Precarious state of education -by soter

[Published in herald dtd. 21/08/2013] Precarious state of education SOTER D’SOUZA The plight of the education system in Goa is in as precarious a situation as the status of the environment and social harmony. The increased aggression to inject sectarian ideological preferences and personalities in a bid to control the education system is vitiating the scenario. Policies are being imposed on schools without much independent and objective research and debate, only to be either withdrawn or partially relaxed depending on public reaction. Such non-transparent and controversial maneuverings of the Government are preventing the development of a conducive atmosphere for qualitative and secular education. It is interesting to see how the State Government is exploiting the tolerance of Goan society to slip in sectarian agendas by using the cover of the Right To Education Act and NCERT guidelines. Technocrat politicians, considering themselves all-round experts, including on matters of pedagogy, are reducing the students to consumer products, treating teachers as industrial labour and the school premises as an industrial shop floor. The gradual pollution of the education system is being conducted in a systematic and clinical manner. If one follows the various policies in recent years, there appear to be just two objectives being covertly forwarded under the pretext of safeguarding local culture and improving the quality of education. One is the prevention and possible reduction of the influence of minority institutions in Goa’s education system, and the second is about injecting a ‘shaka’ culture in Goan schools. A latest pop-up in the news calling itself the Nationalist Educational Institutions Management Association (NEIMA) to oppose grants to minority schools only strengthens this observation. If not, how can one justify the consistent attempts to frustrate minority institutions and prevent expansion of their activities? Suddenly a demand for increase in school timings from a bunch of parents is orchestrated from nowhere, and an insistence that teachers put in seven and a half hours of work by remaining on the school campus after school hours comes to the fore. The present infrastructure in many of Goa’s schools is pathetic. Several schools do not have enough toilets, and if they do, they are not fit for use. Lack of sufficient clean water is a problem in many schools. The frequent power failures and load shedding further compounds the misery. Many schools do not have basic infrastructure for sports and recreation. Spirituality is something that is glaringly missing in education. A culture of intolerance against the political establishment and certain communities is gradually occupying this space. The quality and mental disposition of teachers in the schools is also questionable. Increasing sectarianism and political interference are influencing the selection process for teachers and this ultimately reflects in the teaching. Then we have a huge section of children studying various art forms and sports disciplines under specialized trainers after school hours which one can never dream of getting in regular schools. Several poor children are also known to help their parents or even do odd jobs after school hours and in the process help ease the economic burden and learn traditional livelihood skills. What will happen to this marginalised section of students who work and also go to school? Given this pathetic state of the infrastructure and the teaching resources in several schools, increasing school timings will not change anything except aggravate stress levels in the child and possibly breed delinquents. It may give time for sectarian indoctrination and may encourage more dropouts. In a hostile climate when the warm and humid afternoons are energy draining and we can hardly see any work being done even in government offices, we are subjecting children to remain in these ovens or godowns called classrooms. The claim that extending school timings will discourage private coaching classes is a lie. Adamant parents can only be expected to prolong the agony of their child into the night in that pursuit for excellence. In their blindness to further some vested designs, the policy makers have been obsessed with enforcing more work hours. Some affluent parents who need more time for their various indulgences, if given a chance, would not mind dumping their children in schools even at night. The teaching profession cannot be treated on par with industrial labour and clerical work. Teaching is often physically, mentally and emotionally draining and requires time to revitalize oneself while also keeping abreast of current trends in knowledge. Restraining students and teachers on the school premises for more time will not ensure quality of education. The teaching profession is more of a vocation and mission than an occupation. There are several teachers indulging in private economic and political activity during and after school hours. Some school managements are known to use the Parent-Teachers Association and school premises for forwarding political and sectarian agendas. Misinformation against certain communities and political leaders is being fed to students in certain quarters. How will such teachers and managements be restrained from such abuses and sometimes even disruptive activities? How can one expect such teachers who have their hands in many pies to do justice to their teaching? The indiscriminate enforcement of Child Rights without providing for requisite checks and balances is already making it increasingly difficult to enforce discipline in schools. The teachers have become vulnerable to blackmail from students, and egoistic parents with a complex further encourage certain delinquent behaviour among students by shaming the teachers. Providing free laptops and tablets to students and teachers cannot substitute these often paralysing deficiencies. Ultimately, in the process of guaranteeing Child Rights and the Right to Education what is actually being forwarded is Child Abuse. For the Government and NGOs it may be an activity to justify performance or donor support, while for the child it is torture. In conclusion of all that has been argued above, it is necessary for the Government to adopt a more transparent and participative approach in the formulation of education policies. Various aspects and long-term implications must be considered before implementing policies which may look fine on paper or pleasing to some sections of society. What is good for urban schools may not necessarily be beneficial to rural schools. The government cannot trivialize education with cosmetic measures and claim to improve the quality of education in the State. We cannot allow our schools and young minds to be sacrificed for experimental hate laboratories. These drops of poison being introduced in education will come to haunt us sooner or later. It is not how much time one spends in school that ensures more learning, what matters is the quality time spent and the quality of the inputs. http://www.heraldgoa.in/newscategory/Opinions/14