Month: December 2017

Ubud, The Ultimate Tourist Destination

Ubud is undoubtedly the cultural capital of Indonesia. Many tourists come to this place to see the traditional dance and drama of Balinese culture. It is also home to the Balinese royal family and has various museums that display the rich culture and heritage of the region. Let us see some of the top attractions of this place.

Ubud, The Ultimate Tourist Destination

Agung Jagatnatha Temple of Ubud

The temple is dedicated to Sanghyang Widi Wasa and happens to be the biggest temple of the region. The Temple Management organizes two festivals every month based on the lunar cycle. You can visit the place during full moon day and get to enjoy special ceremony. In the same way, you can also consider visiting the temple on the new moon day and take part in the traditional rituals. The unique part of the temple is the Shrine that is designed in the form of a Lotus Throne. This is also commonly known as Padmasana according to local culture. It consists of Empty Throne made of white coral material. It has amazing stone carvings and other inscriptions that describe various stories of Hindu gods.

Mountain villages of Bali

The amazing hamlets host different communities that have their own culture and dialect. They are also known locally as Bali Aga Villages. The region is famous for music and arts of the primitive culture. If you want to visit this place, make sure that you follow the instructions of the local people completely. Outsiders are not allowed to stay in the place after evening hours as the local people strictly follow the traditions even to this day. The best time to visit this place is during the months of June and July when the three day festival of Udaba Sambah is held in Tenganan village. The unique cultural aspect of this village is that it prohibits polygamy and divorce.

Health Resorts

Bali is one of the premier locations for health and wellness holidays and is home to some of the best retreats in the world. Bali Weight Loss deserves a special mention as it has received world renowned recognition and is said to have even beeb attended by Michelle Obama.

Bird Park of Bali

The amazing Bird Sanctuary is home to more than 250 species of birds from Indonesia and other regions of the world. It is also rich in flora and has more than 2000 topical plants. Bird lovers come to this place to catch a glimpse of various birds including Barred Eagle Owl, Wreathed Hornbill, Jawa Hawk and the Bali Starling. The unique aspect of this Sanctuary is that the birds are comfortable with tourists walking around the place and you can enjoy your time during the vacation. The best time to visit this place is during the early morning hours when the birds are most active.

Elephant Park of Bali

This is the best place to visit in Bali if you love adventure sports. You can indulge in white water rafting and trek and cycle through the amazing jungles of Bali. You can also enjoy the amazing ride on the Sumatran elephants to get the complete view of the surrounding villages. Tourists often come to this place to enjoy the beautiful view of paddy fields along the Melangit River. In the background, you can also get to have a glimpse of the Blue Sea at the Nusa Penida Island.

Kite Festival of Bali

July is the best place to visit the Padang Galak Beach of Sanur to watch the annual Kite Festival of Bali. You will be surprised to see many international teams coming to this place to compete with local teams. Participants from as many as 11 different countries take part in the event to compete in different categories. Points are given for the successful launch of the kite and the duration of flight. Along with that, the grace with which the kite is handled is also considered while announcing the winners.

Stone sculptures of Batubulan market

This is the best place to visit to get amazing stone sculptures of the region. You can get any variety ranging from contemporary to traditional in different sizes at this place. The unique feature of this market is that the craftsman can custom design the sculptures according to your choice. You will have complete flexibility with regards to choosing the size and material of the sculpture. However, the region is traditionally famous for soft volcanic rock sculptures. Earlier, they were used as ornaments for various temples and even the palaces of the region had many decorative items made of this material.

Badung Market of Bali

This is the largest Market of Bali and is open throughout the day. You can get to buy the best articles that signify the arts and crafts of this region. It has 4 levels with each one dedicated to selling different varieties of products. You can get to buy fresh produce on the ground floor and the upper levels are dedicated to different textiles and handicrafts. You can also catch a glimpse of the Badung River that is situated next to the market. Make sure that you bargain to get the best deals in this place.

These are some of the top attractions of the region. You can get in touch with the leading travel agencies of the region to get suitable transport and accommodation facility during your vacation. The local people of the region are very friendly and you need not worry about anything during your holidays. However, it is a good idea to maintain appropriate dressing sense considering the traditional mindset of the local people.

SCHOOL CLIMATE—THE POSSIBLE REASON FOR EDUCATIONAL STRESS OF AIDED SCHOOL STUDENTS OF KERALA

JENY RAPHEAL

school climate

             The National School Climate Center (NSCC) (1996) defines school climate as the quality and character of school life. School climate constitutes patterns of students’, parents ‘and school personnel’s experience of school life and reflects norms, goals, values, interpersonal relationships, teaching and learning practices, and organizational structures. Schools differ in their climate and this climate has definite role in determining the well-being and happiness of students. When we notice considerable difference in the educational stress levels of students studying in government, aided and public schools there is enough reason to trace for its causes in the school climate of those schools.

     A survey was made in two Aided, two Government and two Private schools of Thrissur district in Kerala state. 261 higher secondary school students participated in the survey.

Aided Aleemul islam higher Secondary school, 43
Chaldean Syrian Higher secondary School, 56
Private Nirmalamatha Central School CBSE, 41
Sandeepany Vidhya Niketan ICSE, 21
Government Anchery Govt Higher Secondary School, 48
Government Model Boy’s School, 52

            Contrary to the usual norm prevailing among parents and teachers, private school students exhibited comparatively lower levels of stress than their counterparts in Aided and Government Schools. Aided school students had highest level of stress.

            The survey which conducted during September-October 2017 probed five dimensions of educational stress namely   pressure from study, workload factor, worry about grades, self-expectation and despondency. The standardized tool used for the study was a five point Likert scale developed by a group of educational researchers presided by Jiandong Sun in 2011. Before the survey it was translated into Malayalam and all statistical procedures for asserting validity and reliability were duly performed.

The mean value of stress level was “above average” for the entire sample of students participated in the study. Graphical representation of school wise comparison are given below

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Why this difference?

             School climate or culture will have a serious role in the educational stress of adolescents. Research findings back this perspective. At the same time socio-economic status of parents is another major factor affecting the educational stress of students. For example, there are studies showing academic anxiety is significantly low among students whose parents have higher educational qualification. Also academic stress and examination anxiety of students usually exhibit an inverse relationship with educational and income levels of their parents. Findings of researches going on in many parts of India keep on reiterating this claim.

Socio-economic status of parents is more or less same

             In Kerala, private schools are where students from high socio economic status flock. In search of better avenues for excellence both in life and education the creamy layer of society opt for CBSE or ICSE syllabus for their wards. At the same time, lately, there is a trend for this group to shift into Kerala syllabus thanks to the differences in the criteria with which the grades scored by students following two syllabuses—Kerala and Central— are estimated at the time of admission for various courses for higher studies. Due to this, affluent parents too are willing to send their wards to aided schools provided; these schools maintain a reputation for their pass percentage. For this reason, one may consider that the socio economic back ground of students studying in aided and private schools are more or less same.

            So there is enough reason to assume that increased stress levels noticed in the students of aided educational institutions is not exclusively due to socio-economic status and related individual differences. It might be due to some peculiarities constituting the very culture or clime of those schools.

School climate can be the reason

 

            School climate has the potential to permeate into overall well-being of the students. For a student, school climate enters into his psychological makeup through teacher-student interactions, peer interactions, class room experiences, parent-teacher communications etc. All these interactions will be laden with the ethos for which school stands for. Educational vision/mission of the institution determines the very texture of all experiences students meet within the school. So difference in educational stress can be a difference in the educational attitude schools foster.

            An in-depth enquiry into the matter will uncover the facts. Educational ministry of Kerala which is hell-bent on raising the standard of educational institutions cannot avoid this angle of exploration. Educational stress among students can jeopardize any well crafted educational policy.

            In all the five indicators of educational stress, aided school scored highest which included pressure from study and worry of grades. The competition among schools to secure 100% pass in board exams and teachers pressurizing the students to meet this end is one of the salient features of working culture of teaching professionals of schools of Kerala. So whenever dealing with student educational stress the role of school climate in it must be probed into.