Nithya Sundaram

Executive Director for the Education Research Foundation of Agastya Gurukulam, Nithya ji has developed a Diploma Programme for Teacher Training. Her introduction is given here in her own words:

"Teacher training has been a passion for me.  So has curriculum designing. In my four decades of experience, I have realised that pedagogy is the tipping point. It can make or break. It doesnt matter what students learn, the way they learn is more important. All my life, I have spent fine tuning it. Thanks to modern researchers, pedagogy has taken giant strides. If we adopt what modern educationists advocate, then where is the Bharateeya Paddhati,? I have realised that the researchers have actually rediscovered what our ancient masters have said hundreds of centuries ago. So why can’t we bring it back? Its no longer viable to bring back the Gurukul system in its pristine form, given the population density and challenges of career pathways. So we can adapt and blend the Gurukul system with the framework that modern educationists have designed. Then we get a pedagogy that is unique to Bharat. 

In addition, if our children learn Sanskrit and the texts that are our legacy it will have a resounding impact on the development of children. I have no doubt in my mind that they will not just learn facts and get ready to face a modern exam, but  also develop the instinctive wisdom that we usually associate with the ancient gurukul system. This is an experiment, but worth trying, because we all know and acknowledge that our system needs to decolonise and get sanitised enough to overcome the polluting effects of modern technological developments, like the internet and Artificial Intelligence, which humanity deems as a necessity. I look forward to this exciting journey of teacher training."

She has a passion for theatre, and dreams to develop Bharat's own Pedagogy.