Nurturing an Enabling Environment:
As public spaces, schools must be marked by the values
of equality, social justice and respect for diversity, as
well as of the dignity and rights of children. These
values must be consciously made part of the perspective
of the school and form the foundation of school
practice. An enabling learning environment is one where children feel secure, where there is absence of fear,
and which is governed by relationships of equality and
equity. Often this does not require any special effort
on the part of the teacher, except to practise equality
and not discriminate among children. Teachers should
also nurture their classroom spaces as places where
children can ask questions freely, engaging in a dialogue
with the teacher as well as their peers, during an ongoing
lesson. Unless they can share their related experiences,
clarify their doubts and ask questions, they will not
engage with learning. If, instead of ignoring children’s
comments or sealing their tongues with strict rules of
silence and restrictions on the language to be used,
teachers encourage children to talk, they would find
that the classroom is a more lively place and that teaching
is not predictable and boring, but rather an adventure
of interacting minds. Such an environment will
facilitate the self-confidence and self-esteem of learners
of all ages; it will also go a long way in improving the
quality of learning itself.
Teachers and children are part of the larger society
where identities based on membership of caste, gender,
religious and linguistic group, as well as economic status
inform social interaction, though this varies in different
social, cultural and regional contexts. SC and ST
communities, members of minority groups, and
women are usually placed in situations of disadvantage
because of their identities, and are denied equal access
to valued resources in society and participation in
different institutions. Research on school processes
suggests that identities of children continue to influence
their treatment within schools, thereby denying them
meaningful and equal opportunities to learn. As part
of the experience of schooling, children also receive
implicit messages through interpersonal relations,
teacher attitudes, and norms and values that are part
of the culture of the school. These often reinforce
notions of purity and pollution in relation to social
hierarchies, desirable qualities of ‘masculinity’ and
‘feminity’, and privilege in certain ways of living, mainly
that of the urban middle class, while rendering all others
invisible. Children belonging to SC and ST groups,
and other socially discriminated against groups such
as sex workers and parents with HIV, are often
subjected to demeaning treatment in the classroom,
not only by teachers but also by their peers. Girls are often subject to stereotypical expectations based on
notions of their future roles as wives and mothers rather
than enabling them to develop their capabilities and
claim their rights. Children with disability often confront
insensitive environments where their needs are
completely ignored. Schools must be conscious of the
importance of creating equitable classroom
environments in which students are not subjected to
unfair treatment and denied opportunities on the basis
of their sex or membership of a caste, tribe or minority
group. On the other hand, the culture of the school
must be one that highlights the students, identities as
‘learners’ and creates an environment that enhances the
potential and interests of each child.
