NEWS KASHMIR EXCLUSIVE
Education System has been positively reformed all over the globe. The reality on ground is that our response in Kashmir in reforming education system in right direction has been going on at snail pace thus the education system of ours is facing several inherent problems.
Be it elementary education, high school to college and University level education system of ours in Kashmir is craving for reforms. Our education system is stated to encourage rote learning which thus kills creativity . The public education system is in doldrums since long with poor results often the case.
Rote learning which is widely used in the mastery of foundational knowledge. Examples include phonics in reading, the periodic table in chemistry, multiplication tables in mathematics, anatomy in medicine, cases or statutes in law, basic formulas in any science, etc. Rote learning, eats up comprehension and creativity, and consequently, it is an ineffective tool in mastering any complex subject at an advanced level.
On the other side of the spectrum, there is no fixed criterion for payment in private schools but general trend is that the teachers in private schools are paid very less as compared to their counterparts in government or government-aided schools. While as the students are forced to pay heavy fees and donations and the departments who are supposed to regulate our education system seem to have no control over them. In our part of the world, Private schools are working like imperialistic empires without any check and balance system.
Well known academic expert Sheikh Sameer, while talking to News Kashmir states :
“It should be the among the top priorities of state government to reform education sector as statistical data has shown dismal position of education sector in Jammu and Kashmir . Drop out rate has gone up to 10.2% from 6.9% and has shown increasing trend over the years .Reason for this is lack of academic infrastructure, poor coordination ,failed implementation strategy, conventional teaching modus operandi ,lack of political will and bureaucratic interventions in policy making which should be the domain of academics from colleges and universities.
Initiatives have been taken to introduce various schemes even NGOs have been involved to train teachers and to implement them but no substantial results have been yielded.
From the academic point of view, you will see there has been content crises as text books are not in consonance with teaching skills .Content is parrot fashioned, mechanical and quasi conventional. There is no scope for affective_ cognitive approach of teaching learning process .Shared learning is not encouraged. Teachers have to prepare according to prescribed syllabus. No educational tours, no community involvement and inter school debates ,seminars symposia at intermediate level keeping in view changing academic landscape.”
Undoubtedly from all pros and cons our education system is in need of reforms
Honorable Guv should create board of academic advisors. It should have 10 member body headed by VC retired or existing, experts from relevant fields. Sec. education and director to be nominated as ex officio members. This body should be empowered to discuss academic issues only.”
