Improving standards in Government schools: Need of the hour
By: AAQIB RASHID SHAH
The finest long-term investment is in education. Achievements are only made possible by a combination of diligent labor, effective study methods, and a sound approach. Our curriculum and syllabus teach us what to study but lower concentration on how to learn. Every one of us—students, parents, and teachers—must continue to absorb novel concepts and insider information about the best educational systems in the world and what ours lacks.
According to the Jammu and Kashmir government’s policy for delivering education following the Right to Education Act, a kid should have access to a primary school, upper primary school, high school, and higher secondary school within respective radii of 1 km, 3 km, 5 km, and 7 km. Although the students in these schools receive free food, free textbooks up to the eighth standard, free uniforms, and several scholarships, government-run schools in Jammu and Kashmir are still behind private schools in terms of enrolment and pass rate, which is something to think about. Ironically, even government instructors are hesitant to enroll their children in public schools. Education in the present existence within the country is administered by the government and non-profit organizations. In India, more than 70 percent of the population is residing in rural communities. But in rural areas, there are a number of aspects that need to be improved. Whereas, in urban areas, many improvements have been made and there are implementations of modern and innovative methods in the system of education.
The major aspects that are experiencing setbacks in rural schools are under-developed teaching-learning methods, instructional strategies, lack of transportation facilities, shortage of teachers, lack of financial resources, lack of extra-curricular activities, and so forth. The government and other organizations are taking into account these aspects and formulating programs and schemes that would lead to the elimination of all barriers and facilitate the acquisition of education among rural individuals.
To improve the Education System of Government Schools following should be taken into consideration
Parents’ perspective-
Every parent works tirelessly to ensure a brighter future for his or her child; money is of the least importance to them. Parents still enrol their children in private schools despite being aware that some of them have been transformed into money-making enterprises because they believe their children’s futures would be gloomy at public schools. Yet, this fear is currently all the rage. The poll results show that students at government schools are more sociable and competitive than those in private institutions.
Learning students’ holistic development –
When instructors are transferring knowledge and information to students in terms of subjects and concepts, they are primarily concerned with making sure that pupils can gain enough knowledge and information. They must use their knowledge and skills to support the well-being of their families and communities, maintain their living conditions, develop into responsible citizens of the nation, and instil moral and ethical values in them in addition to using them to achieve academic goals and objectives. When instructors and students are aware of these aspects, they may more successfully collaborate and integrate to accomplish educational objectives.
Systematic approaches to teaching and learning –
The improvement of the curriculum and educational institutions requires enough attention from the administrators and instructors. The teachers are expected to focus on the curriculum and teaching methods regularly. Students can develop a solid knowledge basis, experience, communication skills, and maturity when they reach the secondary level of study. Students are allowed to participate in activities that have been introduced by the professors to help students to get a complete comprehension of the topics and gain an effective understanding. The concepts and teaching-learning strategies must be closely related. The teaching-learning techniques and resources are used in line with the academic ideas and the subjects.
Guidance and Counseling –
Students often encounter a variety of issues and challenges in schools. Academics, learning impairments, infrastructure and other facilities, instructional strategies, instructional materials, teacher attitudes, the classroom atmosphere, other students, discrimination, and the availability of opportunities and rights are some of these. Pupils must receive proper counselling and advice from either their professors or qualified counsellors when they face issues with these features. Thus, it is crucial to focus on including counselling and guidance services in schools. The majority of the time, students have learning impairments. Their scholastic performance decreases when they are unable to effectively comprehend academic topics. Consequently, offering these facilities will be beneficial in assisting the students in finding answers to their issues and achieving their academic objectives.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) –
It is essential to regularly focus on ICT if we want to improve the educational system. Both instructors and students would benefit from using ICT in instructional tactics and teaching learning approaches to help pupils succeed academically. Lesson plans may be created by teachers in an orderly manner, and students can effectively learn the concepts and subjects being covered. Technology hasn’t been used in all government schools yet so it is essential to make sure that it is implemented. The strain on students and instructors would decrease as a result of ICT integration into the curriculum. For instance, when a person improves their typing speed, computers are used for typing, people prefer typing their assignments, and handwriting is no longer used.
Infrastructure and Facilities –
Infrastructure and amenities need to be regularly maintained in government schools. They include things like furniture, weather-appropriate heating and cooling systems, materials, resources, restrooms, clean water, and so forth. The pupils are given lunches in the middle of the day. When lunchtime meals are served to the children, it is important to make sure they are prepared in a clean, hygienic setting and are healthful. It is important to use the right ingredients and clean tools while making meals. Consequently, it can be said that by providing kids with proper infrastructure and amenities, schools are more enjoyable to attend and instruction is made easier.
Professional Development of Teachers –
The instructors are the ones who make a big contribution in ensuring that pupils receive both academic information and the skills necessary to become contributing members of society. Implementing methods and tactics that would promote the kids’ efficient growth and development is the instructors’ responsibility Instructors must prioritize their professional development if they want to accomplish their targeted goals and carry out their work obligations efficiently.
They must have sufficient subject-matter knowledge and information to support their professional progress. They also need to have excellent communication skills and a kind, accessible demeanour. In some cases, in government schools, students are made to sit on the floor and there are not any provisions for proper furniture, chairs and desks. When they sit on the floor, then mostly they experience problems concentrating and taking down notes.
Therefore, it is vital to make provisions for adequate furniture and infrastructure. The students normally spend six to seven hours in school. Hence, in addition to proper furniture, it is also necessary to make provisions for adequate infrastructure and other facilities. These will contribute to making the classroom environment amiable and students would be able to adequately concentrate on their studies.
The school’s environmental conditions need to be enriched with various methods and strategies that would render an effective contribution to increasing the enrolment and retention rate of students. The computer centers and library facilities are regarded as indispensable. It is necessary to pay adequate attention to these two aspects. When students, especially those belonging to deprived, marginalized and economically weaker sections of society do not possess adequate financial resources to purchase books or other reading materials, then the provision of library facilities would help them to access the necessary materials. Whereas, computer centres would help them in augmenting technical skills.
Ministers, bureaucrats, and all other government employees in our union territory should be required to enrol their kids in public schools. This effort will alter the public’s unfavourable impression of government schools. We must promote diversity in our schools and society, and we must implement a credit-based system for staff promotions. In other words, the outcome shouldn’t be used to gauge a teacher’s performance or quality. the desire to change Government schools must be begun in every district taking up approximately 2 to 3 schools in every education zone on a priority basis and developing on contemporary lines, refurbishing complete school buildings, and providing them with modern infrastructure to improve the learning results.
A happy student is a good learner, according to researchers, thus a youngster should have 10 to 15 minutes of rest after every 45 minutes of instruction and 3 to 4 hours of instruction every day is sufficient. It is preferable to give children the chance to develop than to keep them busy, for example, children should work for an hour in the school cafeteria or tuck shop to comprehend profit and loss. This is how to teach arithmetic in real life before having them use it in an exam.
By presenting children with ethical and moral challenges from real life and watching how they respond, we may strengthen the moral and ethical basis of young people. This can also be accomplished by using the storytelling technique. Provide youngsters who are not interested in classroom education practical training. Last but not least, upgrade the infrastructure and update old curricula so that our government schools can demonstrate why they are the best.
Together with raising teaching and learning standards in schools, the government of Jammu and Kashmir should make significant, historic decisions to assure quality, equality, accessibility, accountability, and affordability in the system in accordance with New Education Policy. Why couldn’t we if the Delhi government can do it?
The writer is a Physics Research scholar at NIT Srinagar.
Email: [email protected]
