Reform the reformers in our academic system

Reform the reformers in our academic system

Abolition of the ranking system and introducing Board exams for Class XI are fine. But our academic system is crying for more reforms

Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter. — John Keats

We have heard some sweet melodies from Tamil Nadu’s School Education Minister K.A.Sengottaiyan, who recently announced the abolition of the ranking system, introduction of Board examinations for Class XI students and revision of the school syllabus. These announcements were hailed by the media and certain sections of the academia as major education reforms. Are they really major reforms?

In the article ‘Do laurels always work?’ published by The Hindu Edge dated March 25, 2017, I argued against ranking students based on their marks in examinations and rewarding them for their academic achievements. I do welcome the government’s decision mainly for the reasons stated below. Not all top rankers are smart students with good subject knowledge and adequate skills, and not all gifted students always secure top ranks. So, ranking students based on their marks is meaningless. The ranking system helps only unscrupulous edupreneurs who run educational institutions with a narrow vision. With the sole aim of producing results and securing ranks, and thus making more money and increasing their revenue, many private schools in Tamil Nadu pressurise students turn them into marks-producing machines. The ranking system has had a negative impact on students by making a majority of them think that they are inferior to those who have scored better marks. It has been proved that such an education system has failed to produce students who will be able to think critically and face challenges confidently.

A positive step

Looking at the government’s decision critically, one can say that it abolished the ranking system just because it did not want to face further embarrassment and negative criticism that the top rankers are not able to crack NEET and IIT-JEE and other competitive exams, and the education system in Tamil Nadu is not good. Whatever be the intent of the government, the decision is a positive step and a slap on the face of those unscrupulous edupreneurs who defined education in their own way. The government should warn school authorities against displaying students’ marks publicly and publishing adverts that give details of ranks.

Is the introduction of Board examinations for Class XI students really a reform? The answer to the question should be based on the current scenario. For years, many private schools and government-aided schools did not teach Class XI subjects properly and taught Class XII subjects for two years. As a result, students studying in such schools were denied the opportunity to have a firm grounding in the fundamentals. The school education department miserably failed to take action against such schools which focused only on producing results and securing ranks. It is believed that the introduction of Board exams will make school authorities do justice to students by teaching them Class XI subjects. This, in turn, will help students learn the basics properly.

Will this not overburden students? The burden and stress will definitely increase if the school education department fails to do its duty of monitoring and taking action against those who violate rules. Some serious measures should be taken. The education department should warn school authorities against conducting coaching classes on Sundays and public holidays. Schools should not be allowed to conduct coaching classes beyond school hours, or after 6 p.m. It is not good for fifteen-year-old students to be treated like machines that can be put to work 16-18 hours a day.

Upgradation

Syllabus revision is a much-needed reform for Tamil Nadu school education. It has been neglected for many years due to various political reasons. Currently, the education department seems to have a very narrow vision and the focus is on NEET and IIT-JEE. One wonders why everyone is obsessed with medicine and engineering when there are numerous career options. What is the percentage of students who can clear NEET and IIT-JEE? The syllabus should be upgraded but it need not be modeled on the CBSE syllabus. It could be even better than that. The need of the hour is to form a committee of experts from various disciplines and to take some concrete steps to review and revise the syllabus so that the students can take any competitive examination without shuttling between schools and coaching centres.

The education system in Tamil Nadu is badly in need of major reforms in many other areas. We would like to hear those unheard melodies that could be sweeter.

Schools have become commercial centres or shops which sell books, uniforms, shoes, socks, belts, stationery along with education. Why do they do so? A simple answer is that these commercial activities bring them money and more money. It is a bad system because the focus is shifted. Commerce takes the driver’s seat and education takes a back seat. Here is an example. Publishing companies sell books at an exorbitant rate and give considerable amount of money (up to 30-35%) to school authorities in the name of discount. The beneficiaries are school owners and the victims are students and their parents. As long as this practice of commercialisation is allowed to continue, efforts to improve the quality of education will not yield positive results.

Many schools have bid goodbye to teaching and embraced coaching. It is a fact that many schools invite training companies to conduct NEET and IIT-JEE coaching on their campuses. This is another money spinner. The training companies charge around ₹2 lakh for NEET / IIT-JEE coaching. The understanding is that companies get 60% of the fees and schools get 40%. Even students who are not interested in medicine and engineering are persuaded to join the courses run by the school. Schools create an impression among students that only medicine and engineering are the best career options. Schools kill students’ free thinking and nurture their herd mentality.

What ails the education system in the country is government’s control over it. Political interference in education will lead to disaster. What is needed is the autonomy of school and higher education.

Albert P?Rayan 

The author is an academic, columnist and freelance writer. 

rayanal@yahoo.co.uk

Thanks to : The Hindu - 04.06.2017

Dilemma of choice

Dilemma of choice

How do you choose your engineering stream? Picking the major and the minor that most interests you is the way to go.

It is that time of the year when seventeen-year-olds finishing their Class XII board exams will have one question in their minds — “What next?” Career decisions will be made in the coming months, and engineering might be one of the most popular choices. But which stream to pick is the dilemma you will find yourself in.

An easy way to choose is to take a look at the constantly changing world around us.

The next decade seems like it will be dominated by driverless electric cars, smart watches that act as phones, fitness monitors, drones that deliver your Amazon purchases, smart home speakers that interact with you, and the list goes on. The question you need to ask now is, how are you going to be part of developing this future?

Well, the obvious answer is “pick what is interesting to you and pursue it.” But in reality, everything looks interesting to us; this makes picking a particular field difficult, and thus, we pick the most popular option due to peer pressure.

Plethora of choices

What if I said, there is another way to decide? Yes, rather than picking a field, pick a product/service that you would like to be a part of developing, and find the aspects that interest you.

For example, I am fascinated by self-driving electric cars, and particularly interested in the locomotion part of the car and its ability to self-drive. Now, the locomotion part comes under mechanical engineering, whereas the ability to understand the road, navigate by itself and be aware of the surrounding traffic comes under the ambit of computer science (machine learning).

I have now narrowed down my field of interest to mechanical and computer science engineering. but we might not find a specialised engineering degree that provides both these aspects in equal measure. So here is an alternative: of the two fields, I pick the one that is more interesting. For me it is the “locomotion part of the car” and I would label it as my “major interest/specialisation”, and the self-driving part will be my “minor interest/specialisation.”

All I need to do now is pick mechanical engineering as my major in my undergrad, and focus my extracurricular activities towards learning computer science-related stuff. Sounds easy, right?

Well, like everything else, unless I put all these things into practice I am not going to be able to be a part of developing a self-driving car. So how do I put everything into practice? The simple answer is “projects”.

Projects give you an opportunity to integrate your curricular and extracurricular activities; all you need to do is start small and build upon it.

The idea of picking a major and a minor early on, during undergraduate studies, gives you clarity in thought and helps you focus on the right things. Not only that, this approach makes you an “inter-disciplinary” person.

There is a distinct advantage of being an inter-disciplinary individual, especially in the coming years.

The reason being, a common theme that wraps around most of the products being developed now is the integration of multiple services into one product. Being inter-disciplinary helps you drive this integration.

Companies making these products acknowledge it as well. In the last couple of years, recruiting has moved from hiring specialists to hiring inter-disciplinary individuals. The main reason is their ability to understand the product, integrate the right services and find solutions faster. Specialising in a particular topic is still valuable, but as an engineer, being inter-disciplinary helps you understand the product and communicate cross-functionally in an organisation.

Pick your major and minor subjects and work on projects that allow you to integrate them. So, what are your major and minor subjects?

Quick Review

Confused which field of engineering to take after Class XII? Here are five ways to go about it.

Take a look at the products of the future and decide the product you would like to be a part of creating.

Narrow it down to two features you would like to create in that product.

Now see which field you need to specialise in, in order to build these features.

The field that interests you the most among the two fields will be your major (the specialisation you will be picking in your undergrad).

The next best field will be your minor (the field that you will concentrate your extracurricular activities on).

Work on projects to integrate major and minor fields.

The writer is co-founder, EdXengine. surya@edxengine.com

Surya Paneerselvam 

Thanks to : THE HINDU - 02.04.2017

Making resolutions work

Making resolutions work

Aruna Sankaranarayanan                        DECEMBER 25, 2016 

Focus on the process instead of the results, give room for failure and you will find it easier to keep your New Year resolutions.

As the year end approaches, we can’t help ourselves making well-intentioned promises — from next year, I will start working out. I will complete my projects within stipulated deadlines January onwards. I will send out my resume to different companies next year. Even though the calendar year does not discernibly change student or working lives, the beginning of a new year is imbued with psychological significance for many of us because we tend to associate newness with change and positivity. Yet, often, our noble plans tend to fall apart often within a fortnight of the coming year. Why are New Year’s resolutions so hard to stick to and what can we do differently to carry them through the year?

According to social psychologist Amy Cuddy, New Year’s resolutions are “riddled with psychological traps that work against us.” In her book, Presence: Brining your boldest self to your biggest challenges, she explains that the promises we make to ourselves are often too ambitious. We may tell ourselves that we will shed five kilos in the next six months. But, when the scale does not budge from our current weight at the end of January, we feel disappointed and give up altogether on our diet and exercise regimen. Likewise, we may swear not to shout at our recalcitrant teenaged kids any more. But when we see their clothes lying on the bedroom floor for the nth time, out patience wears thin. Such lofty goals are bound to fail, says Cuddy, because they require us to make many minuscule changes consistently over a long period of time.

Another reason why such promises betray us is that they tend to be “results-oriented.” Cuddy argues that we are more likely to follow through on our pledges when we focus on the process instead of the outcome. So, instead of committing to losing five kilos, we may say that we will work out at least four days a week and limit our consumption of forbidden food to once a week. Thus, by not obsessing with the outcome, we are more likely to come closer to our goal.

In an article in Forbes, published in January 2016, entrepreneur William Vanderbloemen suggests that we refrain from making resolutions for the entire year. As a year can seem like a long duration, our motivation to stick with a task often peters out. However, if we tell ourselves that we will not shout at the kids for a week, we are more likely to experience success. Then, at the end of the week, we can decide whether we want to extend our pledge yet another week. As we get better at controlling our temper, we can extend the duration of our promise. Having short-term objectives allows us to tweak them based on current circumstances. So, if you know that you have a stressful week coming up at work, you may give yourself a week off without feeling like you haven’t lived up to your expectations.

Next, Vanderbloemen urges us to keep our resolutions specific and simple. If you tell yourself that you will meet the deadlines set by your boss for multiple projects that you are handling, you may be overstretching yourself and may feel overwhelmed.

Instead, by just resolving to meet the next deadline, you are more likely to meet your goal. Further, writing down your goals helps sticking to them. Penning your resolutions and sticking them up on the fridge or bathroom mirror can serve as a daily reminder. Enlisting the help of a friend, family member or colleague can also motivate you to keep your resolution. Joining an online support group where you can share your struggles and read about others who are trying to beat the odds can also spur you to stay on target.

We also have to give ourselves room for failure and be forgiving of our slip-ups. Professor John Norcross has tracked New Year’s resolvers for two years to better understand their behaviour. While 77 per cent of people were able to keep their vows for a week, only 19 per cent were able to sustain their resolve over the two-year period. In an article published in the Journal of Substance Abuse, Professor Norcross and his colleague found that over 50 per cent of successful resolvers have at least one slip, with a mean of 14 slips in a two-year period. So, don’t be too harsh on yourself if you get tempted by that chocolate brownie or down a beer when you are feeling low. Knowing that failing now and then is part of the process can keep you motivated to continue your diet or abstain from alcohol. Instead of aiming for perfection, factor in a loss of will-power on a few occasions.

The writer is Director, PRAYATNA. 

Email: arunasankara@gmail.com

Lessons for a better tomorrow

Lessons for a better tomorrow

Usha Raman

 DECEMBER 25, 2016 17:00 IST

A look at the themes and trends that emerged in the education sector in 2016.

Somehow, there is this compulsion to take stock of things at the end of every year — what we have done (or not done), what changes have occurred in our lives, what progress has been made, how the world has changed, and so on. Some changes jerk us into awareness as they happen; elections, natural disasters, sudden shifts in perspectives. Others creep over us while we are looking some place else, or, as John Lennon famously said in his “Beautiful Boy”, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

One might say the same about learning. We may be conscious of our “aha!” moments or knowledge may seep into us in slow, silent waves while we are immersed in activity. This is true of trends, too. We often do not see a trend happening until it reaches a point when it has already become the norm. It would be a challenge to point to specific critical themes that have emerged in the world of education in recent times, perhaps even in the past year, because movements in education are not disconnected from what happens in the economy, or in society, and definitely in our political sphere. But let me try, with the near-perfect vision of hindsight, to indulge in a bit of academic dissection.

I would suggest that the trends fall into two broad categories — the hard and soft aspects of education. “Hard” aspects have to do with the education infrastructure — buildings, tools, materials, money and people — while “soft” aspects have to do with the ideas, frameworks, attitudes and methodologies.

The hard stuff

Technology: The fascination with the bells and whistles of new/digital technology in the education sector has continued, with the higher-end schools buying into tech-enabled services for monitoring, assessment and evaluation of student work, as well as surveillance and performance tracking of teachers. Despite dubious evidence, policy-makers remain committed to the idea that digital technology will deliver us into a more educated world.

Material resources: Following from the above, much of the investment of time and money has been in building new technologies for the classroom, extending the reach of education with online courses (particularly in higher education), and exploring mobile platforms for course delivery. The downside of this is that the preparation of teachers has received less attention despite the acknowledgement that we need more and better human resources in this sector. Despite a nominal increase in the budgetary allocation for school education, in real terms it is still far less than the required six per cent of the GDP. This has meant that the small increase in funds has been put into seeking efficiencies rather than making more schools more accessible to underserved populations.

The soft and substantial core

This is where a lot of exciting things have been happening, despite the inertia of the larger system. There is a lot of inventiveness among those who actually occupy the centre and peripheries of the teaching-learning space — the teachers, teacher trainers, and education entrepreneurs.

Frameworks: Although formal education is still dominated by the idea of employability in a very instrumental sense, there is a growing push back from those who believe in the broader role of education to produce individuals who are reflective, engaged citizens who can find and give meaning to the world. While this is more evident in higher education — more liberal arts programmes, colleges and universities — it will soon filter down to the school level as young people come into teaching with this awareness.

Attitudes: Learner-centered teaching is slowly becoming a practice, driven in the public sector by the overwhelming evidence from studies such as ASER that show that children learn only when the process is engaging and connects with their lived experience, and in the private sector by a more demanding parent community. This has also meant that teachers are more sensitive to the diverse needs of their students. Degrees in education studies offered by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and Azim Premji University, among others, are grooming a new generation of teachers who do not look at teaching as a last-ditch option. Social experiments such as Teach for India, as well as the multitude of NGOs working both in rural areas and among the urban poor, are making an impact on how we think about curriculum and delivery and, most importantly, about the social and political purpose of education — rather than only the economic.

Discourses of inclusion, equity and kindness are finding space and attention in the general conversation about education. Last year saw the release of two films which brought the topic of school education into popular culture — Chalk N Duster and Nil Battey Sannata. Neither was a commercial success, but they did make it into theatres. And that’s a start.

The author teaches at the University of Hyderabad and edits Teacher Plus.

Email: usha.bpgll@gmail.com