we realised that this is only one side of the equation. There is certainly a need to improve the supply of skills training in India. But the demand side needs as much attention. So it doesn't just fall to policy-makers and training providers to address skills issues: all of us need to take responsibility for our own skills development. This way we will achieve our own personal goals and contribute to the creation of a new, high-skill Indian economy.

And by all of us I do mean everyone. There can sometimes be a misunderstanding about what we mean when we say 'skills development' or 'vocational education.' People can think it only applies to low-level qualifications, or that it is a codeword for unglamorous or low-paid work. Sometimes, even people who are in the business of promoting skills development can talk about it as if it were something that they themselves would never need to do.

In fact, we all need skills development, to develop our skills. It simply refers to those skills that enable an individual to do a job — whatever that job may be. It can refer to the simplest entry-level job training, or to highly advanced technical know-how. It can be undertaken by a school drop-out or by an international CEO, and by anyone in-between. And if it's working well, it can form the basis of a chain of progression in training that might one day enable that school dropout to fill the CEO's shoes.

Who benefits from skills development? We all know that companies need skilled staff and this is reflected in the size of many training budgets. Similarly, the investment the Indian government is making in skills development reflects the national economic interest that is at stake. But neither employers nor the government can make a success of skill development on their own. Learning needs a learner: an individual who is pro-actively engaged with their development, who has goals and objectives, who is prepared to invest their own time (and sometimes money) in their skills. Skills development needs you.

Ask yourself: what is the job I want to do? What are the skills required to do that job, and is my current learning giving me all those skills? Will I be employable when I emerge from university? Be honest with yourself. If you can, ask someone already working in the sector for their view. Write down those areas where you think you might need to develop your skills further. Focusing on the piece of paper you get at the end of the course is not enough — you need to understand what value the certificate is going to bring to your potential employers.

If you find yourself short in certain skill areas, don't despair. You're far from alone: Indian employers regularly report that graduates are often not work-ready, even from top institutions. There is plenty of research out there that sheds light on the skills that employers in different sectors value the most, and which skills are most lacking. By asking yourself these questions, you give yourself a headstart because you will already be thinking about what the employer wants. But to take advantage of that headstart, you need to take responsibility for building up your skills.

There are many ways to do this. Perhaps you might undertake a short course in IT, retail skills or customer service, or do a distance learning course to improve your writing skills. A workplace skills course can help you improve your chances of getting employment by helping you with personal grooming, interview and resume writing skills. You might undertake voluntary work that will build your people skills or your communication skills. Or, you might serve as the treasurer of a club or society to build up your financial knowhow. Go online or talk to your family and friends and find out how others have done it elsewhere. I promise you will find a method of skills development that suits you.

But my challenge to you goes further. India has big skills ambitions and it needs skills champions. As you go into your working life, encourage your colleagues to keep learning; support those for whom learning may be a bigger challenge; encourage your employers to invest in training; remind your bosses that they need to set the example by developing their own skills. And most importantly, never stop learning yourself. Creating the skilled future is a shared challenge, and each of us has a crucial role to play.

Be unique to succeed, Kalam tells students

Former President APJ Abdul Kalam Friday urged students to be unique, instead of emulating others, to succeed.

Inaugurating the Children Science Congress on the sidelines of the centenary session of the Indian Science Congress here, Kalam said: "I have met 15 million youths in India and abroad in a decade's time. I learnt that every youth wants to be unique, that is, you. But the world around you is doing its best to make you just everybody else."

He said that parents, teachers and society always cite examples of others and want students to emulate them.

"Why do you have to become like someone when you are unique?" he said.

"Look up, what do you see? Lights, the electric bulbs. Immediately, our thoughts go to the inventor Thomas Alva Edison (for inventing electricity)," he said.

"When you hear the sound of an aeroplane, you think of the Wright Brothers, who proved that man could fly. Who does the telephone remind you of? Alexander Graham Bell," he said.

Kalam said there is a paradigm shift in science and technology and a new trend is emerging where the aspect ecology is being introduced.

Happy New Year - 2013