BANGALORE: A student-centric system, over a marks and curriculum-oriented one, will considerably improve the education system, experts say. According to them, education has become a commercial venture where no attention is paid to students nor teachers.
Dr C N Manjunath, Director of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology, says children’s inherent intelligence will develop if unnecessary curriculum is done away with. “There is nothing like reading a hard copy of a lesson; most kids are addicted to the Internet for which there is no safety key,” he adds.
Former vice-chancellor of Bangalore University, Prof M S Thimmappa, maintains that bad education is worse than no education at all. “Our government must give quality education at affordable costs. How many can afford education at IITs and IIMs? Education has become a commercial business,” he says.
Both Manjunath and Thimmappa agree that teachers must be trained and oriented to teach children. “Teachers lack interpersonal skills. They must be taught to never humiliate or underestimate a child but to motivate and set an example,” Thimmappa points out.
The Indian education system cannot ensure equality and sociability, says Dr Niranjan Aradhya of National Law School of India University. “BEd and DEd institutions are here to make money and don’t really train teachers. Teachers’ education needs to be restructured,” he insists.
Also, challenging curricula discourage many a student, these experts concur. “Children from rural areas and semi-urban areas find advanced curricula difficult and they may become depressed or dropout,” Thimmappa explains. “Years ago, class 1 meant a single book but nowadays, middle-school children learn things taught in class 12. The system is stressful,” he says.
Quality education is about touching the interest of a child and identifying his talents while allowing flexibility, Thimmappa says.
“Students must be able to choose what they want to do,” he stresses.