On September 28, 2024, VMFT hosted a significant public meeting in Trivandrum, Kerala, to unveil an
important report on education inequality in the state. The report, titled “Separate and Unequal?
Language, Curriculum and Management in Kerala’s School Education System,” presents a
comprehensive analysis of the growing divide within the state’s education system, drawing on multiple
data sources. Dr. Heidi Layne, a researcher from the University of Jyväskylä in Finland, released the
report and delivered a keynote address, sharing insights on Finland’s focus on education quality and
teacher professionalisation. The VMFT report also carries a section on Finland’s acclaimed education
model.

The report’s findings paint a stark picture of Kerala’s education landscape. Once celebrated for its
common curriculum and publicly funded school system that guaranteed universal enrollment, Kerala’s
school system has undergone rapid transformation in just over a generation. Private unaided schools,
offering different curricula, including the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), have proliferated across the state, while the majority of government and aided schools still follow the State Board curriculum. This shift has created a multi-tiered system where quality education is differentiated by type of school, curriculum and language of instruction and access to this depends on the socio-economic status of students.

“Language acquisition is not a step-by-step process of generalization, association, and abstraction, going from linguistic data to the grammar, and that the subtlety of our understanding transcends by far what is presented in experience.”- ― Noam Chomsky, On Language

Although revered and rebuked in equal measure, Chomsky’s theories cannot be ignored. Setting the
base to our talk, we were pleased to have with us Dr. George. C. Vilanilam, Professor of Neurosurgery,
Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum. Dr. Vilanilam has an MS
in general surgery, and a FRCS in Neurosurgery. He has an MBA in hospital management and Diploma in
Medical Law and Ethics. He is also associated with the Madhavan Nayar Center for Comprehensive
Epilepsy Care.
The talk that happened at VMFT, K.M. Bashir Memorial Building, Thiruvananthapuram, on 24th August,
was divided into 3 parts; a presentation on language and brain development by Dr. Vilanilam, followed
by a presentation on education models by Dr. Bashir, and a riveting Q&A session. Dr. Vilanilam delved
into the science behind language absorption and how the brain aids this process. He further states that
the perspective to language is varying and has many facets. His talk focused on the neurobiology and
medical professional’s perspective of language. As per Dr. Vilanilam’s research, there are 7164 languages worldwide, with Papau New Guinea having 840 languages and India being 4 th  in place with 453 languages and dialects.

On 27th July, 2024, we were pleased to hold a session, remotely, with Dr. Xiaoyan Liang, Lead Education Specialist, World Bank. Dr. Liang is an international education professional with experience across many continents and author of the influential “How Shanghai Does It” report.  This was the first in a series of talks which will be organized by VMFT over the next few months on improving school education quality and to bring insights from other countries that are relevant for Kerala and India.

The offline session that was held at the VMFT hall, Trivandrum, saw a huge turnout of teachers, mentors
and students. Simultaneously, there were attendees who joined online from around the country as well.
The session was organised to turn the spotlight on the Teacher Research Group system in China that has been adapted to Tanzania and other countries. Due to the high performance of Chinese students on
international student assessments, there is considerable interest in this system.

Teacher Research Group (TRG) system is a collaborative framework designed to foster professional
development among educators through inquiry-based learning and reflective practice. It involves a
group of teachers coming together regularly to explore specific educational questions, challenges, or
innovations within their classrooms or schools. A typical TRG activity involves study and preparation of
lesson plans, classroom observation, and collective reflection. TRG creates a learning community, where
teachers can develop their subject or discipline knowledge and improve pedagogical skills.

The primary goal is to improve teaching practices and student learning outcomes. The group focuses ona specific research question or theme, which could relate to curriculum development, teaching strategies, classroom management, or student engagement.