Impending catastrophic situation

These are times when no education system can afford to shun global comparisons in terms of quality and canvas of learner attainments. Education systems the world over are under severe pressure to accept new and innovative techniques and technologies that could well dominate emerging pedagogies as also measure what students are gaining in terms of knowledge, skills, and learning to learn. In this context, the issue of assessment has become an important subject.

The introduction by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) — the largest all-India school leaving (classes X and XII) examinations board — of continuous and comprehensive evaluation (CCE) and grading is a pedagogically sound initiative, which could make a positive impact on the quality of learning. However, there are serious gaps at the implementation stage which raise doubts about whether the desired level of change would actually be attainable. During his recent India tour, Dr. Howard Gardner, the well-known professor of cognition and education at Harvard Graduate School of Education, emphasised that assessment processes should focus on two objectives: (1) Can the student demonstrate under-standing in and across the major disciplines — the scientific, historical, artistic/humanistic and mathematical domains? This is best done by providing novel and unfamiliar examples/problems/concepts, and have the stud-ent explicate them. And (2) Are young people becoming moral and ethical citizens?

One may not necessarily agree with all that the learned professor opines, but it must be acknowledged that he fully captures the essence of pedagogically sound assessment in consonance with the delineated objectives of education i.e, earning a decent livelihood and contributing as an effective and creative citizen who adheres to values and morals. What can our children learn by observing and understanding, say, the process of elections, voting patterns, unethical practices, and the public image of elected representatives? How far does this understanding prepare them to enter adult life respectful of democratic values and norms?

The great Greek scientist-philosopher Aristotle wanted “good persons to become good citizens”. Education in all its aspects must respond to the simple query: has it prepared children for responsible citizenship to not only be good people but also good citizens? Does the system make them internalise the concept and pragmatic import of satyam, shivam sundaram — ‘truth, beauty and good-ness’? This is the litmus test of quality of education.

Despite India’s school education system being under severe stress from compounding competitive compulsions and constraints, lack of adequate teaching-learning opportunities and facilities for 70 percent of the country’s children, the questions posed above create few ripple effects in terms of systemic functional efficacy. The encouraging primary enrolment rate of 96.7 percent loses its sheen when 50 percent of children drop out of school within five years. All that is learnt and acquired during this period is lost in the next two-three years as dropped out children — most of them from poverty-stricken rural and urban slum habitations — relapse into illiteracy.

Non-functional schools, absentee teachers, low learner attainment, inadequate facilities and dry-cum-dreary school environments are to blame. Inadequate investment in education has resulted in unacceptable levels of teacher-pupil ratios in public education, which prevents even committed and dedicated teachers from providing child-centric and remedial education. To this disabling brew add the intrusion of political formations which block all community support to government schools, in spite of tall claims about devolution of authority to manage such schools to panchayats or local government organisations.

It will be an arduous task indeed to restore the enabling school-community relationship which was traditionally the major resource input in Indian education. With around 70 percent students enroled in government-funded schools, dependence upon them to contribute the cognitive capital of the nation is certain to lead to perilous outcomes, which cannot be ignored. When more than 50 percent of class V students are unable to read class II textbooks, as testified by Pratham’s Annual Status of Education Report 2011, it is time for the nation to wake up and take serious note of the impending catastrophic situation of millions of young ‘unemployables’ waiting to enter the work force.

In a recent article in the Christian Science Monitor, educationist John Yemma visualises India’s impending ‘youth bulge’ challenge very clearly. “In a mere eight years, 100 million more youth — equivalent to the population of Mexico — will enter the Indian workforce. Vanishingly few of them will enjoy familial boost of wealth, fame, or education,” he writes.

The plain truth is that education is the only hope for India’s poor and deprived majority. Argumentative Indians must raise questions to augment, and facilitate the emergence of new thinking and innovative ideas to realise this unfulfilled dream of the overwhelming majority of the country’s neglected children. Education in India severely lacks on this front. It urgently needs new ideas that are pragmatic and implementable.

(Prof. J.S. Rajput is former chairperson, National Council for Teacher Education and former director of NCERT)