BASIC READING AND WRITING PROGRAMME SARASWATHI KENDRA LEARNING CENTRE FOR CHILDREN
The C. P. Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation has set up the Saraswathi Kendra Learning Centre for Children. The Learning Centre provides those supplements necessary for the all - round development of the child. Any child whose life is disturbed by problems that interfere with school performance and inter-personal relationships can benefit from this programme.
AIM OF THE LEARNING CENTRE
The aim of the Learning Centre is to recognise, understand and establish innovative and comprehensive services geared to the special needs of children with learning problems and disabilities, so that they may learn to cope with their studies and general development.
The Saraswathi Kendra Learning Centre is an alternative school for slow learners and learning disabled children.
REACHING OUT ...
The children attending the Saraswathi Kendra have one or more of the following problems.
Dyslexia
Autism
Specific learning disabilities
Habit disorders
Behavior disorders
Personality disorders
Anti-social behavior
Eating and sleeping disorders
Saraswathi Kendra’s policy is to help the educable, low I.Q. child develop his/her learning potential, educate himself/herself to the optimum degree and maximum extent possible and develop other latent skills that can be channeled towards giving the child income generation potential and economic security.
The Centre does not admit children with problems of mental retardation as neither the required staff services nor the infrastructure for such handling is available.
Any child who remains at the same class level for more than two years, in spite of the Intensive Remedial Education Programme, may be referred to a more appropriate system of education. Similarly, if a child is found appropriate for a regular school, the Saraswathi Kendra Learning Centre will recommend the return of the child to a mainstream school. The decision of the authorities of the Saraswathi Kendra Learning Centre will be final in this regard.
The Saraswathi Kendra provides free services for those whose family income is below a certain amount, or collects nominal charges for others.
STAFF SERVICES
The Saraswathi Kendra Learning Centre is staffed by trained psychologists, dance therapists and counselors, social workers and special educators. Saraswathi Kendra is aided by honorary psychiatrists, speech therapists and physiotherapists, neurologists and other medical consultants.
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF OPEN SCHOOLING (NIOS)
Saraswathi Kendra is affiliated to the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), Department of Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. Students enrolled at the Saraswathi Kendra now have the opportunity to complete their Std. X and Std. XII exams through the NIOS’ non-formal system.
The Saraswathi Kendra is a formally accredited institution, both for the registration of candidates and for the conduct of exams, of the NIOS. Saraswathi Kendra provides weekly consultations, but not regular classes (as per the NIOS system).
The NIOS Senior Secondary Certificate is recognised and accepted by Universities and other Higher Education Institutions all over India.
CLASS STRUCTURE
Relatively small classroom strength of 6 to 10 students
Small informally arranged classrooms
Ratio of staff to students maintained at 1:8
No definite distinctions as classes I to XII. Students are grouped according to their abilities and may move from one level to another. Upgrading of levels may be done as and when suitable and not necessarily at the end of an academic year.
PROGRAMMES OFFERED BY SKLC
Saraswathi Kendra Learning Centre runs the following programmes for the benefit of children, teachers and families.
BASIC READING AND WRITING PROGRAMME
The pre-school scheme is a special one for children between the ages of 3 and 9 years. By special request from heads of private schools, paediatricians and neurologists, admission is granted to help, at an early stage, children with learning problems. Basic reading and writing programmes on alphabets, numbers and social development, necessary for coping in school, are conducted. After the successful completion of this programme, many children are ready to return to a regular school.
Timings: 9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.
ALTERNATESCHOOL COACHING SCHEME
This is run on a regular school pattern, working 5 days a week. Class levels are standard I to XII. The Centre has been handling children between the ages of 10 and 18 years. The students are however fitted into varying levels for each subject to suit their academic level.
The routine includes yoga, academics, sports/games, art and craft, puppetry, role-play and music classes. Other life help skills are developed by encouraging the children to participate in day-to-day activities of a public/commercial nature like budgeting, cooking, visiting public offices (bank, post office, etc.), hospitals, etc. Personality development is nurtured and inter-personal skills are taught through individual counseling and constant encouragement to actively participate in the classroom sessions.
The Centre has an integration programme by which children who achieve competency to fit back into the normal school routine are returned to their respective schools. This idea has proved popular with the heads of various schools in the city. Saraswathi Kendra keeps a regular follow-up of the progress of these children, many of who are given remedial attention in the afternoons, after school hours.
Timings: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
REMEDIAL AND PARALLEL EDUCATION PROGRAMME
This is a programme for regular school-going children. Classes are held one hour a day, everyday, after school hours, for children who have been visiting the Learning Centre for remedial education, while attending other schools regularly.
Timings: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION PROGRAMME
A series of psychological tests, intelligent quotient tests and other evaluation tests are regularly conducted for school children, on behalf of pediatricians and schools. They undergo diagnosis and assessment for IQ, psychological problems and learning disabilities.
DYSLEXIA LABORATORY
The dyslexia lab – reading/writing practice room - houses a series of activities to assess and develop fine motor co-ordination, eye-hand co-ordination, letter recognition and formation. Basic reading and writing can be well established through special activities, which will take the form of play and games, encouraging the child to have fun while learning to read and write. Many children from this group are integrated into mainstream schools.
AUTISM LABORATORY
The autism lab provides sufficient stimulus for the autistic child to register learning inputs. The problem with autism being a basic inability to relate to anything outside the self, stimulus plays a very important role. Aids like a computer, tape recorder, soft toys and concrete representations form a large part of teaching methods. Saraswathi Kendra has been established as a Resource Center for autistic children who can be educated. The students with A.S.D (Autism Spectrum Disorder) undergo a special education programme in the Autism lab.
SOFT ROOM
The soft room is a safe play centre to promote activities that build up gross motor co-ordination, spatial ability and proper reflex movements. These activities are geared towards promoting self-awareness and confidence of the child’s physical self.
ALTERNATE THERAPIES
Reaching out to children with learning problems can be through several ways. Although the ultimate goal is to educate them and give them a means of earning an income, this need not necessarily be done with blackboard and books. Music, dance (or movement therapy), art, yoga, athletics and cricket coaching are utilized on a regular basis at Saraswathi Kendra.
English Language Teaching : Conversational English and language skills are imparted through a special English Language Teaching (ELT) programme
Computer Centre : Donated by the Rotary Club of Madras, along with the Rotary Club of Brattleboro Sunrise, U.S.A., Saraswathi Kendra trains students in Word Processing, Data Entry and Computer Science. The computers are also used as an educational aid.
Library : Saraswathi Kendra has a good collection of books and reference materials gifted by various donors. Library class is an important part of the curriculum, when the children are taught to refer to books, take notes, etc.
Recreation Room : Saraswathi Kendra has set up a Recreation Room where children may benefit from indoor games of concentration such as chess, scrabble and carom, as well as traditional Indian board games.
Field trips : Excursions and field trips are conducted regularly for each class.
Special events :
Lectures on health and nutrition are regularly organized for parents and students
The students regularly participate in various competitions and functions for students in the city
Regular parent - teacher meetings are organized to review student progress
Annual Sports Day, Project Day and the other events, are conducted regularly
Workshops are held for teachers of regular schools to introduce them to the concept of learning problems and disabilities
CREATIVE THERAPIES
Besides regular academic coaching, the school also encourages students through a variety of activities like
Yoga
Movement and Dance Therapy
Music
Art and craft
Dr. Dog (Pet Therapy)
Environmental activities
Puppetry
VOCATIONAL COURSES
Vocational education is offered in
Secretarial Practice (PA/PS)
Certificate in Library Science (CLS)
Library Attendant
Library Clerk
Plant Protection
Water Management for Crop Production
Play Centre Management
House Keeping
ADMISSION POLICY AND REFERENCES
The admission policy is an open one and a formal referral is not necessary. Children may be referred by the heads of schools, teachers, parents or doctors and are accepted throughout the academic year. These students are helped to attain a level best suited to their ability.
One of the main objectives of this policy is to transfer the child back to the mainstream school as and when abilities match. Children who are unable to rejoin a mainstream school are also helped to complete secondary examinations conducted by the National Open School, Department of Education, Government of India.
Admission procedures include a detailed testing and an observation period . The testing covers I.Q , personality adjustment, inter-social relationships, aptitude, vocational preference and academic abilities.
Any child who satisfies the required criteria for our programme will be admitted, regardless of recommendation or monetary status.
CONSULTING SERVICESFORSCHOOLS AND PARENTS
The Learning Centre provides consulting services to several schools in Chennai and elsewhere in Tamilnadu and conducts workshops for professionals and school teachers on various aspects related to learning problems in children and how to cope with them. The parents of the students are also given professional advice to handle such learning disabilities in children effectively.
V. G. KRISHNAMURTHI SCIENCE CENTRE
The experiments at the V.G.K. Science Centre are based on the NIOS curriculum. The child is encouraged to experiment and learn.
Education is not merely reading and writing. Education should bring up the skill level of the student to a required standard. This has been the basic motto of the Science Centre. The experiments at the V.G.Krishnamurthi Science Centre are based on simple theories such as Boyle's law, magnetic field, specific gravity, electro-plating, etc. The procedures adopted are also written for each experiment.
Students can easily understand and must try out each of the experiments to examine their knowledge level. Students of Stds. VIII and IX of several city schools utillize the Science Centre. They spend about one hour at a time on each of the sections - The Mathematics Lab, Chemistry Lab, Physics Lab. Regular quiz programmes are conducted.
PUBLICATIONS
SKLC Publications are primarily parental guides
Learning Problems in Children |
|
Managing Dyslexia |
 |
Managing Autism |
 |
Managing Hyperactivity |
 |
Managing Learning Disabilities |
 |
For further details, please contact the office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., or write to sklc@cprfoundation.org
