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Sound books making sound minds
The Cultural Clinic promotes reading as a vital tool in character development
By Saumya Kodagoda
"For the first time in the 32-year history of the Watawana Kanishta Vidyalaya (Mahiyan-ganaya), a student has been successful at the Year 5 scholarship examination, thanks to the Cultural Clinic. He has broadened his knowledge by reading regularly and maintaining the reading diary. The educational level of all children attending the Cultural Clinic has improved. We have instructed all the children to enrol at this clinic."

These were the sentiments expressed by the Deputy Principal of Watawana Kanishta Vidyalaya, Mahiyanganaya at the school prize-giving in June. Two pupils of the Walauwatta Kanishta Vidyalaya (Hanwella) also succeeded in the Year 5 examination, for the first time in the history of the school, as a result of using the methodology of the cultural clinic.

These children who live in dire poverty do not even hear of "tuition". Yet they have responded to the new methodology of the cultural clinic. The cultural clinic has proved to be a solution to both the problems of examination failure and indiscipline.

My 43 years of individual research revealed that children cannot retain anything they read and learn, nor is academic achievement possible without "spirituality", "sensitivity" and "selfless love” which are the main components of culture, wisdom and human character. Corruption, violence, drug addiction, child abuse and examination failure are few consequences of people's lack of wisdom.

The Western education system which is confined to imparting secular knowledge and skill development sans wisdom has created a spiritual vacuum, intensifying in each generation, gradually draining off culture. Consequently the habit of reading for versatility - (bahussruta bhaavaya) which was a main attribute of character for 25 centuries, was rejected. Our minimum standard was reduced to the so-called "literacy" limited to mere reading and writing one's name and a sentence, which is the requirement of democracy to mark the cross in the ballot paper! Reading was reduced to a mere isolated skill.

The new methodology developed to remove the root cause of all these problems by this writer-researcher is the Cultural Clinic. It can be replicated effectively, in any part of the world. It is based on the new indigenous theory of "Education of the Emotions" or promotion of wisdom, which imbibes humanness-character. "Spirituality" comprises 60% percent of the character of the wise person. The balance is made up of aesthetic sense 14%; versatility/ erudition 14%; subject (secular) knowledge and skills 06% and good health habits 06%.

The Cultural Clinic is so named because here each child is clinically examined for problems (psychological) of character-spirituality and treated, in order to endow every one with the cultural heritage he/she is entitled to thereby preventing the germination of violence.

Two sub-clinics, the Spiritual Clinic and the Reading Clinic, function within the Cultural Clinic to ensure the growth of wise persons. Two types of Cultural Clinics according to location also have been developed: A General Cultural Clinic-located in a temple or a community centre and a Family Cultural Clinic- in the home for an affluent family.

This is also an ideal character development unit, to build up lost confidence in street children, refugees, orphans in orphanages, children suffering from post traumatic conditions and to rehabilitate juvenile delinquents and prevent low-income children who are not looked after when they return from school.

The Wisdom Kit - a character development kit, is the mechanism that activates the cultural clinic. It consists of a specially designed steel cupboard with teak - finish on castor wheels, with items required for promotion of spirituality, a special collection of 850 books selected out of the identified categories, a mini-catalogue for the book collection, basic tools and accessories required for training information skills, library stationery , equipment etc.

The wisdom kit includes all the basic material required for character building from pre-natal stage up to 14-16 years of age. As it promotes versatility in the whole family it fosters "adult education" too. The main function of the spiritual clinic is inculcating humanness - sensitivity through spirituality, into the emotions of children. As such the work of the cultural clinic at Rathugala in Ampara commenced with observing religious rites and rituals. Then each child was examined individually and a child profile was opened.

The next activity was repeating the oath for children for self-realisation and training the children in maintaining the diary of good work. Each family was given a set of handbooks on carrying out these main activities. By the end of the first month 23 children of the 74 families of this small isolated village maintained diaries of good work. The three children who had recorded the highest amount of good work and their parents too were awarded prizes.

Thus after clearing their minds, the work of the reading clinic commenced. As instructed, mentors monitored their reading, beginning with books to develop spirituality. Information skills are a pre-requisite for "Reading for Versatility." The information skills training kit included in the Wisdom Kit enables even the poorest child in the remotest corner to learn these skills.

The material required to develop creative writing and basic mathematical concepts such as the wall newspaper, display of the best poem and the best painting are also included in the wisdom kit. As fluency in a second language is an indispensable feature of versatility, English is introduced in the reading game, from the age of two years.

With the new methodology of the cultural clinic, children with identified problems, below ten years of age can be transformed within two months and those below 15 years in about five months depending on the degree of intensity, history and family support. Success in examinations with high grades would be a mere residual effect. This new methodology provides a natural and honest system of evaluation too.

Parents should identify the hidden element in their children’s character as early as possible and provide opportunities to develop them! You do not need a big organization, which of course is detrimental. The small unit of the "cultural clinic" is the guaranteed aid for the family-especially the family cultural clinic to mould children into happy, healthy, peaceful people bringing happiness to their parents. In order to avoid misinterpretations and unreasonable interference in the methodology it is named as the "Cultural Clinic of the Saumya Kodagod Methodology"(SK-Cultural Clinic).

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