Wake-up call for educationists

by Niruth Sampanthan

Grabbing titles are very rare. Here's one at Vijitha Yapa Bookshop: 'How Schools Abuse; Fail Children: Dramatherapy to Heal Emotionally Traumatised School Children in Sri Lanka' by Ravindra Ranasinha. The content of this book is so timely, and demands the immediate attention of educationists, and policy makers.

The author addresses a burning issue; abuse of children, at a time very little research is done into the most horrendous realities in our schools. Media reports, constantly bring out teacher violence that compel schoolchildren to commit suicide. There's apparent evidence regarding emotional maltreatment in schools.

Recently, a girl child was garlanded with slippers by the school disciplinarian for wearing a worn pair of shoes. Another girl was made to commit suicide for writing a poem. Against the backdrop of this ghastly teacher behaviour, we have now in hand Ranasinha's book that boldly demands immediate measures to protect our schoolchildren.

Incidents

The futile educational system that promotes such atrocious incidents in schools needs urgent reformation. The book rightly says many incidents go unreported for fear of being intimidated.

Ranasinha delineates various abuses in schools and their dreadful results. The cases cited show the way the authorities arbitrarily judge situations according to each one's whims and fancies; which leaves the child in a vulnerable state of mind.

Children are the wealth of a nation and it is ironical to push such wealth into situations which compel them to be at the mercy of counsellors or in extreme situations to commit suicide or worst scenario to end up in a mental asylum.

Precision

Coherent arrangement in the book of the ten chapters with precision, makes it easy for the reader to have an eye view of the layout. The quote by the sixth grader, 'He who opens a school door, opens a madhouse' is not to be taken lightly, as it is good food for thought.

The shocking revelations of abuse, makes me think, haven't we been complacent far too long to let things happen to reach such magnitudes until it knocked our own doors?

The book reveals how schools have become unsafe and chaotic environments making children restless.

There is ample bullying and corporal punishment visible in schools in the name of 'moulding' children.

There is a drastic 'neglect' of slow learners. The classroom maltreatment turns children to be slow in studies and cause many emotional and psychological problems, which this book explains in detail. Fear, shame and guilt destroy the schoolchild when principals and teachers fail to be empathic towards the school community. Such weakness of the adults incapacitates the child devastatingly, for the whole life.

Philosophically, the book loudly acclaims the necessity forHolistic Education. In a nutshell; it is learning to know, learning to do, learning to be, and learning to live together.

The emphasis given to 'being human' proclaims the need of growth to be in toto; in other words as this document emphasizes, 'Life is a movement from whole to whole.' We could draw many examples of people 'who have everything, but ironically have nothing.' This is because growth did not happen in every aspect of the human being.

For example, when prominence is given only to economic growth, the other aspects of being a human is either taken for granted or the mere mention of it is laughed at for being not in vogue to become 'super rich'.

So where do we look for values, if well-being means only the economic growth which gradually finds its ugly roots bringing out the poisonous fruit called jealousy and greed?

Education system

The author rightly questions the existing education system; how many of the professionals have attained any degree of wisdom? The reference to T.S. Eliot sums it all - "Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge, where is the knowledge we have lost in information?" True to his words, we see the outcome of the system being vices of society.

It is high time we stop judging schools only by their academic performance, and look for places where breathing space is available for children and opportunity given to the blossoming of their potential. And if this is to happen, as per this invaluable text, the key roles should be effectively played by none other than teachers and parents.

I am of the view that child - parent - teacher relationship should be likened to the legs of a tripod which holds education on the top; meaning one should support the other if holistic education should happen.

The book categorically states how we should approach the situation to alleviate the maladies prevalent in our society to produce healthy minds; otherwise we will continue to nurture 'professionals sans wisdom.'

Drama Therapy

So much of blowing your own trumpet on 'Child Centered Education' is happening, but do we sincerely work towards it? If so, why so many abuses of children happen on a daily basis? Why is it that children are abused in schools in various forms, by the so-called 'guardians'?

How come abuses happen with ease? Should we create victims and then train counsellors to seek out disturbed mind and cure them? What is our idea of the future generation? Should it be full of victims of abuse carrying scars till the last day of their lives? There are many hypothetical questions. Will anyone bother to answer?

The author brings dramatherapy to the fore as a sound therapeutic intervention to help the victimised child in school.

The case studies cited make one to see the strength of dramatherapy in helping the problem child. It is also emphasised that the change in the teacher is a must to ensure psychological well-being of our schoolchildren.

Hence, the author provides a good number of therapeutic tools for teachers to make a change for the better. A detailed list of process drama activities given in the book aims in helping the classroom to be creative, lively and supportive in its teaching and learning process.There is a plethora of activities, lesson plans and case studies given in the text to help school counsellors and psychotherapists to creatively engage when dealing with emotionally traumatised schoolchildren. Hence, the book is a resource for every counsellor, therapist and psychologist, providing innovative approaches to address child issues.

Finally, the book is a perfect guide on classroom management and teacher behaviour. It raises awareness with which to integrate an understanding of the strengths of the various action therapies, and the significant role they play in serving the curative community.

Congratulations to Ravindra Ranasinha for producing this arduous and daring research.