Sanjhi Sikhiya Webinar series — Education and Punjab
With the ongoing global crisis, this is the time to be grateful, cautious, and reconnect. With everyone practicing physical distancing, we at Sanjhi Sikhiya are making sure that we spent this time in keeping up with our Vision of ‘Transforming Punjab into the land of -hope, courage, and Possibilities’. In an attempt to connect and learn we are hosting a series of webinars with some wonderful people working for the transformation of the public education system and Punjab.
Webinar 1 ( 31 March) Speaker — Dr. Arvind IISER Mohali
In the first webinar of the ‘Punjab and Education’ series, we have Dr. Arvind from IISER Mohali as our speaker. A theoretical physicist, his research interests span the areas of quantum physics and research in physics education. As an educationist, Prof. Arvind has been working for science education in government schools across Punjab. Dr. Arvind is also the mentor and guide of Sanjhi Sikhiya.
In the first webinar of ‘Punjab and Education’ series, Dr. Arvind shared his thoughts on the current needs of the Indian education sector and how a ‘gardening approach’ can help to work on the complex problems of the education system . Discussing on the existing challenges in the state education with our Young leaders Dr. Arvind constantly reiterated the fact that transforming education system is not an overnight job, it cannot be changed but can be worked upon. The young leaders can seed of transformation by nurturing the ones who can take this mission of transforming education ahead. The mantra he gave is ‘ asking oneself in every challenging situation that what can we do ” ? If state policies are lacking something or good policy reforms are not reaching the stakeholders, we need to see that how our work incorporates those solutions and one implements them wherever possible. He spoke about nurturing talents by rebuilding networks and knowledge communities that can help us in doing so. For the young leaders prof. Arvind emphasized the need to question and reinvent. Questioning the very idea of ‘ Literacy’ , the roots of education and even the concept of confidence . He said that for the young leaders it is very important to constantly educate themselves and document the journey of learning that comes from their interaction on the field. On all the questions of challenges and systemic loopholes, he motivated the young leaders by saying that in the current scenario disheartening is very easy, but we need to persevere by transforming the lives of those who meet in this journey.
Some of the key takeaways from the webinar !
● See yourself-Do it yourself . Instead of looking for external help , see what you can do to solve the problem
● Nurture individual talents in children by building networks and knowledge communities.
● Question the idea of literacy — how traditional knowledge finds space in it
● Reinventing the idea of educational pedagogy
As we contemplate over the learnings from this really motivating conversation and look forward to having many more, we invite you all to be the part of this journey of mutual learning and sharing. In times like these, what can be better than being grateful and cherishing the knowledge amongst our community.
Webinar -2 (2 April) Speaker — Mainak Roy , co-Founder — Simple Education Foundation
An acumen fellow and Teach for India alum, Mainak co-founded Simple Education Foundation (SEF) in 2013 , to create a “continuum of learning” for students, engaging and coordinating all those responsible for children’s education from teachers to parents to principals to support their successful development. Their goal was to ensure that all children have access to equal opportunities. Currently, SEF works with government schools and teachers in Delhi ( Simple school project), Uttarakhand ( Pathshala project) and Kashmir ( Project Taleem). A dear friend of Sanjhi Sikhiya Mainak is the one always ready to extend support and guidance to us.
In the second webinar of the ‘Punjab and Education’ series, Mainak shared his thoughts on school transformation and stakeholder management. Sharing his journey and work experiences across different contexts Mainak helped our young leaders to understand how some key principles should be applied to bring positive change in the system. He focused on the point that how creating a shared vision with all stakeholders is a foundation to work towards a larger goal. In the shared vision not only, each stakeholder should have a say but their needs should also be addressed and efforts equally valued. Answering the questions from young leaders about School management committees, panchayat, and parent involvement, Mainak narrated the experiences of SEF working with these stakeholders and how they have been able to provide need-based support to them. While the work contexts of PYLP may differ, Mainak’s experiences have helped in visualization of the challenges from multiple lenses and also how small steps can lead to bigger transformation.
Some takeaways from this wonderful conversation!
● Create a shared vision with all stakeholders
● Each stakeholder must have an equal opportunity, benefit, and role towards the larger goal
● Each stakeholder should get an opportunity to solve their challenges
● Gaps should be self-identified by the stakeholders, to which we can provide support
● Concrete support like simple tools are more effective in addressing the challenge
As we contemplate over the learnings from this really motivating conversation and look forward to having many more, we invite you all to be the part of this journey of mutual learning and sharing.
