The Oral Tradition in the Education Cluster of Kerala – Some Pedagogical Illustrations Based on Modern Pathways

Ancient Indian educational institutions placed significant importance on the oral tradition. Kerala has a long history of using the oral tradition as the foundation of its educational pedagogy in all fields of knowledge. The system's robust educational policy places a lot of emphasis on the teacher-student bond. By implementing certain innovative and indigenous methods, Kerala's oral heritage has developed a distinctive approach to education that enhances students' cognitive capacities. In an educational system, students' cognitive, psychomotor, and emotional intelligence must be preserved or enhanced. A system of teaching and learning that is morally and ethically grounded must be the core of any concept of education. Different disciplines like Kūṭiyāṭṭam, Kathakali, Ayurvedam, Jyotisam, and Ganitam are studied through oral transmission methods, which are used as common tools in the Kerala method of education. The educational methodology can be traced back to the Vedic chanting education system of Kerala, which has a strong and systematic pedagogy in the teaching-learning process. In the present study, the unique methods in the Vedic chanting tradition and in Kūṭiyāṭṭam have been analyzed using modern educational strategies.