A Blue Print for a New Design of School

A BLUE PRINT FOR A NEW DESIGN OF SCHOOL EDUCATION

There are two opinions, in general, about the changes to be made in the education at Elementary and High School or Secondary levels. One predominant opinion is that school children are overloaded with too much of curriculum and too many books and this burden taxes them too much mentally and physically. The other opinion is that the existing curriculum needs major re-orientation in terms of subjects, activities and skills taught. This later opinion also addresses to a large extent, the problem. This article addresses the application of current information technologies - like those of computers, networks, internet, multimedia systems, etc., even at the school level. It also emphasizes on improvements in the areas of (i) Curriculum, (ii) Syllabus, (iii) Teaching Methodology, (iv) Role of the Teacher and (v) the Examination System. The opinions expressed here are based on more than 15 years teaching experience of this writer, both at Elementary and High School/Secondary levels. This subject assumes great importance as the school education provides the foundation for further progress of the students both in higher education as well as in careers.

Objectives of Education System: The objectives of the education system, as a whole, are two-fold – the immediate or short-term and the long-term. The short-term objectives are to provide purposeful syllabus, good teaching and ensure good results in exams. The long-term objectives are aimed at enabling students to develop intellectually and in character and as responsible citizens contributing to the development and progress of the nation. To achieve both these objectives and to meet the changing career requirements of the students, changes are to be made, from time to time, in (a) curriculum and syllabus, (b) the teaching methodology, (c) role of the teacher, and (d) the examination system. The agencies which are concerned with such changes, like the National Curriculum Framework for Secondary Education (NCFSE) and the Central Advisory Board on Education (CABE) may be already working to effect necessary changes in the system. I would make some suggestions for the consideration of the appropriate agencies.

Changes in Curriculum: Human brain can be functionally divided into two hemispheres. The right hemisphere is the seat of creativity, intuition, imagination, faith, love, charity, compassion, tolerance and such ennobling qualities. The left hemisphere is the seat of logic, judgment, faculty of critical enquiring and questioning. Education should forge a synthesis of these two sets of faculties in the human personality. While the curriculum can help developing some of these faculties, students are to be encouraged to develop the other faculties through their own efforts. Towards this, the following measures are suggested.

(a) Five-day week: While students are to be engaged in the school from 9:00AM to 4:00PM, teachers may work on the sixth day (Saturday) for planning their work for the next week and for attending to the weaker students, examination work, etc.
(b) Visual demonstration: A number of educational cassettes/videos are available on several topics. The central educational agencies like NCERT, SCERT, must produce them and schools must acquire them. Some of the scientific organizations like CSIR, ICMR, ICAR, DAE, DST bring out popular publications explaining their scientific achievements and breakthroughs. In addition, recordings of Discovery Channels may also be shown as frequently as possible. The school library must build up a good collection of such recordings in addition to the books.
(c) Internet-based interactive teaching: The central agencies like NCERT and SCERT at the State level, must make such courses available. If necessary, this may be charged for, additionally. In addition, internet surfing-may also be taught and facilities for the surfing must be provided, even on time-sharing basis, if necessary. The topics must be assigned by the teachers and evaluated.

Usually, afternoons may be allotted for library/project work. The projects assigned should be such that they enable the students develop certain useful skills, like developing herbariums, collection of pictures and information, followed by an hour’s PT or drill.

Home Work: Teachers should be discouraged to assign home work to the students. Home work adds mental block to the students for the subject and they often get this work done by elders at home. Apart from this, home work would snatch away the students’ time of reading story books and practising extra-curricular activities.

Science clubs: The schools must organize such clubs and each club must present at least one activity each month, in the Assembly. Such activities can be knowledge-based creativity-art-based, the best of which may be given a prize. These must be designed in a way they require use of both the hemispheres of the brain. These co-curricular activities need not be allotted separate time slot but can be integrated with the curriculum. They can also include community development activities.

Counseling: This can be conducted periodically (say, once a month) in the form of stories like Panchatantra. This can also cover sex education for higher class students.

In a nut-shell, the curriculum should be 50 per cent theory-based, and the other 50 per cent activity-based. Also, networking of schools in the zone would greatly help in conducting field trips and exposing the students to the invited lectures of scientists, and other scholars, social workers, yoga teachers, etc.

Change in Syllabus and Teaching Methodology: A national agency like NCERT should have a separate Division to devote efforts for continuous evaluation and updation and enrichment of the syllabus. This Division should keep observing the national and international trends in school curricula and syllabi and suggest modifications in our school syllabi, get them discussed among experts and experiment the improved syllabi in collaboration with a couple of schools and finalize the new design and submit to the approving authorities.

Components of Syllabus: The syllabus in schools can be divided into three components:  (a) Visuals/Demonstrations (b) Assignments and (c) Practical Work. These components are to be designed suitably for the Primary level and the Secondary level. At Primary level, demos like proper ways of brushing teeth, bathing, using toilets, keeping things in order, eating of food, polishing shoes, etc., can be covered as interesting stories. At Secondary level, the subjects may be taught using visuals/demos to the extent possible. Similarly, the plays prescribed like ‘Julius Caesar,’ should be either enacted or, if available a CD may be shown. Also, the role of democracy would be understood better if students are given a project work to collect information on monarchy and democracy and compare. Some aspects of biology, like anatomy, can be explained by the Physical Education teacher.

Assignments graded in terms of complexity should be given and weaker students (in subjects) may be asked to do more of them in the gradation scale.

Role of a Teacher: We live in an era of nuclear families where both the parents are employed and usually do not have time for the children. So, the teacher has to play an additional role of a parent in addition to teaching and develop the confidence of the students.

Examinations: Our present examination system is not a comprehensive testing system, as it doesn’t test all aspects of development. So, re-revamping of this is necessary. The comprehensive examination system should have the following aspects: (a) Testing listening and assimilation of skills like those of extracting information from libraries, internet and recapsuling it as required, (b) Testing creativity, originality and speaking (c) Testing writing, problem-solving (real life examples), i.e., logic and interpretation. About 20 per cent marks can be allotted for (a), 30 per cent for (b), and the remaining 50 per cent for (c).

Just like the learning process, taking of tests should also be individualized. Every student should be allowed to take exam at his own pace within a stipulated time, but should complete before the terminal exams. Also, he should be allowed to take exam in any order of subjects/levels in the same course. For every terminal exam all aspects of learning should be graded.