Insights...

One good insight from today's meeting of the formation commission was the idea of skill-need assessment. If implemented I am sure it would be a great benefit for our formation setting in the Province. Not that this is part of the formation procedures already in place. But looking at things already existing and emphasising them from a different and new perspective always brings forth new life and energy.

The idea is to carry out a need-assessment of all our formees at the beginning of the scholastic year. Basing on this finding, we need to provide the input session and animation along the year for this group - perhaps individually if need be. At the end of the academic year we need to have a skill-assessment done to see what progress the students have made over the year. There are few very crucial points here to be kept in mind and which we need to sort out. First among them, get the students involved. This is not a group or mass programme that fits in the same for all. Each one has to make the best of this and this programme has to be so tailored. How and where and who is yet to be finalised. Next important thing - perhaps the most important thing, once the student has done his part well, namely identifying those area(s) in which he needs help - is to to help the person over the year, along with his normal routine work. This calls for someone to be 'at it'.

Finally there is the skill-assessment at the end of the year. This is something that will tell us what the person has grown with, what has helped him in the process and now what he intends to do with what he has in hand. Somewhere down the line we will have to inculcate in the student that the skill acquired is not for personal gain alone. This skill needs to be transferred to other areas of life and passed on to others/youngsters too.

The best part of this envisaged programme is that it is totally by the student himself. There is no external agency or anyone else telling him what he has to do, why he has to do and what has happened to him. It is a process of self-learning and growth. Again, as I said in the beginning, not anything brand new... just old wine in new wine skins! Let's see how long it holds out!