Let us invest in high standard

``DEMOCRATISATION OF education means educating citizens, irrespective of caste or creed, social or economic status, motivation or aptitude.

With the mushrooming growth of educational institutes, the importance of acquiring a cerficate which functions as a licence for any interview has increased.

The schools have started to function like a commercial house which employs wage earners who work with their tools and tricks of trade.

As the growth in the supply of certified job seekers increases, the demand for it increases. The rush for obtaining higher certificates is also on the rise. This results in the decrease in the standard of education.

There is increase in the number of schools year after year. Many schools are run without even the minimum infrastructure. For example, many schools do not have sufficient classrooms.

As a result, most of the classes are being taken under the shade of trees. There was a time when providing minimum facilities like the black board was the prime motive of the government. But how far this has succeeded is to be analysed.

Democratisation of education will be achieved only with the help of proficient and efficient manpower. Some schools do not have sufficient teachers.

The government does not appoint the staff for some reason or the other, and the school keeps running with skeleton staff. This is one of the reasons for the large number of drop-outs at the primary level in most of the villages. Children do not realise the advantage of attending school.

Mid-term transfer of teachers, under qualified teachers and underpaid teachers lead to a deficiency of staff members. This results in a fall in standards.

A favourable socio-academic climate is necessary to realise well intended goals. Professionally honest educators, mainly teachers, are decreasing day by day. Teachers are more interested in private tuitions which increase their income rather than regular classroom teaching.

Society should make a right kind of demand from the educated, which does not happen. So democratisation without the help of society will be of no use.

Education is now restricted to a certain age limit. A person who crosses the age and wants to get the regular school or college education cannot do so. Even for the government jobs, there is a rigid age limit, beyond which an individual is not eligible.

Various rules and regulations are being followed for admitting a student in school. Therefore, education is not reaching everyone and admissions have to be done within a stipulated month.

If a child misses admission at that time, he has no chance of being admitted in the middle of the year. Admissions to private institutes are more difficult than government institutes.

Nowadays, parents prefer educating their children in English medium schools like convents which demand high fees. This kind of education is limited only to the rich. Education has become highly commercial, that there is no healthy relationship between the teacher and the learners. The close relation which existed once upon a time between the guru and the sishya has vanished.

The teacher thinks he is a paid employee and therefore his duty is only to teach in the prescribed period without knowing the pulse of the student. Thus children lose interest in the particular subject that is being taught.

The ultimate aim of the learner in the present education system is to acquire a certificate. So in order to gain it, many short cut methods are increasing. Knowledge is not given any weightage, but a fake certificate that is produced is given a lot of importance.

Many certificate oriented private colleges have sprouted in the last few years, and charge high capitation fees. Thus, a common man who cannot pay such high fee has to discontinue the studies or go for another course.

The guidance and counselling does not exist anymore. The students, after completing the school education, are in the dark and unable to decide upon their future. If the teachers take interest and give some guidance and counselling this problem will be solved.

Because of the increasing importance attached to the professional courses, coaching centres are coming up in every nook and corner. These centres utilise the services of teachers who are employed in government institute and as a result, the quality of teaching in their schools or colleges decreases. The coaching centres charge high fees which again a common man cannot afford. In India, economically backward students who are interested in learning, are unable to earn and learn at the same time.

In order to cater to the needs of those who cannot attend regular schooling, flexible time-table is essential. Time table should be according to the convenience of the learner.

Age relaxation should be given not only to SC/ST, but also for the economically backward. For students who are involved in some job during the school hours, classes should be conducted through the special schools. The curriculum designed should not be theoretical, but must cater to the needs of the individual learner. That is, industrialisation of education is required.

Instead of going in for word of mouth and black board, electronic equipment like TV and VCR can be utilised, so that it will be more effective on the learner. Teachers who are dedicated should be recognised and the lessons delivered by them can be videotaped and later students can view it. The quality of teaching will be better because of both audio and visual impact.

Practical knowledge is to be stressed upon. The teacher can demonstrate or the students themselves can be asked to do it. Practicals should commence from class IX onwards, with a change in curriculum. There is a need for objective evaluation. Subjectivity has to be decreased to a large extent. This is possible by changing the method of setting the question paper. Questions should be set in such a way that they have a definite answer and carry 1, 2 or 3 marks only.

Distance education is potent in effect as it is extensive in its reach. It is not confined to the four walls of the class room. It is education for all. In other words, it is better equipped to meet the challenge of democratising education.

The constraints like non-availability of seats is not there. Therefore, many can join and learn and also procure a certificate. There will be no problem even in geographically difficult terrains, because it is like postal coaching or correspondence education. Failure to obtain the required qualification for entering a particular university course or poverty does not come in the way of admission.

The fee collected is very nominal and it is collected in instalments, which many can afford. It is oriented to the current times and the possible future changes in human society. To maintain the orientation, it accepts the use of all the possible media as legitimate compotents of its educational strategy. It aims at rationalising their use for optimal results, depending on the student population and the subject/discipline.

J.S.V. LAKSHMI

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