Education and Its Importance
TRANSCEND MEMBERS, 8 May 2023
Dr. Ravi P. Bhatia – TRANSCEND Media Service
The role and scope of education in most countries— developed and developing, is increasing worldwide. As a result, education has become indispensable — it has become a fundamental right for all. We now try to impart education not only in the traditional school and blackboard way, but also electronically. Children who may not be going to school due to some festivals or other genuine factors can be provided some education by electronic online means.
Mahatma Gandhi had also emphasised the role of education both for young boys and girls. He was unhappy that many girls were being deprived of education due to social causes and due to large distances that young girls had to walk to receive education. Often due to non availability of toilets many girls were not attending school. Gandhi ji also emphasised that along with traditional form of education — language and simple maths, children should also learn some skills that were relevant in society.
The importance of education is now universally accepted and this is being implemented electronically and digitally by most countries, including India. The word e-learning is now accepted and implemented. Increasing use of technology in schools has given rise to the term—smart classes. The teacher also has to learn how to use technology holistically in order to teach effectively and interact with students properly. Thus it is not only that students are learning in schools, teachers are also learning a different methodology to interact with students.
As indicated earlier, students have to learn not only to teach the traditional curriculum but are also introduced to local culture, music etc. A good school invites artists who can provide musical and cultural performances to enrich students not only academically but also culturally. This also helps teachers to become familiar with music and culture of the area where the school is located.
I remember several years ago, a teacher used to sing small poems in the class to make teaching of a concept interesting. Not all teachers are good at reciting poems but some are proficient in some sports or games which add to the pleasure of learning by students
There is a lot of debate on the curriculum of education at different stages — elementary and secondary levels and this is taken up and analysed by NPE (New Education Policy). This term includes not only what should be taught but also takes care of children who are slow at learning due to their family and economic backgrounds.
A child comes to school not just to learn new subjects — language, maths, history of the country etc, but also to acquire social skills of interacting with other students by some group exercises, and games and visits arranged by schools to museums and other institutions . These visits give a wholistic view of other institutions — they may be factories or bazaars or village life.
For this purpose the role of teachers is very important . They have not just to teach within the school boundaries, but also have to take care of children when they go out for outside visits. Good teachers are given Teacher Awards to encourage them to perform better.
Visits to outside institutions are possible in some private schools. Many private schools have been opened by some ambitious and dedicated individuals despite the economic and social pressures they faced in the beginning. They encourage schools to visit different regions to get a better view of the conditions and difficulties faced.
Government schools have some economic and institutional advantage but also have basic difficulties that make these outside visits rare. Many teachers retire creating vacancies in the number of teachers required. Thus the teachers who remain have problems of completing the curriculum leaving little time for outside cultural visits or for sports.
The New Education Policy encourages incorporating art and culture in addition to good curriculum in schools. It also encourages teaching in mother language of some students. Generally the school uses the regional language and Hindi and English for teaching, but if some part of the curriculum is taught in the mother language (which may be different from the regional language), the students learn better and happily.
Schools often encourage teachers to refer to some outstanding cases of students who started from a very humble position, reached a high pedestal in life through education and social factors. For example it has been reported in a recent article in a local newspaper that a student worked as a garbage collector at night , went to school during day and is now working for his PhD in a foreign university.
There are many challenges facing the school administration other than what have been outlined above. Sometimes, teaching electronically may not be possible in some areas due to lack of dedicated electric power. Despite these challenges, governments take a lot of care to ensure quality education for students. This also results in teachers becoming innovative and providing good and effective education . This also promotes the concept of caring and sharing. We salute both the government agencies and teachers for their efforts.
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Dr Ravi P Bhatia is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment, an educationist, Gandhian scholar and peace researcher. Retired professor, Delhi University. His new book, A Garland of Ideas—Gandhian, Religious, Educational, Environmental was published recently in Delhi. ravipbhatia@gmail.com
Tags: Education
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 8 May 2023.
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