Motivating Children to attend Pathshala

A write-up by the eJain Digest Editorial team

In the last twenty years, North America has seen a rapid growth of Jains and Jain Centers across the nation. Indian parents realized the need to imbibe their children with the knowledge of Indian culture, languages and religion. As a result of this, a large number of Jain Centers started Sunday Pathshala for the students ranging in age 5 to 18. The participation of kids at these Pathshala classes has grown over the years. However, it was observed that at several centers, the dropout rate of kids 14 years and older was significantly high. Parents attribute this dropout largely to an increased workload at school, sports and extra activities. Although these are valid reasons, most parents and Pathshala teachers feel that the age from 15 to 18 years is a crucial period in children’s lives when such education needs to be continued.

A few Jain centers have addressed this problem with some success and Jain Center of Southern California (JCSC), located in Los Angeles is one of them. This Jain Center started with only 20 kids in 1982 and has grown in strength to about 350 in the 2009-2010 academic year. Of the 350 students, 53 are above age 13 and most of them continue to come to Pathshala on a regular basis. Shri Sailes Jain, director of Jain Center Youth Council (JCYC) (a separate governing body of education at JCSC) mentioned several reasons for this success.

First and foremost is the integration of social activities for the students along with the Jain education. JCYC children organize various activities during the year besides religious studies. An executive committee of children is selected to serve a one-year term. The committee has the responsibility of planning and conducting activities for the children throughout the year under the guidance of Sailesbhai. These activities include park and beach picnics, roller and ice skating, rollerblading and visits to theme parks. Such fun activities in addition to the Jain curriculum bring the children together where they get to know each other, make friends and create an extended family. Meeting their friends and socializing serves as the main motivator for the children to come to Pathshala. Yearly winter camp in the mountains of Southern California, cultural performances at major events, parent and teenager forums also play an important role in enriching children’s life at the Jain Center.

Secondly, the proper segregation of the curriculum helps children learn new topics every year. Prior to 1995, a lot of teaching material was repeated every year. After the 1995 teacher’s conference in Boston, several Pathshala teachers worked on a curriculum to ensure that many aspects of Jainism are covered; each class teacher was given a specific syllabus with full freedom and responsibility to prepare the material and use their own method of teaching. The teachers incorporated various teaching methodologies such as props, puzzles, games, hand-on projects, PowerPoint presentations, etc. in their teaching. This provided a diversion from monotony and generated more interest in the classes.

Thirdly, special attention was given to higher level classes. Until 2001, all students from age 15 to 18 were grouped in one class. In 2001, a new class for the 15 year olds was started. This enabled the teachers to cover additional material that was not taught prior to 2001. In 2009, the 16 year olds were placed in a separate class where the focus was on reviewing what the children had already learnt in the previous classes and learning how to apply Jain principles in daily life. The class for 17 and 18 year old students is a discussion class where the children talk about various day-to-day life issues with the teachers. Part of their learning also comes from field trips to Churches, Synagogues, Buddhist and Hindu Temple, and interacting with children of various faiths – a practical experience relating to the principle of Anekantvad.

In addition to the religion and language classes, JCYC also offers a cultural class for the children above 15 years. In this class children learn about Indian history, geography, food, fashion, music and movies. This is a very popular class and plays a big role in attracting the children to Pathshala.

As a result of this enriching environment, students as well as JCSC have benefited greatly. Many students have come back to the Jain Center during and after their college years to be part of JCYC as assistant teachers. Some have joined the Jain Study Group that discusses philosophical concepts of Jainism in English and motivate each other to incorporate them into their lives. This class is open to young adults (18 & over) and adults who desire to learn Jainism in English.

Here are some testimonials from students who have graduated from Pathshala:

Khushali Gala, a high school math teacher, who attended the Pathshala at JCSC for about ten years, says:

"I looked forward to Pathshala Sundays, because I got to see my friends. JCSC was the central place for everyone to hang out at! Once the attraction of friends got me there, I gained a lot more. I developed a deeper understanding of Jain philosophy, rituals and practices. I felt a strong sense of community. Additional bonus was building functional relationships with many people of my parents' generation!"

Shanehi Shah, an educational advisor at California State University in Dominguez Hills, also attended Pathshala for many years. She was a member of the JCYC committee and served as an assistant Pathshala teacher while in college. She says: "I went to Pathshala classes mainly to see my friends. At that age, socializing with friends was the main attraction. Being a part of JCYC and attending various events at JCSC, gave me a sense of belonging. Now I attend the JSG classes and it is easier for me to understand the discussions in the class because I have learned the basics of Jainism in the Pathshala classes.”

Acknowledging that students come to the Jain Center for more reasons than simply to learn about Jainism has been a driving force in designing and enhancing the various class offerings. The JCYC committee has worked diligently to cultivate and strengthen a sense of community among the youngsters.

eJain Digest would like to know what your Jain Center can do for you. Please write us at jaindigest.info@gmail.com.

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