Reader's Quotient:Transforming the DNA of Society

Authored By Satwinder Singh:

How many times has it happened that you had to stifle a yawn, with the same old banal comment-‘It’s just too boring’, during class hours? If the scenario sounds familiar- Welcome to the World of Modern education. You will be at least pleased to know that you are not alone in this respect. Most of the students (in schools and colleges alike) complain that their classes are way too insipid, and that their teachers are unable to express themselves properly, thus failing to make the class interesting for them. India is facing an acute faculty shortage problem. It is estimated that there is a shortage of over 10 lakh teachers, just in the school level. Moreover, 1 in every 3 teaching post in the IITs lies vacant. There are over 7 lakh un-trained teachers in elementary schools across the country. As a result, the Gross Enrolment Ratio of India is a paltry 12.4(which means that out of 100, just 12 students manage to complete their schooling), compared to 25 in China, and around 70 in Developed countries such as England or France. If the teaching methodology itself is flawed, there is very little incentive for a child to continue attending classes.

The Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan(SSA) and the Mid-day Meal schemes, though quite munificent, have failed to achieve their mark beyond an introductory level. Though the enrolment rate in villages has improved, it is seen that many students drop out of school before they reach Class 8. Government schools are mere dilapidated buildings, with bare minimum infrastructure, and the attendance of students is more than that of teachers. Even the poor people are now sending their children to private schools, in the hope that they can find a suitable job, and settle down amicably in some place. Anyways, the Government is trying to provide succor for the needy. Let us focus a bit on college (or higher) education, which has vastly remained a nescient sector. Barring the top colleges, such as the IITs, JNU, DU, JU, etc, the quality of education provided in most institutions, has remained stagnant, or has deteriorated. Although India has the highest number of Higher Educational institutes in the World (above 20,000), quality-wise we lag far behind almost all major countries.

 

Not a single Indian Educational Institute features in the top 100 Global List. Plus, due to the strict bureaucratic norms, setting up campuses in India, for foreign institutes has become quite onerous. Globalization in education is virtually non-existent in India. Now, we return to our main topic- the Teaching Methodology followed in Higher Educational Institutes, mainly colleges or universities. The system followed by most institutes is the same- Appoint some part time and full time faculty members to take lectures, say of 1 hour duration or more. Most of them stick to what is given in the book and refuse to look beyond that. They impart mere theoretical/bookish knowledge, and are the least bit concerned about the welfare of the student. Hardly anyone bothers to make the class seem interesting. The reason for this is not because all teachers are sadistic (that is just a rumor), it is mainly because of two factors. One, most of those lecturers never wanted to be one in the first place- They were forced to opt for teaching, since they did not get any job elsewhere. Secondly, and most important, most of them are highly under-paid(A Blue-Collar worker in a Government job can earn much more than a Lecturer in a Private Engineering college), and usually suffer from a so called inferiority complex. Why should they be concerned about the career of their student, when they feel that they have been unable to do anything about their own career? So they do what’s expected of them: ‘Go to class, blurt out anything for one hour or so. Scribble down something on the black board. Take a few tests, give the internal marks, and that’s all.’ As a result, it is the student who suffers. Frustrated by the vapid lectures, he becomes inattentive and restless. He starts execrating his subjects. Most of such lecturers have very poor communication skills. Even if they know their subject (which is a rarity in itself), they fail to express it properly in class. After a student loses interest, it is quite ostensible that he won’t study the subject or carry out any research work beyond the scope of the college syllabus. This is one of the reasons why India produces so few scientists of international renown or Nobel Prize winners. The Education system does not promote innovation or creativity. Rather, out-of-the-box thinking is derided by most. So what can be done in order to generate genuine interest for any subject in the student? First of all, entrepreneurship and creative thinking must be promoted. Students should be encouraged to come up and take up sumptuous projects, or research works promoted by the Professors. Teachers should try to understand the student’s mentality- they should read books on Student Psychology. Most students do not want to listen to dull, monotonous lectures which stretch on and on.

Teachers should give real-life examples of events. For example, if a teacher is Teaching Computer Science, he should give examples of the latest Super-Computers, Marketing techniques adapted by Microsoft, flaws of Windows 7, etc- even if those things are not included in the syllabus. Similarly, the teacher should give more stress on the application part, rather than forcing the student to memorize hundreds of pages from gargantuan sized text-books (which becomes redundant in any case). The theory portion taught should be kept succinct, and extra stress should be given on the practicals. Another solution is- Active Class Participation. The teacher should follow a Full Duplex Communication Mode- in Layman’s terms; he should involve students in the discussion, and not drone on about the topic. But this does not mean that the teacher should keep on asking redundant questions just to harass the student. He should encourage them to come forward, speak and participate, plus share their thoughts on the subject. Quizzes, Group Discussions, Elocutions, etc can be implemented in classes to make them more interesting. If there is a proper two way communication between the teacher and the student, then the later will never feel bored in class. Above anything else, the teacher must have a good sense of humor, or at least be quite tolerant. However, in the practical situation, we often see that most teachers loose their temper at the drop of a hat.  Many of them have the habit of disagreeing with the student, no matter what happens, in order to display their superiority.

A genuine teacher will never restrict himself to his own subject, or area of specialization. He will always delve into all aspects related with he teaches. He should give real life examples, the details of the Technical Part, the Managerial Aspect, or the Artistic touch, which will give more finesse to the subject. His communication skills should be impeccable. In all, the students should automatically come to attend his class, and should not do so out of compulsion or for attendance. There is no magic wand which can get rid of the flaws over-night. But if such sanguine methods are adopted by the teachers, we can certainly hope that they will obviate the torpor in students. By this, students will take interest in their areas of specialization and will come forward with innovative ideas for providing low cost solutions to existing problems. However, I must say one more thing- All this cannot happen without the Will of the student. Both sides have to give an incessant effort. The student has to co-operate with the teacher. And he must avoid all sorts of nefarious activities such as strikes or violent protests. There are many impediments which we may have to face. But as the saying goes, ‘Where there is a will, there is a way.’