INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Of

ALL INDIA ASSOCIATION FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
on
IMPROVING RURAL EDUCATION
on
10-12 OCTOBER 2005
at
ANGEL MATRICULATION HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL,
THIRUNINRAVUR, NEAR CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU

ABSTRACTS OF THE PAPERS

 

Educational Support System for Rural Pupils in Malaysia: The Issue of Equity in Educational Funding

 

Ahmad Basri bin Md Yussof & Norzaini Azman, National University of Malaysia

Education in Malaysia has always been centrally organized, financed, staffed, resourced irrespective of location. This centralized policy is based on the notion of equality. Teachers are appointed and distributed to the respective states centrally. The state education department has the power to emplace teachers in their respective schools. They are also trained centrally. All children are given the same education through the same curriculum, text-books, and sit for the same examinations. However there are numerous dimensions that are inherently different namely quality of education, quality of teachers, quality of students, access, financial allocation, digital divide, technology use, parental participation, teacher professional isolation, proficiency in English, Mathematics and Science etc. between rural and urban education. There are issues such as  school size, insufficient basic amenities  etc. Central to these issues is the notion of equity in education and that there is need to recognise and acknowledge the differences between rural and urban schools, rural and urban education which also call for the recognition of geographic, social and cultural differences according to settings. This is vital since almost 60% of Malaysian schools are rural schools, involving 37% of the total population of pupils and students in primary and secondary schools, and 41% of the population of teachers in primary and secondary schools towards achieving this noble notion of equity. This paper focuses mainly on the provision and funding of several programmes and projects specially designed to help needy and poor pupils and students especially in rural schools. Apart from looking at educational support programs, this study also deliberates on a special government effort in closing the gap between urban and rural educational spending especially in building new facilities as well as upgrading and refurbishing educational infrastructure in rural schools especially in deep rural Sarawak and Sabah in East Malaysia. Despite these noble efforts, the divide between rural and urban education still persists. A national policy on rural education may help. 

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­New Challenges in the Learning Process and the Role of  Learning Resource Centres

 

Amanulla, M.S., Librarian, The New College, (Eve) Chennai-14 & Palani, Asst. Librarian, Marina Campus, University of Madras, Chennai-14

 

This paper discusses the unique place of Learning Resource centres in a modern school.  Needs for promoting reading culture among the teachers and pupils. The importance of Library resources for over all development of pupil personalities and inculcation of reading culture.  Motivating to utilize  the library resources .  The Role of Librarian  in resource center for promotion of reading habit by organizing book exhibitions,honour roll list,book competition,story telling ,extension services for rural children.  This article emphasizes the unique place of  learning centers in a modern schools.  Discusses the various methods of promoting reading culture among the teachers and the peoples.  It brings out the importance of library resources for the over all personality development of the pupils. It discusses the various methods to inculcate the reading culture among the people. It gives suggestions for librarians to promote the reading habits by the various methods of motivating the students to involve themselves actively in the information seeking behavior by organizing various competitions, extension services for rural children and book exhibitions.  It also highlights importance of Internet for study and research for teachers, and students and gives a list of websites, which bring out the various information for teachers to promote reading habits and the personality development of pupil.

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A Study of the Performance of Rural Area Teachers of Mehsana District

Amrish D. Parikh & Sanjay S. Bhagtwala, Lecturers, Shree Saraswati Shikshan Mahavidhyalaya, Unjha

The purpose of this research was to study the performance of rural area teachers.  Survey method was used.  The data was collected from questionnaires which consisted of twenty questions concerned with different abilities.  Such as, Speaking ability, Communication ability, Logical ability, Cognition ability, Aesthetic ability, Creative thinking ability.  After observing and analyzing the data the following conclusion were found out.  The performance level of rural and urban area teachers of secondary schools were the same.  The effect of the faculty of the teachers and the effect of the gender of the teachers on their performance were the same. There is a significant difference in the performance of more experienced teachers of rural and urban area. There is a significant difference in the performance of less and more experienced teachers of rural area. There is a significant difference in the performance of communication ability, logical ability, cognition ability and aesthetic ability of teachers of rural and urban area.

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Reaching the Unreached Rural Distance Learners through IC

Anandan,K Lecturer in Education, Tamil Nadu Open University, Chennai - 600 [email protected] , P. Rajaseakran, Jr. Consultant (Academic), Tamil Nadu Open University, Chennai - 600 025. &  K.P. Ananda Kumar, Lecturer, PDRV College of Education, Sekkampatti,Harur-636902, Tamil Nadu. E-mail : [email protected]

 

Open Learning system is increasingly becoming a real possibility particularly to the rural students because of the rapid changes continuously taking place in the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The ICTs removes different barriers like geographical barriers, barriers of Economic Status, barriers of special needs and barriers of individual learning styles. Computer Technology and Satellite Communications have opened up a wide range of interactive media which enabled the student to overcome the communicational barriers imposed by the physical distance between the learners and the teachers. The ICTs such as Computer Disk, CD-ROM, Video disk, Micro Computers, E-mail, Voice-mail, Instructional Software Educational Television, VCT, and Cable TV are reducing un reached rural students to get equal opportunities. Besides this, Net Oriented Technologies like Internet, Online learning, Virtual learning environment are potential to contribute to different facets of educational development and effective learning: expanding access, promoting efficiency, improving quality of learning and improving management. All the above said ICTs could be fully utilized by the distance learners residing at rural, if there exist no digital divide. But there exist digital divide to the great extent in the developing countries like India. It is the fact that the gap between haves and havenots has been reducing to the some extent. Those who posses the electronic equipments, must be trained properly on how to utilize ICTs in teaching learning process.

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The Role of Rural School Heads for Improvement

 

Aruna,V, Lecturer, SRM School of Teacher Education & Research, SRM Deemed University, Kattankulathur - 603 203.

 

In our country where majority of the population resides in villages, rural education possesses key importance.  Every administration exists primarily for the purpose of getting things done.  The educational institutions are established for the important purpose of educating all children.  Just as every group needs a leader, so also a school must have a leader who could stimulate and direct its work.  The problems faced by heads of rural schools are administrative problems, Problems with teachers, students and some special problems.  In order to hold his key position efficiently, a headmaster is required to be a man of qualities.  The headmaster has to discharge a large number of responsibilities and perform multifarious duties.  It is the responsibility of the rural heads to bring the rural schools to a global level.  Rural mass is the back bone of every nation. All underdeveloped and undeveloped nations should realize that they did not become developed nations only because of ignoring rural development.

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Utilisation of Rural Human Resource for Promotion of Indian Folk Art through Co-curricular Activities

 

Asha. K. V. D. Kamath, Lecturer, Regional Institute of Education (NCERT) Bhubaneswar-751 022 E-mail: [email protected]

 

India is a multilingual and multireligious country that has resulted in a multicultural society with rich cultural heritage. The credit of having a nation with a rich cultural heritage goes not only to the rulers of the past but also to the Indian system of education that passed on the tangible and intangible cultural aspects from one generation to another. One of the objectives of education is to promote among the learners an understanding of the countries composite cultural heritage, which is reflected in the common core component-‘value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture’. To realize this, there is a felt need to equip the students with the knowledge and appreciation of folk artforms-songs, dances, costumes theatres, musical instruments, paintings, pottery, handicrafts etc. This can be achieved by strengthening the cocurricular activities that are normally neglected in most of the schools, inspite of being highly interesting and joyful to the students. Majority of Indian population live in villages and every village has its own folk culture. However, due to various reasons even the rural children do not know much about their folk art. It is high time that we do something constructive to preserve and promote our folk art. Therefore, to beginwith,the rural schools are the best platforms for promotion and continuation of our folk artforms. The local human resource is the primary source of learning whose services can be optimally utilized with a well organized Annual Action Plan of Co-curricular activities.The paper attempts at giving details of an Action Plan Model—activities, mode of conduct, role of local human resource, etc. for preserving and promoting folk art. Such plans, when well executed as regular school programmes can, not only strengthen school community bondage and keep them deep rooted in the society but also brighten the fading folk art which can even generate income and lead to improved living conditions-a dream that can come true to every rural family.

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