The Department of Education, CTA organized 3-day Theatre and Storytelling Workshop for the Pre-primary teachers and Crèche caretakers of North Zone from 30th May – 2nd June, 2022 at the Library of Manjushree Educational Services, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala. The resource person of the workshop was Deepa Balasubramanian (Ms.) of Story Arts Foundation from Hyderabad. Ms. Deepa is the founder of Story Arts Foundation, international storyteller, national award-winning Educationist, TEDx Speaker and Writer.

At the inaugural program, the head of the Academic Section, Tenzin Dorjee (Mr.) spoke about the ECCE program of the Department of the Education and the objectives of this workshop.

Since early childhood teachers have to be exceptionally responsive to young children’s individual needs and their overall growth, participating in this theatre and storytelling workshop can stimulate teachers’ creativities and thought processes by making them more aware and sensitive toward children’s overall growth.

Ms. Deepa took the session on various topics under storytelling such as:

• Different ways of story-telling by using whole body communication by giving demo on how to tell story to children.
• How to choose a good story
• Drawing the emotions and sharing it within the group
• How to create a story by understanding Hero’s Journey
• Voice Modulation
• How to do Read Aloud by giving demo, followed by group activity
• Pre-requisites of creating stories
• Using props for storytelling

Mr. Govind who is currently in the U.S also took a virtual session on Origami and Ms. Meena Swaroop from Mysore took a virtual session on Book Making by children for children.

Twenty-Six participants took part in the workshop consisting of 19 Pre-primary teachers from 9 different schools and 7 Child Caretakers from 4 different Crèches in Dharamsala. Last year in year-2021, 50 pre-primary teachers were trained virtually on the same topic. With this physical workshop, all the Pre-primary teachers in the North & North-East Zone are trained on the Theatre & Storytelling.

Mr. Jigmey Namgyal, Secretary of DoE graced the closing session. Ms. Sonam Gangsang, the coordinator of the workshop presented a brief report of the workshop followed by 2 groups of participants acted out the story they created by using the props they have prepared. Few of them also shared their experience of taking part in the workshop. Mr. Buddha Kyab, Director of Manjushree Educational Service, spoke briefly on how the NGO focuses on the ECCE program and its objectives.

Mr. Jigme Namgyal, thanked the resource person and appreciated the participants for actively participating in the workshop during their school’s summer holiday. He spoke on the importance of storytelling and recommended a few good books related to storytelling for small children. He said the Early Childhood Care Education (ECCE) program is one of the important projects that helps to build the proper growth & development of small children which has been initiated by DoE in recent years.

The Department of Education will organize the same workshop for the Pre-primary teachers in the South Zone this year before September.

The workshop was funded by USAID.