Ray wanted her colleagues to know about the inner hells a child faces in school — cut-throat competition, bullying, corporal punishment, rejection from parents and the negatives of peer pressure. Ray said, “I have an elder sister who is physically challenged. She could not go to school. I did not think she was disabled — the school system was. This movie has shown the difference a teacher with a positive attitude can bring to a child’s life and to a school.”
The government will borrow several leaves from Khan’s movie to be implemented in its schools across the city. Among the more important ones is the technique by which Khan uses the school building, or parts of it, as a learning aid. Ray said, “The ‘building as a learning aid’ method, what we popularly call BaLA, is an interesting skill. The movie portrays several examples of this craft, like when Khan’s character teaches dyslexic student Ishan mental mathematics on the stairs of the amphitheatre. We have looked earlier at introducing this concept in all schools, but this movie crystallises the practical approach for us.”
Ray has called a meeting of all government school principals on Tuesday where she will distribute booklets prepared by the Education department on how to implement BaLA modes. The government is interested in honing a student’s aptitude in maths through the game stapoo, or by painting scales on desks to give students a fair idea of measurements, puzzles on classroom walls or educational games painted in corridors.
Ray said, “The centre of all ceiling fans can be painted in the seven colours of the rainbow, so that when the fan is in full speed, its centre appears white — teaching the child that white light actually comprises seven colours. Instead of teaching in black and white, information found in school books will find its way into the various corners of the school building. Practical learning will be easier for a child to associate with.” She added that apart from the Rs 2 lakh the government is putting aside for each school to spend on innovative ideas, there is little else needed. “Perhaps the right attitude from teachers and tins of paint,” Ray said.
The government has already incorporated certain BaLA techniques in a school at Savda Gheda, Kanjhawala, which it is portraying as its “model”. Sheila Dikshit will launch the project on January 23.