Two weeks back I went to my native place (Kovur in Andhra Pradesh, India). There I came to know one stunning fact. My neighbor who is also a teacher in a school told me about what’s happening in their school, and also in all the schools in my hometown.
In 9th class the management completes the syllabus within 4 months i.e. from July to October and prepares the students for examinations in December. From January onwards the students will be taught the subjects of 10th class because it is a public examination and parents also want their children to get good marks in SSC.
From January to August the syllabus will be completely taught. From September onwards up to March all the subjects will be revised thrice and the students will appear for examinations in April. Obviously most of the students will score more than 85%. All the parents will be happy and feel proud of their children. With these ‘good scores’ they will easily get admission in prestigious colleges. If any student fails to score more than 80% he will be ill-treated by his parents, teachers and obviously by the society.
But I wonder to myself – ‘what are we doing?’ Do we want to create intellectuals or good citizens? Primary education is the stage where students develop an understanding about themselves and about the society. The attitudes they develop at this time carry their impact throughout their life.
My opinion is – the students should be provided with opportunities for ‘all-round development’. There should be a perfect balance between physical education, moral education, social education, and general education that is offered in the schools.
The purpose of education is creating good citizens who have necessary skill set to lead successful lives and at the same time be able to provide necessary help and guidance to his fellow beings.
Think about this and let me know your viewpoints. It helps me reframe my opinions in a better way.
