Role of Quality Education in Creating Good Citizenship

Hardev Singh VirkEx-Professor,GND University, Amritsar

Member, IOSS, Chandigarh

Educational Resurgence in Modern-Day Punjab

• Quality education is the most effective tool to empower the present younger generation of Punjab. As a result of the collapse of the Govt-run Education System, especially the school education segment, several private players have jumped into the field. But these unaided, uncontrolled educational institutes started by some of the unscrupulous players have started these ventures not for serving the society in the educational field, but for earning huge profits.

• These institutions, from the schools to the university level, have mushroomed all over the State as a result of the businessman-politician nexus which encourages these institutes to charge exhorbitant fees and appoint sub-standard faculty and exploit this faculty and make do with a sub-standard infrastructure. The schools run by certain religious and social organisations are mainly run by the Government grant-in-aid to the extent of 95% which hinders these organisations to pursue any independent quality-oriented educational programmes, both in terms of admissions and faculty appointments. Thus, there are three main players in education in Punjab:

1) The public sector, govt. schools & colleges, and state-funded universities;

2) Institutes run by religious, social organisations and subsidised by the government; and

3) The purely private, unaided institutions.

• Out of these three segments of education, it is the school segment, more especially the rural school segment, which cries for urgent attention of the socially conscious, intellectually enlightened citizens and socio-religious and non-governmental organisations.

School Surveys and Reports

1.Punjab State Human Rights Organisation Report (19 Jan. 2006) to CM, Punjab.2.Education Development, Public Expenditure and

Financing of Secondary Education in Punjab by Sucha Singh Gill et al. (J. of Educational Planning & Administration, July 2005).

3.Nishkam Sikh Welfare Council Report on Primary Education, New Delhi (2001).

4.Institute of Sikh Studies (IOSS), Chandigarh Report (Oct. 2006). Memorandum submitted to Punjab Govt. by IOSS President.

Some Startling Conclusions

• The data on school results submitted by PHRO report in 2006, mentioned that the results of 79 senior secondary schools for 10th and 10+2 classes was 0%, of 219 similar schools was less than 10%, and of 40 schools 10% for the last 10 years. These results have emerged despite the mass scale copying in these examinations in majority of centers in rural Punjab schools.

• The findings of two studies conducted in Patiala Block III by the Nishkam Sikh Welfare Council (Regd.), New Delhi, were also shocking. A carefully selected sample of 384 students in Class VI from rural and urban secondary schools revealed that only 2% boys and 4% girls passed in Mathematics and only 12% boys and 14% girls qualified in Punjabi.

IOSS Recommendations

Infrastructure A majority of our Schools in rural areas lack the

following basic necessities:-(a) Proper accommodation and furniture.(b) Toilet facilities for both boys and girls.(c) Well equipped Libraries.(d) Laboratories for science subjects.

(e) Computer classrooms. (f) Playing grounds and games equipment.

Curriculum and Examinations The whole system needs to be re-examined with regard to :-

(a) Teaching of science and commerce subjects in rural schools.

(b) Moral education be made a compulsory subject.(c) Selection of one or more models of school education to

cater to different strata of rural population. (d) Imparting of Technical and Vocational Education to enable youth to avail of employment opportunities at par with urban youth. (e) Enhance communication skills, improve teaching of English, Science and Mathematics among students in rural areas. (f) Achievements/results of schools/teachers should be measured in terms of their students achievements.

Structural Changes

(a) Powers / functions of DPIs, DEOs and BPEOs should be well defined for better enforcement of accountability.

(b) Principals, Headmasters and Head Teachers should have full authority and be totally accountable for results.

(c)Duration of postings should be adequate. We recommend a minimum period of 3 years.

(d)Inspection teams and their procedures should be achievable and well defined. This will enable them to enforce higher standards of teaching, discipline and management. They should also be fully accountable for results.

(e) Panchayats / Local bodies should be involved with defined role only to provide an independent feedback on attendance, dedication of teachers, adequacy of facilities and performance of schools.

(f) PSEB should arrange regular training of teachers to upgrade and modernize their teaching ability. Regional centers should run refresher courses at regular intervals. These centers should lay stress on quality teaching and motivational abilities of teachers.

Role of NGOs & NRIs

• NGOs such as the Akal Academy,Baru Sahib (Himachal Pradesh), Nishkam Sikh Welfare Council, New Delhi, Tughalwal Model of School Education at Riarki (Distt Gurdaspur) and various NRIs have done excellent work to improve education facilities in rural areas of Punjab. Our Government needs to dovetail their efforts into a coordinated rural education plan.

Teaching of Science in Punjab Schools: A Critical Survey(1975)

Role of Medium of Instruction

Conclusions of My Survey

• At High School level, 95% students study Science in Punjabi medium but in XI class they shift to English medium resulting in mass failures.

• Laboratory facility is almost non-existent in most of the rural schools. Even in urban schools, Lab work is ignored as all Competitive Tests are conducted on the basis of Theory only.

• Most of the Science Teachers are B.Sc. who got training in English medium. It is an enigma when they start teaching in Punjabi medium.

• Vernacular text books in Science add to the confusion as there is no standard technical glossary available in Indian languages.

• The English medium model and public schools have an advantage over government schools so far as teaching of science is concerned. The survey reveals that they cater largely to the students of “nouveau riche”. Hence their very existence is contradictory to the declared aims of education in a democratic society.

Puran Singh’s Comments (1901)

• “In the cities of Punjab it seemed all life had turned into brick and mortar. The Hindu system of caste had made even the plan of building new houses and new cities miserable. I almost cried amongst these heaps of dead bricks. Nature is crowded out. Sunlight is shutout. There is no free opportunity in the country for genius to shine”.

• “In India the Government official is dreaded like a snake. All things official are suspected. People are afraid and the officials adopt the attitude of vain-glorious bullies”. “So I found in India that humanity is generally brutalized and demoralized by excessive idleness and non-development of material resources. Ethics and aesthetics are but polite arts of the idle rich. The richest houses are hovels, they have no music of love, their hearts are empty, their homes are as living graves. The country is doomed, the people are damned”. “Theological superstitions and communal biases brutalize almost every Indian; even those of great erudition and culture are stuck in the same quagmire. The life in India on the whole is hopelessly inartistic, filthy and barbarous as compared with the life in Japan”.

True Face of India’s Ruling ElitesD R Chaudhry,Reporting in The

Tribune(16 Oct. 2001)

Thank You !!!