Dear Readers,

Since the last announcement about Project Uddalaka, Yesterday, Jan 20, 2018 was the day when we set our foot in the path of giving shape to this idea by interacting with students and teachers of R.K.V.M (Ram Krishna Vidya Mandir) Gwalior, this interaction was an eye opener in many ways which I’d like to describe in details below.

For those who are not aware of the subject, Project Uddalaka is a volunteer tutor program to help kids, who are weak in their studies, to improve their grades while also engaging in sports and cultural activities. The aim is to foster an environment of learning, teamwork and discipline so that kids feel confident about themselves and the goals they want to achieve. I also want to acknowledge the support and direction the R.K.V.M’s principal Rev. Supradiptananda Swami ji and teachers who made this interaction possible and successful. I got the opportunity to address and converse with students of 6^th, 8^th, 9^th & 10^th standard and the vigor with which they participated in discussion clearly signified their seriousness towards their studies.

The wealth of information on the challenges these kids face in their academics was enlightening. I saw not a lack of interest but a lack of communication, a lack of motivation among students. They wanted a hands on rather than a cramming approach towards their subjects like math, science, social sciences etc. They shared that they hesitate to ask questions in classrooms which leads to doubts remaining unanswered and subsequent aversion towards the subject ultimately resulting in poor grades. This decrease in grades affect their confidence levels and an anxiety of being ridiculed among their peers and family members creep in.

We intend to use these insights to design our tutoring strategy. We will discuss our roadmap with R.K.V.M teachers and staff to benefit from their advice and experience. Similar session will be conducted for Sarda Balgram kids, an orphanage and school run by Ram Krishna Mission, in the month of Feb and project will commence from next academic year starting in April, 2018.

We want your support too in making this project a success. Please share your ideas and suggestions about innovation in education. This is a team effort and we win when these students win.

Regards

Siddharth

Editor, Indian Periodical