SSK gets first graders ready for schooling

The Hindu

4 days ago

'Onnorukkam' is a two-week school readiness programme to equip students with skills in various development domains
'Thannaaram thaka thannaaram, Thannaaram thaka thannaaram
Minnalu kandu thannaaram, Thannaaram thaka thannaaram
Idivettunu thannaaram, Thannaram thaka thannaaram
Mazha peyyunnu thannaaram, Thannaaram thaka thannaaram'
This is just one of the ditties that students reaching Class I this academic year will sing and hum as part of a two-week school readiness programme being implemented by the Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK) at the start of this academic year.
'Onnorukkam' is a programme that aims at making children ready for school and equipping them with competencies that they require as they begin formal education.
Most five and six year olds entering class I will have some preschool experience, be it at an anganwadi, government preschool, or private one, but it is hardly uniform. Also, a minority reaches class I straight, having never been to any kind of preschool.
In a grade where students are expected to pick up language, mathematics, art, and physical education, it becomes imperative that they acquire the prerequisites needed for making this transition smoothly.
In these two weeks, the SSK has attempted to provide students with a host of experiences that hone their skills in various development domains. Songs are one such experience. Towards this one, songs revolving around themes such as rain or farming and their karaoke have been provided to teachers for singing in class. Stories, acting, mime, drawing, craft, play, and group activities are other activities that help in their physical, cognitive, language, and socio-emotional development.
The time will also help teachers understand each student – their strengths and weaknesses – so that necessary support can be provided to them.
School readiness programmes have been implemented earlier, but the approach is more focussed this time. A module too has been developed to guide teachers on the basis of their feedback of student engagement against the backdrop of new class I textbooks introduced last year.
A component of Onnorukkam is 'Onnorukkam Veedorukkam.' It is an orientation for parents on how to support class I students at home so that they can achieve the learning outcomes specified in the curriculum. It familiarises parents with children's development domains and the importance of independent effort, with parents providing only the necessary support rather than doing an activity entirely. The SSK has given special attention to the school readiness programme in tribal areas where students are likely not to have any preschool exprience that prepares them for formal schooling. Language too emerges a problem as tribal languages that the students are used to are very different from the medium of instruction used by teachers who do not belong to tribal communities either. These factors contribute to the problem of school dropouts in such areas.
To bridge this gap, the SSK has translated the songs prepared as part of the school readiness programme into tribal languages such as Irula, Kurumba, Paniya, Kurichiya, Muthuvan, Mannan, Cholanaikkan, and others.