The aim is to sensitise teachers, students about learning disability
KOCHI: Ishaan Awasthi continues to rule the charts and hearts. The dyslexic protagonist of Taare Zameen Par, Aamir Khan’s directorial debut, has been a model for the advocates of alternative teaching philosophies. Now, the kendriya vidyalayas (KVs) have made the movie a ‘must watch’ for students and teachers.
“We want to sensitise students as well as teachers. Though ours is a normal school, students have to be taught that there could be a classmate with a learning problem. It’s better to empathise with such students than poke fun at them,” says Lakshmi Ramakrishnan, principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Ernakulam.
The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan headquarters in New Delhi issued a circular to all KVs earlier this month recommending the movie. So, teachers have been leading students, batch-by-batch, to the nearby theatre to watch the world of Ishaan, where reality and fantasy are indistinguishable.
“Students have to be shown about their differently-abled counterparts. Even in a normal school, we may come across children with a slightly backward ability. Children should be familiarised with the not-so-lucky. It’s our duty to bring children with learning disability to the mainstream,” Ramakrishnan says.
“Teachers should also be sensitised on the different levels of learning disability. They should learn to identify such students and know how to intervene to make a difference to their lives,” she says.
Taare Zammen Par strikes a chord with present and past students because it examines the helplessness of a “backbencher” encountered by an unsympathetic and oppressive education system.
The movie, Aamir Khan says, was made possible with the help and support of countless teachers, parents and children. Writer and creative director Amole Gupte had been nurturing the story, which comes from his close association with children, for over two years.
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