Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Workshop on heritage club inaugurated

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tracing the history and heritage of a community is a task that has to be undertaken seriously and on a scientific basis, Minister for Education M.A. Baby said on Thursday.

He was addressing teachers after inaugurating a State-level workshop aimed at constituting heritage clubs in schools across the State in the city.

Organised by the Department of Archives, the proposed heritage clubs will impart awareness among students on how to collect and preserve historical documents and records available in their respective localities.

The suggestions and proposals raised during the workshop will play a significant role in the government’s curriculum reforms, the Education Minister said.

“When we review our curriculum we should also asses our heritage and culture and discuss how it has influenced us in becoming what we are today and how it will shape our future,” he said.

Historian M.R. Raghavavarier was of the view that society’s attitude towards historical documents and records have been in the extremes.

“We either make the documents out of reach of the masses by showing fanatical devotion or neglect them by showing total disregard,” he said.

According to him the task of preserving historical documents and records will only be completed by undertaking its study. “Keeping them (documents) out of reach of the masses is a great injustice,” he said. “Historical documents are a double-edged sword, one should handle them carefully,” Mr. Raghavavarier added.

Karthikeyan Nair, director, Higher Secondary Education said that the State-level workshop will be followed up with a district-level programme for providing guidelines to teachers on how to constitute heritage clubs in schools.

The higher secondary director hoped that the constitution of the clubs will help children revive their memories about the past.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu