THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Are we imparting meaningful education to our children in schools? Are we leading them in the right direction to attain their goals? Ask educationists, parents and teachers and the answer would be in the negative which hints the downside of our teaching techniques at schools. We are teaching our students to become only consumers in the market economy instead of focusing on becoming good citizens.
Present day status of schools
Dr Kothari in the education commission report (1964-66) wrote ‘the destiny of our nation is shaped in our classrooms.’ In fact there has been considerable dismay over the falling status of teachers in the public eye over many years. But still even after nearly 50 years after the report was made, the quality of teachers have only gone worse.
The knowledge base of pedagogy is built through reflective practices. Mahatma Gandhi remarked “I regarded character building as the proper foundation for their education and if the foundation was firmly laid, I was sure that the children could learn all other things themselves or with assistance of friends”.
Statements made by these leaders show they all insisted on human values as prime concerns, both in content and pedagogy.
Why has the focus of education become exams
The educators of mid nineteenth century adopted the new design from the factory builders, which were an industrial age school system fashioned in the image of assembly line. The machine concept like standardization played a role in creating unified school system. It created dumb and smart kids and also made the educators mentor- mentee relationship and established a teacher centered education rather than learner centered education.
The assembly line model tactly identified students as the product rather than creators of learning. It has produced graduates for the job market and also created stress in the education system. This materialistic outlook of life have brought educational aim to job professionalism resulting in cut throat competition, unhealthy trends, corruption and unlawful means to achieve the goal which lead to an emotional imbalance causing mental and physical violence.
What then is the remedy?
There should be an educational renewal and the focus of education in schools has to be human centered than being market oriented. Adequate and conscious efforts have to be made in curriculum design, content and pedagogy for facilitating emotionally balanced and socially conscious individuals. Value education can be the vital component in the changing educational system. There should be a paradigm shift in people’s attitude and commitments. Flexibility in approach for self learning and facilitates self-education. Use of technology for learning in classroom provides understanding of life skills and facilitate students learns how to learn.
What should the schools do for a change in educational system
The central focus should be the human being and his well being. The world today looks for human beings who are not only empowered, competent and self reliant but who have universal concern and imbibe such values in them that will preserve the wealth of the world including human resources. The schools in our country need to respond to these emerging dimensions and addressed to preparing holistic human being with a sense of tolerance, love, care and concern for their fellow beings.
In short we need an education system that will humanize the younger generation. When we think of how the present day schools respond to the above, the future schools need to have a strong commitment in developing the right attitudes in the learner so that he is able to emerge as a conscious and committed citizen who can contribute effectively and meaningfully to the nation.
Conclusion
Schools are major players in developing educated persons who acquire an understanding of truth, beauty and justice against which to judge their own and our society’s virtues and imperfections. This is a moral responsibility. Peter M Senge adds, “perhaps the current turbulence in structure which I expect to get more sever represents a healthy response to our efforts to uncover the percepts and practices that are the oldest and most venerable to guide education. We are rediscovering something that people have understood for a long time.
- P Vijayachandran
(The author is director (academic) of Saraswathi Vidyanikethan Public School mKochi.