Education

The article rightly pointed out the relevance of socio cultural
appropriateness in making reading an enjoyable and interesting
experience, however what probably the article missed was the
importance of the vernacular. Each culture has nuances which are best
expressed in the local language or the so called mother tongue of the
child. The mastery and the grasping power that a child develops in his
mother tongue due to continued interaction at home can not be matched
by the the few hours of English education that a child receives in the
school. Hence two aspects also need to be incorporated along with the
suggestions already highlighted in the article. Availability of the
literature in the mother tongue of the child, and much more space for
the state administration to align the curriculum with the local
preferences.
An example that the article cited was that of the children literature
showing real children but isnt a punjabi child's life style, who for
example craves for a parantha , goes to play in the "sarson ka khet"
much different from that of a Kerala child who craves for a Rasam and
goes to play in a meadow lined with coconut trees. What I intend to
say is that we need local content in local language for the arousal
interest of the children. SiImilar issues have often been raised by
sociologist like Mohapatra , Vidyarthi in context of tribal education
(their cltural symbols, their role models etc being different.)