Our Correspondent
Kohima, Sep. 21 (EMN): Advisor of School Education and State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), KT Sukhalu, on Wednesday, said there are many aspects of the School Education department that needs to be rectified and ‘things are shaping up’ with the sincerity and commitment of the officers.
While admitting that it cannot address all the problems, he said the department is putting in efforts towards better functioning and working for the welfare of the teachers and students.
The advisor was speaking during the release of 12 Nagaland heritage-based films and the graduation ceremony of the third batch of a nine-month diploma course in school counseling at Capital Convention Hall, Kohima.
Sukhalu acknowledged Samagra Shiksha for funding the project -- diploma in school counseling -- while asserting the need for counselors in all the schools, both for the teachers and students.
He said teacher-counsellors can contribute immensely in the overall development of a child, and mould the future generation and leaders.
He stated that of late, youngsters are ‘more Korean, European, and American than Naga’, while asserting that it is best to be oneself rather than someone else, irrespective of the community and tribe that one belongs to.
Towards this, he lauded the team that made the films on various tribes and cultures of the Nagas, which is needed for the students to get in touch with their roots.
Pointing out that smart TV and classrooms were being made available in all the schools, he requested the heads of various institutions to ensure that the films are shown to the children.
Commissioner and Secretary, School Education and SCERT, Kevileno Angami, in her speech, stressed on the importance of knowing one's culture and history, and elucidated on the National Education Policy (NEP) curriculum-pedagogy, which is based on the knowledge of India.
The official also exuded hope that the release of the heritage films will supplement the Heritage Studies textbooks, and not only be an exchange of cultures but also help in acquiring knowledge and understanding the cultures of different tribes across the state.
Dwelling on the nine-month diploma course in counselling, she pointed out the importance of trained teachers to cater to the needs of various students in order to improve the outcome of education.
N Chumchanbeni Kikon, Director of SCERT, Nagaland, who chaired the programme, stated that the society is beginning to understand the importance of documenting the rich cultural heritage of the Nagas, the value of culture, the beliefs and the ‘Naga way of life is what determines cultural identity’.
“Our Naga heritage can only successfully be preserved only if we value it, carefully document it and transmit it to the next generation. SCERT Nagaland has been working very hard towards this end,” she said, while informing that it has successfully documented a total of 15 Naga heritage-based short films, three of which were released in 2020 and 12 of the films on Wednesday.
She added that the latest 12 short films are based on the customs, practices, values and different aspects of Naga culture drawn from the school subject ‘Nagaland Heritage Studies’.
She asserted that these films are not only a repository for Naga heritage and for enriching school curriculum, but will also act as a tool for cross cultural exchanges among different tribes of Nagaland and promote appreciation, unity and harmony.
The director went on to state that SCERT Nagaland is the first in the country to introduce a diploma course in School Counselling. Launched on April 2, 2018, a total of 57 candidates have been conferred diploma certificates from the first and second batches and a total of 38 trainees from the third batch. She added that a total of 31 candidates will be inducted into the course as the fourth batch.
Kikon also informed that portable storage device -- pen drive -- containing the films will be distributed to selected schools in the 16 districts of Nagaland, and urged the schools to organise screenings of the films and hold discussions after watching them.
She added that the films will be available on the SCERT website, SCERT YouTube Channel and on national educational repositories.
On the occasion, Sukhalu presented the certificates to the graduates of the diploma course, administered the oath and also released the 12 films – “Origin of the Nagas”; “The Art of Naga Tattoo”; “The Craft of Naga Weaving”; “Megalithic Culture of the Nagas”; “Naga Traditional architecture”; “Naga Cuisine”; “The Naga Morung”; “Traditional Naga Games”; “Terrace Cultivation”; “Basket Weaving of the Nagas”; “Naga Traditional Peer Groups”; and “Traditional Village Governance of the Nagas”.