GeoVidyaa Center in Bangalore

Geography education in India needs to be made more engaging and relevant to life in the 21st century. GeoVidyaa Center will be a well-equipped forum for teachers and students to explore the excitement of Geography…

Background:

Geography is a subject with many applications. It is taught in the most boring possible ways without its uses demonstrated in any form to our students. A reasonably well-rounded education should include a strong Geography component in which students learn the tools, skills, and ethics of this discipline. Additionally, Geography is also a natural discipline with which to integrate all that a student studies into a seamless ‘holistic’ endeavor.

Problem:

Unimaginative syllabi, ill-equipped teachers and educational institutions, and ill-planned curriculums conspire to kill any enthusiasm and aptitude a student may have for Geography. The 21st century world and its market place of ideas require a robust Geography component that is combined with the powers of computer technology to the application of geographical skills.

In India, these are not available to students even in the so-called ‘upper’ or ‘elite’ or ‘international’ schools. What then to say of the non-English language medium schools. Denied the combination of adequate grounding in English, computer-supported skills, and Geography education many students in lower socio-economic strata are left out of the intellectual and economic opportunities in India.

Students’ right to a socio-economically, culturally, and politically empowering education is being abridged.

This needs to be addressed.

The response:

The Dharani Trust has undertaken an initiative called The Indian Institute of Geographical Studies (TIIGS) through which we aim to set up a Geography learning center — to be called the GeoVidyaa Center (GVC)– in Bangalore. The GVC will be well-equipped and offer a physical and intellectual space where, students and teachers can explore Geography education in innovative and rewarding ways without the constraints of the traditional syllabi.

By its very nature, Geography education will strengthen all their intellectual aspects. IT-Enabled Geography (ITEG) is a vital component of Geography education for the 21st century.

The GVC is envisaged to play a nodal role for decentralized and networked resource and capacity-building in schools across the country. These will build on the efforts of many organizations (e.g., NGOs) working to prove basic schooling.

The GVC will provide them a variety of next-level capacities that can truly empower students to become agents of change in all walks of life.

Request:

In this effort, we seek many kinds of partners. We have found some already and we need others who bring other resources to help with this cause. We would prefer long-term partnerships, as this is effort is a process, not an event.

I would greatly appreciate a meeting with stakeholders in your organization to make a brief presentation on the goals towards which TIIGS is working and its approaches to these goals.

Please contact us for further dialogue.

Chandra Shekhar Balachandran, Ph.D.
Director