Educational Visits in Kerala and Tamil Nadu

The first part of my time on sabbatical had been organised to travel to India. I was particularly interested to see how Information and Communication/Learning Technology was being used within the education system. I had contacted, by email, some of the many educational establishments that existed in the State of Kerala and had explained that I was travelling to the area from England and requested whether I may visit them. Many replied and extended a welcome to do so. Kerala is located in the south west of India. It is locally known as “God’s own country” which is easy to see why due to its lavish vegetation, palm groves and its idyllic coastal location by the Arabian Sea.

On arrival in Thiruvananthapuram (also known as Trivandrum), the capital of Kerala, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my vision of India was exactly as I expected. The place flowed with people and sound. I stayed at the same hotel in Kovalam and made this my base throughout my time in Kerala. As such, I got to know the proprietor, his family and staff very well. They were extremely helpful and were often a great source of advice in helping me to make travel arrangements and in organising the many visits I was planning.

As such, my time in Southern India became twofold in nature. One was exploring the area geographically and engaging with the customs and cultures that existed. The other was in making arrangements to visit some of the many educational establishments that existed in Kerala. In either realm I was made most welcome wherever I went.

Christ Nagar College of Education

The first visit I made was to the Christ Nagar College of Education, only a short distance from where I was staying. The location of the College is truly stunning, located high up in the palm groves and looking out towards the Arabian Sea. I was introduced to the Principal on my arrival and, in turn, to many of the teaching staff. The Director of the College is Fr. Sibichen. He kindly invited me to stay and have lunch with him while we discussed our interest in education and how computer technology is having an impact in teaching. The College is exploring how it may use such technology in the future and is interested in how this may be extended into their work in teacher education.

University of Kerala – Department of Library and Information Science

One of the first places I visited in Thiruvananthapuram was the Department of Library and Information Science at the University of Kerala. I met with Mr. M. Varghese and Dr. K. P. Vijayakumar who showed me around the facilities within their area. At the time I was visiting I was informed that the Department was organising the staging of the United Nations and World Bank Publication Exhibition. As such, I was invited to the opening ceremony with other Faculty members. It was a fascinating occasion where the guest speaker was from the United Nations and who, in the 60′s, was a student at the University of Kerala. I finished my visit by being invited to a local restaurant where we discussed further the use and application of technology in education.

Karmela Rani Training College in Kollam

To the north of Thiruvananthapuram is the city of Kollam (also known as Quilon) in which I travelled by train to visit the Karmela Rani Training College. As with my visits to the other places I was made most welcome and was shown around the College by Dr A. John. I was introduced to other members of the College team and was given a tour of the facilities. The College is mainly involved in teacher training and I was shown around the classroom facilities and other amenities. One of these was the library which was organised and run by Sister Jerelda Mary and her team. We discussed how students and members of the College used the facilities and the importance of resources within education. I was particularly interested to see from our discussion the familiarity between ourselves with regards to the use of support systems within education. After being offered refreshments I caught the train back to Thiruvananthapuram where I further enjoyed conversation with some of the train passengers who where inquisitive of my visit to the area and also to where I was from.

St Xavier’s Computer Centre

The growth and interest in Information and Communication Technology is well represented in Kerala as was particularly evident through the number of specific training organisations that exist for the subject. One of these I visited was the St Xavier’s Computer Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. I met with the manager, Mr R. F. Netto, who showed me around the facilities and introduced me to the teaching staff. The courses the students were undertaking were similar to those in England with Internet technology being used alongside other standard applications. Many of the students I talked to saw the use of computer technology as being extremely relevant to their future employment prospects.

British Library in Thiruvananthapuram

Apart from visiting educationally specific organisations I also wanted to see how Information and Communication Technology might be used in other sectors. To this end I arranged to visit the British Library in Thiruvananthapuram. My first observation was in its similarity, in both design and layout, to libraries found in England. There was the traditional collection of books and other reading material and specific areas for computer access. I met with the Library manager, Dr Subramoni, who informed me that my observations of similarity were not unfounded as the design of the Library was largely influenced by Britain and actually formed part of the British Council in India. When I completed my visit I was interested to notice that someone had formed their own book stall in the street nearby so having a flow of potential customers making their way to and from the Library.

Karunya Kindergarten Tsunami Project – Tamil Nadu

Before going to India I had read an article regarding a school project that was being undertaken in Tamil Nadu in the aftermath of the Tsunami that had struck the area in December 2004. One of the people involved in supporting this project was Syed Ibrahim who ran a business from the Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram. On contacting Syed while in Kerala he invited me to join him on a visit to the school and to see the project. As such, we drove to Tamil Nadu to visit the Karunya Kindergarten Tsunami Project. The school was located just a short distance from the coast. On my arrival I was introduced to the teaching staff and pupils and shown around the school. I was then invited to see the classes taking place. Although it is located in a beautiful area it is easy to see from all the new buildings on the coast that a large amount of rebuilding had been taking place. The school had been part of this redevelopment and, with the support of people such as Syed Ibrahim, was continuing to rebuild and reconstruct the community in the area.

CSI College of Education

Apart from the many places I went to see while in Kerala and Tamil Nadu I was pleasantly surprised one afternoon to receive a visit myself from Professor Ben Roy from the CSI College of Education. I had contacted Professor Ben Roy prior to arriving and informed him that I was visiting from England. He was particularly interested in education issues that related to India and Britain and had visited England a number of times at Canterbury Christ Church University. We particularly discussed the use and implication of incorporating Information and Communication Technology into education as a learning resource and the benefits of using such facilities within education.

Thank You

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the people whom I met on my visit to India and for making me feel so very welcome. It was a fascinating and positive experience and one that remains with me until today. I would most welcome visiting you all again in the future when I am next in India.