Infusing Quality into Education

Editorial:-
Education has been billed as a priority focus area for governmental assistance, and ‘quality’ is the new watch word. It is heartening to learn that education, which has for long enjoyed arguably the largest workforce in Sikkim, has also been receiving the attention that is its due for a while now. Delivering quality education will always be a work in progress because improvements can always be made and since learning is an organic process, it cannot be allowed to stagnate because that would impede evolution itself. But we get ahead of the story here. Frontpaged in today’ edition is a report on the government’s redefining of Pre-Primary Levels I and II to align them with national standards. It is clearly a procedural matter which flows down from the Centre to the State, but is still a welcome move because in spelling out specifics in how toddlers need to be initiated into classroom learning, necessary focus is being directed on those all important growing up years which have for long received scant attention from governments. An ambitious National Policy on Early Childhood Care and Education has been structured, but it is still too early to judge whether it can deliver quality standards as aimed, but as mentioned, the attention that quality in the formative years of learning is receiving is welcome.
Let’s look at where Sikkim stands vis a vis school education at present. The density of schools in Sikkim leaves no room for complaint and the free textbooks and uniform scheme of the government ensures that at least the tools required to remain in school are in place. Schemes like the mid-day meal are also pegged as incentives to keep students in school and when delivered with care, are also supplementing the nutritional requirements of growing up years. But these are only tools, and the only effective incentive to keep children in school, or rather, keep them as keen learners, will be the quality of education that is imparted in the classrooms, not the quality of food served during breaks. Enrolment figures are handsome in Sikkim’s schools and kids here can complete education if they so desire. There is the concern over high drop-out rates, but that will require the involvement of more agencies than just a government department alone to redress. What is necessary now is to ensure that schools groom students, not just prepare them to pass their board exams. There is no prescribed set of do’s and don’ts by which this can be achieved, but a good place to begin would be to offer respect and provide inspiration. Respect for the students and their education and inspiration for the teachers and their responsibilities.
There is much in the education system of the country and the State that can be improved, but what is important to bear in mind is to first get everything that is already in place to perform to its potential. When one seeks respect for students, it is with the end result of these children growing up into self-respecting and confident citizens themselves. This possibility is denied them when their school infrastructure is allowed to waste away, when basic amenities like clean toilets and drinking water are either not provided or not maintained, when they are allowed to complete entire terms without adequate delegation of teachers. What is worrying is that is no embarrassment is felt by anyone even when obvious failures such as dangerously poor construction, not enough classrooms, inadequate furniture, missing libraries and short deployment of teachers is played out in public by protesting parents or students. It is obviously because the system does not prioritise respect enough and government officers see themselves as dispensing favours, not public service; a scenario in which people and students are expected to be grateful for whatever they receive. These attitudes need to change if quality is to be imparted in school classrooms. It is fine to lavish teachers with handsome salaries, teacher training is always welcome and with the right attention paid to physically developing and maintaining schools as centres of learning, the inspiration required to revitalise the teaching fraternity will be complete. Once what is possible with the existing infrastructure and resources has been achieved, the loftier aspirations of quality can be targeted. For that final aim, it would be advisable for the policy-makers to set a clear target on what they want government schools in Sikkim to become, then grade the schools so that once efforts to scale up ‘quality’ are rolled out, it is possible to return at regular intervals and measure the achievements. At present, ‘quality’ is a loosely defined and poorly understood term, this will simply not do; it needs to be quantified into measurable terms covering infrastructure, attendance, staffing patterns, co-curricular engagements, community participation, creative outputs etc.