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By Bilal Ahmad Khanday
As a former government teacher who has experienced the system firsthand—observing it closely and critically—I have come to realize that the entire system requires a comprehensive overhaul. Only through such an overhaul, from top to bottom, can we truly ensure its growth and improvement, benefiting the student community, most of whom come from less privileged backgrounds.
Yesterday, while reading one of the top dailies of the valley, I came across an expected but shocking news report revealing that “only 21% of 5th standard students of government schools in rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir can read Class 2 textbooks properly, whereas more than 60% of 5th standard students in private schools in Jammu and Kashmir can read at the second-class level.” There are many more points in the report that are worthy of consideration in order to effectively develop strategies, both at the administrative and academic levels, to improve the educational scenario not only in government schools but also in private institutions. The report needs to be properly analyzed systematically and pragmatically to identify the loopholes and shortcomings in the prevailing educational setup and to come up with appropriate remedies and solid, practical, working solutions.
The report, on one hand, talks about the lackadaisical nature of the educational scenario in Jammu and Kashmir, while on the other hand, it clearly highlights the cold and ineffective approaches and ‘administrative skills’ of the officials who are heavily paid by the public through the government exchequer. Not only this, but they are often given various incentives and perks for their ‘valuable services’ to the education sector of Jammu and Kashmir. Unfortunately, the sorry state of affairs in the education sector, especially in government schools, goes on to show that the money and resources being spent recklessly and without proper checks and measures are a clear waste and are draining the government treasury without yielding fruitful and expected results.
Having resigned as a government teacher, I have witnessed the system from within—both closely and critically. In addition, my experience in various private schools over the years allowed me to thoroughly analyze the system, understand its operations from top to bottom, and gain insight into its internal and external mechanisms. With this background, and after conducting proper and balanced research while considering grassroots realities, I believe the system requires a comprehensive and urgent overhaul from top to bottom if we genuinely want it to thrive and benefit the student community, most of whom come from less privileged backgrounds.
Reasons for the abysmal state
There are many causes for this dismal state of affairs, which I categorize into two groups for simplicity: primary and secondary. However, the causes are so intertwined that it is very difficult to separate them, as they complement each other. The primary causes are mainly the traditional system of education, outdated curriculum, conventional teaching methods, unscientific approaches, lack of proper guidance and counseling for the teacher community, limited exposure of teachers to the outside scientific and technological world, the moral ‘bankruptcy’ of teachers, improper interest of teachers in the profession, and many more. The secondary causes relate to the administrative mechanisms and workings, which, although indirectly related to academics, play a crucial role in policy making and strategizing other related matters.
Possible Remedies
The remedy lies in one simple and handy mantra which we are all probably aware of: “Mission with Vision.” So, what is this “Mission with Vision” mantra? Simply put, it means having a collective and collaborative mission with a holistic and pragmatic vision. I personally believe that we rarely see any collective mission in this educational scenario, despite the reality that many documents highlight the mission of every system in bold letters, and the education system is no exception. Everywhere we come across newsletters, brochures, posters, hoardings, and signboards of the education system that claim great things for its aims, objectives, wishes, and aspirations. Unfortunately, these are just mere lip service and lack practical applicability when considering the ground realities. The vision seems to be blurred and weak, as the results at the grassroots level paint a very dismal picture. If the “Mission with Vision” slogan had been implemented practically and with great care and pure intention, things would have been totally different, and the education system would have progressed by leaps and bounds, flourishing decades ago.
If I’m not wrong, we all know for sure that at our individual levels, we are not honestly performing the duties assigned to us. From a teacher to a Zonal Education Officer, to a Chief Education Officer, to the Director, to the Secretary of Education, in one way or another, we are not performing what we are paid to do and what we are supposed to discharge at our respective levels. If they all, consistently and honestly, with pure intention, introspection, dedication, and determination, perform their duties, we will definitely see the “sun of education and knowledge” rising with full beauty and bloom in the near future.
- Views expressed in the article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the editorial stance of Kashmir Observer. The author can be reached for feedback at khandaybilal12@gmail.com
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