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MAHATMA - Educational Research & Information Centre

Educational resources and information centre which was opened in 1990 has been doing an excellent service to the teaching community. In service training programmes for our teachers are being conducted every year. The centre also brings eminent resource people from all over the country and abroad to conduct workshops and seminars for teachers of other schools. Many such district wide programmes have been organized by ERIC over the years.

Mahatma, like every other good school believes that education is the barometer of a societies advancement. In a broader perspective, it should go beyond the boundaries of text books and vistas of curriculum and help individuals grow into wholesome human beings.

There are schools that keep in mind the importance of text books and examinations but offer innovations and alternatives through new idea, method or device to improve their curricular standards. Mahatma is no exaggeration, one such school. Innovation means for a change, a change for betterment. It is a change not accidental, but a change introduced to serve a specific purpose. ERIC, Educational Research and Information Centre of Mahatma, a Research unit of Mahatma schools, Madurai has been instrumental in making innovations in its school educational system. They have been practiced by school for more than almost three decades and found meaningful and purposeful. To name a few.

  • New way of handling gifted or slow learners.
  • Project methods.
  • Initiation of team teaching.
  • Integration of art & craft into curriculum.
  • Imbibing values through every school activity having no specific time for moral instructions.
  • No examination system up to VIII grade.
  • No Bag System - which stops students from bringing a big load of books to school (under experimentation)

Mahatma schools dont prescribe text books for Social science and General science up to class V. The materials required are prepared by teachers based on the syllabus recommended by the Government. Each unit or module is a comprehensive package of the reading materials, parallel reading material related to the topic based on the four basic languages skills via listening, speaking, reading and writing, a list of hands-on-skill work to be done, a host of worksheets, assignments, test papers and week end readings. The module also ensures that students do a kind of survey / project / paper presentation. There is ample scope for students to work in teams and help each other to overcome peer pressure.

Realizing that encouraging creativity is the key to success the ERIC of Mahatma has been offering a number of programmes for the teaching community. It organizes workshops, seminars and introduces wonderful resource persons who are difficult to access and approach otherwise. It conducts a Summer Diploma Course in Montessori Education for about 30 days which has benefited teachers working and teacher aspirants.

The Montessori Course also includes information on

  • How to prepare lesson plan and teaching aids.
  • Integration of subjects.
  • Classroom management.
  • Counseling.
  • Spoken English.
  • Food science and so on.

Mahatma teachers have undergone a number of in-service training programmes conducted by well known resource personnel from across the country and abroad.

They are trained in preparing modules, introducing new teaching methodology, creating worksheets, talent test papers, quiz sessions, student workshops, debating sessions and so on.

Mahatma through ERIC now wishes to share its learning with the teachers of other schools. Its Resource Team offers to conduct Teacher Training Programme during weekends. The Resource Centre will also help schools with syllabus planning, module planning, innovative, teaching methodology and so on.

It also can train students in

  • Team building.
  • Creative thinking.
  • Leadership skills.
  • Language skills, reading in particular.
  • Students Residential Camps for 3 or 4 days are organized for 50 to 100 students.

The schools that are interested may contact

  • 0452 - 2585901 Mrs. Vijaya Sundar, Principal - KK
  • 0452 - 6521708 Mrs. Jacqueline Vardon, Principal - BABA
  • 0452 - 6456903 Mrs. Subha Manikandan, Principal - CBSE