Dr. K.K. Singh
Head Deptt. Of B.Ed.
Ramngar P.G. College,
Ram Nagar, Barabanki (U.P.)
Sixty
years of Independence with a couple of Education Commissions and a new National
Educational Policy enacted in 1986, have not brought quality education in our
schools in the country. Schools in most of the States, both at primary and
secondary levels, continue suffering from material inadequacies, lack of
physical facilities, lack of professionally equipped teachers, and
non-availability of textbooks etc. It is greatly dismaying that the Government
machinery, which is responsible to make schools function efficiently and
smoothly, is ineffective and devoid of pre-planned organization schemes, which
could re-establish the rotten educational system into a desired gear. Our
education is at the brink of wrecking down. It is a very disastrous situation,
which if not sustained properly would haul the entire country to a point of
extermination.
Our schools hardly have well planned and authorized programs,
which can herald them to the path of development. Every thing seems to have
been lost in the expectation of a bright future which has gone a very for
distance in terms of time. Lack of quality in education is the main cause of
under development and in advancement of education. It is going to affect the
future generation cumulatively.
After independence, there has been a great
deterioration in our value structure. All this has happened mainly because our
education has greatly suffered qualitatively, and the people who are
responsible for such a plight, are unaware of the fact that the posterity will
never forgive them for their mainly responsible in building the social and
academic climate of the school. Likewise the Secondary School Boards are
responsible in framing significant curricula through which the desired changes
can be brought into the pupil's realm. The social elite's role in building the
social climate of the school can always be seen as a positive force influencing
children's lives.
It will not be an over statement to say that today
both the school climate and the teacher's efficiency are at their lowest ebbs
in the history of education after Independence. If we examine pupil's behavior
both academically as well as socially, a big gap seems to have emerged out in it in these sixty years. Even a
post-graduate teacher (who is a by-product of the past sixty years) both at
school as well as college levels, reflect great inadequacies in the social and
mental standards. We all are bewildered and shocked that Government's efforts
to improve quality in education in the past sixty years through various Commissions
have been futile as no significant changes have taken place, in the pupil's
personality.
How To Improve Quality In
Education ?
In fact the situation may not be that dismal as it is
being seen overtly. There have been good products of our schools and good
teachers have always been good products of our schools and good teachers have
always been seen here and there. But the amount of that good product and the
number of very good teachers have been so scanty that we may consider it
insignificant.
The solution has to be seen in the framework of the
entire school structure. It is the teacher himself and the parents who must be
aware of the inadequate situation by reflecting thoughtfully upon the causes
which have been contributing to it. Both the teachers and the parents have to
change and transcend themselves from the unacademic and Irresponsible behavior.
Infact what they have been contributing is totally inadequate, unwholesome and
unbecoming.
II. Factors Responsible
for Inadequate quality education:
There are two persons who are mainly involved in
giving and receiving education-the teacher and the pupil. The teacher's job is
to transmit not only knowledge but to prepare him also to be a capable adult
who will live a satisfying life. The teacher, through encouragement &
appropriate opportunities. will continue working more effectively and bring
significant changes in pupil.
In fact when we talk of "Significant
changes" in the pupil, we simply mean it in two ways, i.e. (1) growth in his physical, emotional,
and mental structures and (2) growth of his social horizon which includes the formation of
an adequate value system with which he proves himself to be a good citizen.
In fact teachers play a very important role in
shaping the lives of their pupils. Equally important are the parents who are
directly responsible for their children's growth. But besides the teachers and
the parents, administrators, Secondary School Boards and social elites are some
of the others who could be considered responsible in shaping the pupil's life.
In fact teachers and parents have their direct duties towards the children,
whereas the people mentioned later on, have surely indirect influence on them.
Unsocial mental states, which often contribute negatively to the child's
personality, and play a vital role in the construction of child's wholesome
personality.
It is greatly shocking that the management of
Secondary School Boards has reduced its main role to examination conducting
agency rather than as an innovator to designing, experimenting and implementing
new curricula.
The managers of the Secondary School Board and can
tighten their grip on the school curriculum in terms of improvement and
implementation. It is also not very difficult for the Boards to have a thorough
checking and inspection of a school before it finally gets its approval.
It seems that even after sixty years of Independence,
neither there have emerged real social elites or workers nor the society has
felt any need in this direction. Except in the big towns in the country where a
few social workers or elites could be there who would_be really concerned with
the welfare of the society, in no small towns any social elites are there who
would be really interested in moral social and educational upliftment of their
country men. In most of the small or big towns the role of a social
elite/worker has been taken up by a political worker whose vision is often
limited to his political party and not to the people's needs.
In fact a social worker's concern is the entire
society to which he belongs to. He is
one of the persons whose presence is not only imperative during parent-teacher
associations but also needed greatly during board's meetings when important
decisions regarding curriculum change etc. are taken.
The role of Government Inspectors or senior
administrators is of great importance in promoting quality education in the
country. They should inspect schools religiously and take decisions objectively
so that schools could function very efficiently. Quality education is greatly
suffering on account of good government administrators in our country. It is
said that educational administrators often yield to political pressures as such
they cannot work independently. But there are always few Inspectors or Deputy
Director who never yield to any kind of political pressures or who never care
for political interference and act honestly.
It is a great need of the day that we have
conscientious administrators who keeping aside their selfish interests, help
improving school's environment and boost up quality education.
It is not too difficult to have good teachers or good
social workers or honest Inspectors both at the Board's as well as Government
levels. If all who are concerned wit education think and reflect correctly and
transcend themselves from the base level, the task could be easier. For such a
task no guru is needed, neither political blessing is required. What is
required is the self's determination, a good social and moral outlook and a
strong desire to work for the country.
The
most important human endeavour is the striving for morality in our actions. Our
inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our
actions can give beauty and dignity to life.
To
make this a living force and bring it to clear consciousness is perhaps the
foremost task of education. - Albert Einstein
References :-
1 Bloom,B.S.1984. Taxonomy of educational
objectives. New York: Longman
2 Improving Quality of Educational Research-Rashmi Diwan-2002
3 Improving Quality in Education - Charles
Hoy-2000
4 National Policy on Education - 1986, PoA
for NPE 1992
6 Times Educational Supplement-2005
