Welcome to a new Geography!
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A sound Geography education prepares students to become active agents of change. The current form of Geography education in most Indian schools does not build the capacities of students, teachers, parents, or the public to engage with critical contemporary environmental and social issues. it does not open their minds to the joy of geographic discovery or of discovery of how Geography enriches everything they like from football and cricket to jazz, Karnataka music, and story-telling.
Students (children and young adults) are the inheritors of the world and yet, for the most part,you are not involved in discourses that affect you. You do “projects” for school that are far-removed from your realities and the spaces in which you live.
For you to become active and meaningful participants in shaping the world that you will inherit, Geography education is vital. With this you can better approach and understand:
- Environmental issues such as global climate change, pollution, and conservation
- Social justice — well-founded Geography education helps us affirm social justice (which is also geographical justice) for all. For example: geographical rights of disabled people, socially and economically marginalized people, people affected and afflicted by illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, TB, and others.
- The role of Geography in every-day life, in the arts, sports, and the other academic subjects you study.
It is for these purposes that The Indian Institute of Geographical Studies (TIIGS) was set up in 1999, as an initiative of The Dharani Trust (Bangalore).
If you are a student, teacher, teacher-in-training, parent, or someone wanting to help make Geography education in India better and socially more relevant, contact us.
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If you are interested in a Geography residency program at TIIGS, contact us for details.