“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela

‘Scholarium 2015,’ launched by Coimbatore-based Scholarius Educational Services (SES) brought together some of the most acclaimed educationists under one roof. They all firmly believe that the education system must be changed in order to bring growth and development.

Raghavan, Founder and Director of BrainStars, delivered his special address and spoke on the topic, ‘21st Century Education – the Way Forward.’ He said, “Educational institutions must plan their curriculum and develop educational models keeping in mind the requirements of the next 10 years. They should be prepared for making changes to the educational system, which is the need of the hour. Educational institutions should collectively work on this.” He urged the parents to work towards improving the skills of their children. In the era of advancements in science and technology, Raghavan said that there is also a strong need for providing children with the right set of technological and educational tools.

While Raghavan spoke of technology and the need to equip students with the right learning tools, Archana Dange, Head (Operations), emphasised on putting the best use of technology while teaching students. She spoke on the topic, ‘No Hi-Tech Please; We’re Preschoolers.’ She pointed out that educational institutions should consider implementing the preschool philosophies of educationalists like Maria Montessori, Loris Malaguzzi, Jerome Bruner, Benjamin Bloom, Mahatma Gandhi, and Rabindranath Tagore. “Technology should be used in a smart way for educating pre-school children. But, there should not be an excessive dependency on technology as it can reduce the mentor-student interaction. Moreover, technology, per se, cannot answer doubts of the children. Pre-school children between the ages of two and six need a facilitator not a teacher,” she said. Archana urged parents to work towards channelizing the energy of their kids in the right direction rather than exposing them to technology. “Kids have tremendous energy, which, when put to best use, makes the child shine in all the spheres of life,” she said.

Also present at the launch were Kajari Bharadwaj, Head of Academic Qualifications; and educationalists Harish, Uma Mahesh, and Vijayashree. They participated in the programme and delivered speeches on various education-related issues.

Photos: The launch of Scholarium 2015 in Coimbatore.