Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to
highlight the personal understanding of the common school pledge and to investigate
what it takes to really understand the very concept “The Green School for Green
Bhutan.” An acronym for GREEN SCHOOL has been coined as a supplementary text to
educating for GNH. It is also tested with the teachers and students of Kurichu
Lower Secondary School with an expectation to nurture students with the core
values of GNH. It is therefore, perceived to be successful while attempting to
integrate the values of Gross National Happiness (GNH) meaningfully and
inclusively into our school curricular and co-curricular practices.
Based on the findings of the
data analysis and observations of participants, it also offers some information
about what it takes to create an enlightened work place and enlightened work
relationship in GNH schools.
A qualitative research method
has been administered by choosing phenomenological design using the data
collection tools such as interview and participant’s observation.
By and large, it recommends the
school stakeholders to look into their school leadership, management and
administrative styles from the lens of Green School.
Key Words:
GNH- Gross
National Happiness, GREEN SCHOOL: G – Gift of Knowledge,
R – Reward for Hard work, E – Education for Lifelong
Learning/Livelihood, E – Empowerment of School Citizenship, N – Nature
of Motherhood, S – Safe Surrounding , C –Caring Community, H –Happy Home, O – Offering Opportunities , O – Ownership of Oneness, L – Living Learning Laboratory
KLSS –
Kurichu Lower Secondary School.
Introduction
The image of a green school
entails a respected and an enjoyable place of teaching and learning. In its
truest sense, the concept of green school plays a vital
role essentially in educating for the Gross National Happiness (GNH). It is
substantiated that the school stands as one of the strongest influencing change
agents on society and building the true citizens of the country. It is found,
thus, imperative for school to inculcate values and principles of GNH both
consciously and subconsciously through an acronym - GREEN SCHOOL. Perhaps, it
may be the real definition and understanding of the school’s common pledge,
“Green school for the green Bhutan” if further studies are done with advanced
research methodology and tools.
G – Gift of Knowledge
The
school is a temple - a learning abode. Acquisition of knowledge by students and
teachers in the school is a life time gift. There is a mutual illumination of
knowledge acquisition amongst the learners and the learned. The bond between
the teachers and students get cemented as one knows how to appreciate the very
purpose of being in the school. It is important that students know the source
of their knowledge. It is a high-priced gift of teachers. Learning to value the
knowledge acquired from the teachers is the testimony of their gratitude to
teachers for moulding them into better person. Nevertheless, learning is always
a two way processes. Both teachers and students are mutually benefited as the
continuum of teaching and learning unfolds in the schools. It is believed that
the school will always remain psycho-socially green if such GNH values are embedded
in the minds of students and teachers. The teachers and students of Kurichu
Lower Secondary School realize and embody this value very much. It is highlighted
in their daily school curricular and co-curricular activities.
R – Reward for Hard work
There
is a robust truth in saying what gets rewarded gets done and what is rewarding
gets done ( Sergiovanni, 2002). In the school
there are so many curricular and co-curricular activities designed essentially
to inculcate wholesome education to our students. If there is no reward
mechanism in school, the motivation of students, teachers and supporting staff may
deteriorate, thus impacting the quality process of work and disabling the
development of wholesome education. It is always worthwhile to have a culture
of lifting the morale of staff and students by instituting a culture of
recognizing and appreciating the hard workers. For both academic and non-academic
activities, awarding of prices and certificates may hold on the same spirits of
students in learning and participation. The award may be not only for students
but also for hard working staff. If such culture is built in the school, there
cannot be better greener ways to encourage the school citizens. If the
deserving people are not rewarded in the school, it will be something like
wrapping a gift and not giving it to the loved ones. The reward culture gives
the better understanding of GNH to the school citizens. Everybody will be
encouraged to work harder thereby achieving the common goals. A considerable
amount of performance improvement is seen in both teachers and students of KLSS
in view of this concept.
E – Education for Lifelong Learning and Livelihood
Educating
GNH in the school is an education for livelihood. School is not just for the
sake of getting a mere education. How would school want to portrait our young
graduates in the society? How would we want a graduate to talk in the public?
What skills are required by the graduates in the field? How can they make
connection to their life of the values they learned in the school? Will they be
able to stand on their own feet after their graduation? Teaching values,
concepts and skills required by students in their daily life is far more
authentic than just teaching students of bookish knowledge. It is of paramount
importance that inculcating GNH values and life skills in teachers’ daily
lessons would address some of the expectations of general public from our young
graduates. At the end of the day, as said by W.B. Yeats., “Education is not the
filling of a pail; it is the lighting of a fire” (Retrieved from Google on
educational quotes dated 12/4/2011). It
is good that a teacher knows how to differentiate his/her instruction on
content, process and assessment according to the readiness, interest and
learning profile of the students should he/she aspire to produce quality
students. It is indeed the perfect look out from the GNH lens. Thus, teachers
must always strive to align and tailor one’s teaching strategies according to
the learning styles of the students. Tomlinson (1999) said, “If students can’t
learn the way we teach, we must teach them the way they learn.” The nation’s
future will be reflected on the type of quality education our youth receive
from the school during their formative years. The green school will always
strive to give our graduates an education for livelihood.
E – Empowerment of School Citizenship
Running
the school is no longer a one-person's job. The delivering quality education to
students solely depends upon the collective efforts of all the school personnel.
In a green school, every citizen of the school is empowered of their roles and
responsibilities. Just like they owe certain duties to their family members,
they too spend their precious time and space for the development of the school.
Each stakeholder in the school showcases his/her identity as citizen of a
school through various initiatives. Just as an individual shares responsibility
to develop his/her family, each member of the school renders a sense of duty to
the making of the school perhaps as the hub of GNH imbedded school. In the same
vein, in a green school the job delegation is done based on right person for
the right job, thus, enabling a good use of human resources. The members feel
that the delegation of job in such school is neither a dumping nor abdication
but a shared responsibility amongst the principal, staff members and student
representative thereby cultivating the enlightened work relationships and
creating enlightened workplace. In KLSS, for all the activities, there is an
assessment group chaired by one of the non member teachers. The Principal here
is not a head but a member of the entire evaluation groups for all kinds of
assessments.
N – Nature of Motherhood
Schools
would not have better greening plans at place than nurturing the physical
greeneries. Nature is an elixir of our life. Nature will never betray the heart
that cares her. A nature club in the school would definitely cater education on
ecology to students. Our Schools can be the birth place of nature - a sense of
motherhood. When a school has a green tree to give shade, a fresh air to
breathe, a good soil to grow vegetables, a clean water to drink, a beautiful
flower to bloom and a fresh fruit to eat, then there cannot be a better
aesthetic, naturalistic and revered environment in the school. The values like
eco-consciousness, sustainability, reverence and bio-diversity get naturally embedded
in students. With the presence of nature of motherhood, loves for nature get
instilled in students. They get opportunity to think globally and act locally
vis-a-vis the current conservation practices upheld in the school. The GNH tree
in KLSS is the testimonial to ideal practices of teachers and students in
conserving nature. The fair and balanced vegetation is maintained in the school
through various activities coordinated by the school nature club.
S – Safe Surrounding
Learning
how to keep school safe and clean is a cradle to becoming environmentalist in
near future. This will have a snowballing effect on preservation of nature,
surrounding and environment that we live. Cleanliness is Godliness. The green school
will always have health and safety policies in place. The culture of mindfully
observing the school health and safety day once in a week nonetheless embodies
the GNH pillar of conserving the environment. Acting locally, in the primary and
lower secondary schools, putting the safety measures in every work site, namely
classroom, free periods, leisure time, SUPW time, games and sports time, so on
is of crucial importance. By intrinsic nature, students during their smaller
ages are very active and restless. The green school will also have the disaster
management plan. The school will carry the hunting of structural and
non-structural hazards and risks of natural calamities. The safe surrounding
also means to say that the school must be free of waste, dirt, junk food, stray
dogs, bullying and vulgar languages. In KLSS, the days are marked essentially
to accord conducive learning atmosphere to the students. For instance, Tuesday
is marked as no plastic day, no junk food day and health day.
C –Caring Community
The
green school will be a child seeking and community of care giving. The teachers
will create an environment where students feel like going to school every day.
School will be free from bullying, harassment, detention, tribulations,
humiliations, and by and large free from corporal punishment. Irrespective of
diverse cultural background, this school regards and showers the equal share of
love, treatment, learning, time and space to students in every school activity.
More so, the teachers respect the multiple intelligences of students. Different
students have different prior experiences and learning styles. Teachers here
will not level the children as dullard, poor, and intelligent for he/she may be
in need of different teaching styles pertaining to his/her learning need and
intelligence. In green school, ‘my’ and ‘your’ children are ‘our’ children. We
care all and regard all with same token of love and appreciation. Students
nonchalantly say that the KLSS is free of using forces, ill-treatments and
harsh words by their teachers and friends.
H –Happy Home
School
is a home coming for the students. In a green school, students will have a
sincere feeling of coming early to school and going late to home. The homely
atmosphere entails happy home. The warmth of happiness radiates around the nook
and the corner of a green school. What more can students ask from their school
if there is an ambience accruing livelihood, affection, brotherhood, and fraternity
amongst teachers and the taught? Nevertheless, the management also projects the
same ambience to the teachers while dealing with them and meeting their needs.
The green school views every family member as total person, not as a flawless
human. Some students say that they feel like coming to school as early as seven
o’ clock in the morning which is tantamount to happy home for them.
O – Offering Opportunities
Opportunity
is a road to learning. It is like a door which opens the mental cognition and
the meta-cognition of our students. Availing ample of learning opportunities to
students through vocational, co-curricular and curricular activities enhances
the students’ abilities to view the world from a multiple perspectives. Indeed,
students have fair share of school responsibilities, thus, the green school always
build on to cater for “every child, every opportunity.” The planning and
objectives set and lessons prepared are for “ultimately the students.” KLSS has inclusive prior planning for all the
activities.
O – Ownership of Oneness
Unity
is the confluence of minds. When the minds are strong and one, things can not
fall apart. If the school citizens own the phrase such as we stand if united
and we fall if divided and then live by it, the success is almost guaranteed. The
teachers and students commit themselves to work towards achieving academic
excellence as these two are the major dimensions of quality education. Besides,
the prayers enchanted, the games and sports activities conducted, the literary
activities organized, the teachings carried out in KLSS are all geared towards attending
enlightenment through ownership of oneness. There cannot be a better and greener
school in the country.
L – Living Learning Laboratory
The
school is a living example for deeper learning. The half of students’ life is
spent in schools learning the content, skills and values basically in pursuit
of becoming somebody in future. Students are nurtured and groomed in schools to
become the productive citizens of our country. The image of school as
laboratory goes a long way in shaping the lives of our students. Kurichu Lower
Secondary School is like a lamp which keeps burning and glowing- giving light
to students in their search for knowledge. The green school would always
endeavor to embody and live by the images of school as living learning
laboratory. The school is a seed, plant and tree for our younger generations.
What type of fruits we want to reap in future depends on the kind of learning
laboratory we cater for our students in schools. The mistakes of the school
will be reflected on the nation. Thus, it is found imperative to put heart and souls
into the making of successful learning laboratories in KLSS.
Conclusion
The
GREEN SCHOOL concept may help to understand better the very image of educating
for GNH in schools. It takes a moment to sit together and plan to work towards
this idea of green school. It has a significant bearing on schools to create an
enlightened work place so that we derive sincere satisfaction while being in these
noble institutions.
It
is hoped that the school citizens are encouraged to work towards fulfilling the
vision, mission and goals of the school. Perhaps, it has a high stake for
target setting and goal achievements. This mechanism of working towards fulfilling
‘green school for green Bhutan’ goes a long way in shaping the lives of our
future citizens. At the end of the day, it is the purpose, wisdom and
compassion the contemporary schools strive to achieve. It takes the better
greener ways of working in our revered institutions to succeed and achieve the
Ministry’s goal of educating for GNH in schools.
Reference
CAPSD (2010). Educating
for GNH: Refining our school education practices- A guide to gross national happiness. CAPSD, DSE, Paro.
Development Philosophy of the
National Development Program of Bhutan (Retrived on February 20,2012 from http://www.undp.org.bt/
Governance/ GNH/the%20 philosophy% 20of%
20GNH.pdf )
Observation. Observation
as research instrument. (Retrieved
January 27, 2010 from
Sergiovanni, T.J. & starratt, R.J. (2002). Supervision: A redefinition. New
York: Mc Graw
Hill.
Tomlinson, C.A. (1999). The differentiated classroom:
Responding to the needs of all learners.
New York. Mc Graw.
By Pema Thinley
Principal
Kurichu LSS,
Gyelpozhing, Mongar from 2010-2012
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