Need to review teachers’ training programme: Patil

She lauded the National Curriculum Framework developed by NCERT in 2005, which emphasises that children should be helped to construct their knowledge, with the teacher only being a facilitator. “There is a need to develop a number of exhibits with the help of which the teacher could promote the spirit of exploration, investigation and enquiry. Equally, there is a need to develop hands-on activities using local, inexpensive materials to investigate problems of science, mathematics and technology relevant in the local development context.”

To bring down high school dropout rates, she said: “Teachers should adopt innovative teaching methods to make studying in schools interesting and sustain the interest of children so as to reduce dropout rates from school and to achieve the goal of universal elementary education.”

On children working as labourers in fields, factories, shops and streets, she said: “Resourceful and innovative teachers should do something worthwhile to make the school curriculum more relevant for these children and to inculcate life skills along with school skills. It is also necessary to prepare children to fight social evils like child marriage, gender inequality, addiction and other social stigmas.”