Which is a better option.

Some few months ago I had written a article on blog which was on schools. The article's title was "Not a single good school in the state". I happened to read one article in a local news paper which again is on school the existing education system.

I fail to understand why such articles keep coming in the news papers. Education system does need a change, but can any one suggest what is that change!!!!!!!!

I read that article by a principal of R A Poddar school ----------- Avnita Bir. She says that young India being the majority of the Indian population needs good education. Over the time to come the Chineese population will be one of the largest English speeking population in the world. Reason being EDUCATION.

It has been observed that at any stage of life failures are bound to happen. But that courage to go on is what counts. But a child's mind is tender and does not readily accept defeat or failures. Now here parenteral support, a good education value, determination to show the best & of course last but not the least a stable mind will always make a child able to cope up with the pressures of the future.

Most of us must have watched the movie "Tare Zameen Par". This movie highlighted a medical disorder called "DYSLEXIA" which is a learning disorder seen in children. The movie shows that how in the quest of making the child learn, the child is sent to a boarding school out of punishment. Here that child meets a very fun loving drawing teacher -------- Aamir Khan, who learns about his problem & helps overcome it.

But my question is how many problems & in how many children will the teachers be able to catch??? Considering not only medical but also social & other environmental problems which are into existence.

Another question is how many of these so called teachers actually live upto that standards of teaching. How many are approachable. Who are those teachers to whom not only the brightest but even the the so called under privelidged, not so bright students can come up & ask the most silliest doubt.

Now there are many boards existing atleast in Maharashtra, for 10th std. Egs being SSC, CBSC, ICSC etc etc. Things have changed over the years. Trends keep changing. But the pressure remained the same according to the prevailing time. To reduce stress authorities have made different modifications time & again. These modifications were made to reduce stress levels & the number of suicide cases that have increased over the years.

Now comming back to the principal of R A Poddar school ----------- Avnita Bir who suggests about the education reforms brought about by CBSC Board. The recent reform introduced a new system called Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE). The CCE focuses on formative Assessments which ensures that more number of children get accepted & not rejected by the system. These ongoing assessments use multiple tecniques that help in assessing in the learning of a child which would throw up important feedback for the teacher & suitable corrective action be put in place immediately rather than the end of the term. Now my opinion on this are 2.

1st opinion is that its good on that atleast the education system gave the children another chance to improve so that the students can improve & not feel left behind due to failures or less marks. But again the competitive nature decreases & the scope of healthy competition ceases to exist even though its % was anyways very less.

2nd opinion is as mentioned in the above lines that the children are given chance to improve by giving them ongoing assessments. This means they will have to study more & more & more. Its definately good to put extra efforts if the students want improvement in their score system. But I guess again the system forgets a time tested thing i.e. 'All work & no play will make the students dull people'.

Now the SSC board i.e. the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary & Higher Secondary Education came up with some modifications. These modifications are as follows: -

• They firstly stopped giving the so called Bhav to the so called Star Students. I dont understand that how can a teacher differentiate between the students. Students are students & all have the right to the same quality of education so why such a difference.

• Second reform they brought was when the going gets tough, drop the tough. If a students dont feel a subject easy or find a subject hard then they can simply drop it. How convenient. This move was criticized  & the State Education Department came up with 'Best of the Five Scheme'. In the overall % of the student, the paper in which the students have scored the least marks will not be counted. But the percentage would increase for many students but are there that many no. of seats in the junior colleges.

• Third reform was made for those students who found mathematics difficult. They can altogether drop the subject & replace it with computer science, agriculture & handicrafts after standard 8th. Now here my point is that if they had to replace mathematics with some subject then why not give a choice which would help students make a carrier out of it.

• Next reform is for those students who are opting for mathematics. Now students who opt for this option have a choice of General or Tough mathematics. Students who take the tough option would be the people who are probably the students who want to make a career in science. WOW so many options for the students.

• If these options were not enough then one more option for the students. Students who could not clear std 10th could not have a better option then to be allowed to keep terms commonly known by the short form ATKT. Again a wow. How could the system, the so called education system give so many options just in the pretext of saving the students of pressure & reducing suicide cases. If they had to give so many options, they should be made a bit early in their schooling so that the students & parents can think of the future career.

• Obviously when there is too much to write there has to be at least 20 marks for speaking. The viva voce is to judge the understanding of the students.

• Now is the 70 : 30 rule. 70% seats reserved in college for the students in the neighborhood & out of 30% those who hold the merit are also not eligible because of the distance. Obviously this rule was not passed.

• Last but not the least is the 90 : 30 rule. Some education minister reserved college seats in Mumbai, Thane, Virar & Navi Mumbai under the quota system which discriminates the ICSC, CBSC & IB. Again this did not go well with the students. So rule could not be implemented.

So many rules, so much confusion. Can the educationists & the education system please stop confusing the students & come up with such a system which actually reduces their pressure & helps them to stand the pressures of the future. The fact they would not be given any options in their professional career should be thought of. Such systems should be made which are really helpful to the students, making them a responsible citizen of the future.

Lets not forget to let kids remain kids when they are supposed be really kids.