How Can We Improve The Quality Of Education In Primary Schools In India?

A number of policies, assessments, and evaluations keep on appearing in the public domain, regarding the state of Primary education in the nation. From 1968, when the first policy on education was publicly tabled to the ones appearing in 1986 and 1992, followed by the draft Policy of 2016 on education till recently, all of them have harbored the aim of locating different loopholes in the sphere of Primary education. So, when talking about Primary education, we will once again throw light upon the underlying pitfalls in this area. Subsequently, we shall think about their possible solutions.

On the Level of Superintending Education

To begin with the administration, several drawbacks seem to infest the system. We shall discuss the most monumental of these first. So, notably, it’s of officials remaining insufficiently familiar with education heading the guiding bodies of school education- NCERT, and NCET. Paying due respect to the authorities, the primary grievance is the inability of such heads to lead these bodies effectively. Their counterparts from educational backgrounds belittle them when proper implementation and learning outcomes matter.

Secondly, a coordinating body that harmonizes and synchronizes all the different boards of education is the need of the hour. Particularly on the front of school education, almost every board harbors a whimsical attitude regarding the implementation of common principles. An institution like the UGC needs to take reins in its hands, for looking after the matters of School education. This is particularly more for those of the Primary wing. Such an institution would be the tiger strong enough to scare these boards and educational institutes. But it can be realized only when it is equipped with the teeth of financial deterrence and promotions.

Fusing Vocation with Education

Then, the aspect of incorporating vocational education into that of the schools also invites attention. The earlier fusion of vocational skills with a theory-oriented curriculum will result in the faster and much better prepared industry-ready workforce. Finnish schools can teach us a lesson or two in this regard.

Cull the Evil

Similarly, for quite some time now, several coaching institutes have indulged in wrongdoings to the extent of sheltering education mafia. Most of these institutes work so in the garb of facilitating education. Meanwhile and overall, the activities of the coaching institutes have transformed into a mammoth industry. Presently, the overall budget of this industry belittles the government’s entire budget on education. The answer to these woes lies in buttressing up this front with proper legislation so that the mafia cripples.

Teacher Education

Though the evaluative exercises of introducing Teachers’ Eligibility Tests have generated some hope for improving the quality of teachers. Still, it’s not up to the mark. Similarly, the government has taken initiatives like mid-day-meal, provision of school uniform, bags loaded with text- and notebooks, etc. Still, these measures have failed to bring the level of highly subsidized school education at par with the desired outcomes.

Hence, bolstering of education, therefore, calls for proper training and evaluation of teachers.

Training Teachers and Incorporating Education in Technology

The time of today doesn’t belong to bullock carts, as we witness technological revolutions through new arrivals of digital communication devices, almost every day. This calls specifically for a chartered training of teachers in their use of extremely user-friendly applications of modern digital devices. This is even more required as the digital tools of the future are going to make phenomenal progress, as never witnessed before. This interprets to teachers adapting themselves for using the digital devices of the future empowered with Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Virtual Reality, Block Chains, etc.

Furthermore, the government itself needs taking drastic measures to introduce encourage greater use of technology not only to teachers but also to students. National and international collaborations, teacher exchanges, collaborative research projects, subsidized online courses particularly for teachers are some of the ways for attaining this objective.

Correct the Curriculum

The great number of disciplines taught in most Indian schools being more than needed, the total of the curricula of all the disciplines translates to being highly extravagant for tender minds. Moreover, the technological strides of recent decades leave lesser room for disciplines other than math, sciences, and computers. This doesn’t convey that disciplines like humanities, fine arts, and literature shouldn’t be incorporated. Suggestively, a ‘water-tight’ necessary amount of the knowledge content should be allowed for all the disciplines, be them the humanities or the sciences. This, hopefully, will give much respite to the already stressed sphere of students’ study.

Let Cramming Give Some Room to Learning

Leaving greater room for innovative ways to induce tender minds of students for inherent learning, needs to be promoted. Mere stuffing of facts via the route of rote learning more likely will inculcate indifference for learning, among students. Hence, setting the facts along with their logical driving to the minds of students looks substantially better path to take the course.