How effective are strategies?

EDUCATION HAS been commercialised to a greater extent today, with most private matriculation schools imparting education only from the examination point of view. In order to do justice for the higher fee they demand from the parents, the X and XII class students of some schools are treated worser than livestock.

They are denied of their fair share of leisure or playtime. In the name of discipline the students are crushed to the core. Most of the parents are also to be blamed, since they expect high marks without a thought about their children's physical or psychological conditions. Some even expect the school authorities to be very strict in the name of discipline, without considering their ward's mental health.

The students of plus-two are the victims of inhuman attitude, of some of the teachers. The plus-two exam is the crucial period in one's life. Nobody can deny this fact, but students are tortured and punished in the name of discipline and examinations. Even for the trivial mistakes, students are subjected to harsh punishments by some of the teachers amidst other students.

The heads of schools, like principals, in order to get a name, in the form of cent per cent result and incentives from the media, give a free hand to teachers to achieve the same, even if it meant some inhuman behaviour with students. They forget that fundamental psychological aspects that ridicule are far from the best means of motivating school learning.

The students, especially in the adolescent age, are concerned about their pride and self-respect. Any attempt to humiliate a child, especially in the presence of his classmates, is likely to end in one of the two undesirable results viz., withdrawal or pugnacity, shame and embarrassment,which are not healthy emotions.

They tend to disorganise the personality of the students. They produce uncertainty, hesitation, frustration, loss of confidence and self-respect.

The students who get insulted in front of their classmates and other teachers become pugnacious and aggressive with a hostile attitude towards the school and the teachers.

After experiencing insults several times. A student may be frustrated enough to get into delinquent acts. This would dampen his motivation for learning.

Hence, the heads of the institutions, teachers and parents should bear in mind that insulting, ridiculing and punishing would only bring unwanted and undesirable results.

The teacher can motivate learning by appealing to ego- maximisation than by belittling the students.

A. JAHITHA BEGUM

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