Why Primary Education needs an overhaul?

I am no education expert or a pedagogue but just a student on the receiving side of Education. That doesn't mean I am inept to comment on the quality of education that is being imparted. Rather I would say that it would be more appropriate for people like me to comment on it. After all we are the "customers". 

When I speak about overhaul in education, I do not speak in terms of a quantitative approach (taking education to a large number of people). Although that is an important issue, we must not forget the fact that it there is a flip side to it which is the quality of education that is been provided to the students especially at a Primary Education level. It is very important to ensure a quality education to children for the betterment of humanity in developing countries like India.  

Children in the age group between 6 - 11 years are those who must be handled delicately and molded properly. Because the things they learn forms the basement and it will have a long lasting impact. They must be taught how to enjoy and learn. Care must be taken towards not creating an aversion in their minds towards studies. The existing system unfortunately tend to make their learning process miserable. All that is being taught is how to memorize and prepare for exams. If children start to work like machines, then obviously their real talent would stay dormant for a long time.  

The following is an excerpt from a Indian express article:

Last month I visited a Satya Bharati school run by the Bharati Group. It was in a small village in Haryana and as different to any village school I have ever seen. There were proper classrooms with brightly painted walls and in them were teachers actually teaching. There were separate toilets for girls and boys and clean water to drink. At lunch time arrived a delicious midday meal cooked by a woman from the village. The Bharati Foundation runs more than 250 such schools in North India. It all began as a private-public partnership with the Government of Rajasthan.

Source - Indian Express, May 31, 2009

How many such schools in India do you think receive such a 'good' education? And again I am able to use only a Positive degree here and not a Superlative one. 

 

Assuming that children get basic infrastructure and amenities in their schools let us focus on other issues like:

1. Student Teacher Ratio

2. Classroom Enviroment

3. Teaching Methods
4. Exam System
5. Sports and Playing

6. Social Studies and Patriotism

1. Student Teacher Ratio 

This is one of the major problems that Indian Education is facing especially in government run schools. There is an inherent shortage of qualified teachers. The average ratio in our country according to an UNICEF report is 1:43 while it is less than 10 in developed countries like USA. The numbers have gone worse up to 1:83 in states like Bihar. 

One measure of education quality is the student teacher ratio, the number of students per teacher in a school. Teachers of a large class can dedicate less time to each student than in a small class. For children, crowded classrooms make it difficult to concentrate on the material and to learn. The results of overcrowding are lower academic achievement and increased dropout rates.

- From UNESCO Institute of Statistics report. 

2. Classroom Environment

A classroom according to me must have the following elements:

• A creative environment that nurtures children. 
• Participation of all the children.
• A well balanced discipline and freedom.
• State of the art decoration, posters and banners that induces some subliminal effects on children. 

I recently read an article in the WEEK magazine about a person who builds classroom that is not merely a room but an educational tool in itself. I am sharing that article:

 Source: The Week magazine

http://week.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/theWeekContent.do?contentId=10641036&programId=1073755753&tabId=13&BV_ID=@@@&categoryId=-168921 

This is what I was exactly speaking about. A Creative Environment to children that makes learning a fun!

3. Teaching Methods

An excellent Teacher would make even a boring subject an interesting one. Well that is the power of a teacher. I have had some good teachers during my school days. Some have really inspired me. Especially I had a teacher named Ms.Kavitha during my 9th Grade. She taught me Computer Science and it was when I was sitting in her class that I decided that Computers will be my future and I am going to continue my education in Computer Science. She emphasized on practical education even though that subject wasn't a primary one during 9th grade. I haven't had the opportunity to meet her after my schooling, but I would really like to thank her as she kindled my latent talent in Programming.

So the way a teacher teaches makes a lot of difference. Importance must be given to that. Teacher's must be adequately trained on how to deal with children as young as 10 years old. They cannot teach them in the same way a 12th grade student is taught. Several research has been going on into this. One thing that many experts agree is the shift needed from the traditional pedagogy adopted in schools.

4. Exam System

At the heart of the Indian Education is the EXAMS. They are considered to be a "turning point" in one's life. Even primary school students are bundled with a load of exams in addition to the load in their backpack everyday. Exams are considered to be the sole reflection of one's talent. This tendency has to change. Now CBSE is making some changes to look into other factors while grading a student. I would really like to appreciate their steps. Other state boards must follow suit or implement a better system to grade students based on all spheres of their work throughout the year. Probably a unified board of education in India would be a better solution although I am not sure about the feasibility of its implementation.

5. Sports and Playing

'Work while you work, Play while you play'. 

Some of the important reasons for playing as given by helpguide.org is as follows:

• Play connects us to others.
• Play fosters creativity, flexibility, and learning.
• Play is an antidote to loneliness, isolation, anxiety, and depression.
• Play teaches us perseverance.
• Play makes us happy.
• Play improves our social skills.

Schools must encourage young children to involve themselves in sport activities and not just solely focus on studying. 

6.  Social Studies and Patriotism 

Social Studies is the study of how people live and organize themselves in society. Children must be gradually taught how to behave in a society and about their responsibilities.  Also the love and affection towards our country must be put into the minds of the children as a seed that would germinate and produce great citizens in the future. 

These ideas may be applicable to education in general but it has to be more emphasized  at primary education level as that is where the learning curve begins.

Some of the ideas I had presented here might be quixotic but I have been vested with the freedom of expression by the Indian Democratic System. So I wrote this article. :)