Education: a debt due from present to future generations.
George Peabody
alright.... its time again for another babbling session.... this time on the nation's education system... have been discussing alot about this while in GP class and i thought i'd share my views.... well i think i'm mostly stating the obvious flaws, which everybody knows but nobody does anything bout them...
firstly, there is the curriculum... hmm, what is there to say, it is ineffective... how do u explain a 17A student failing an entrance exam for a well known university.... it just proves that what we study is just for studying's sake... that is NOT the purpose of education... examples would be of course moral, history, and so on and so forth... well, i fell that so much more can be done to improve this big flaw....
a simple example would be by implementing community service as a compulsory activity instead of moral... what use is blatant memorisation of definitions of moral values when we dont practice them... students get the impression that the meaning of the values are more important than the values itself... we are humans, not robots which need programming... let the students PRACTICE what we are supposed to be taught.... going to orphanages, old folks' homes and the like will help students learn more through experience than they will ever learn in the classroom...
hands-on experience is absolutely vital.... watching an experiment is beneficial, but you have to actually DO it to experience it in full... this will then help you remember and understand the aim and purpose of the experiment... sadly, there are teachers who do not allow students to actually do experiments on their own... or some schools do not even have the facilities to enable hands-on learning to be conducted effectively.... a school as an effective centre for learning MUST have all these facilities... else, it would be redudant.... its almost like a petrol station with no petrol pumps...
as for the teachers, nothing much can be done to them now... why? they are "civil servants" who normally have 100% job security.... putting it in easier terms, they cant be sacked.... so, there are quite a number who are not adequately trained, or just plain lazy.... i myself have come across such teachers.... and what is the WORST thing that can happen to them even after complaints by 100% of students? they get transferred to other schools and bring misery to that new school... in my opinion, teachers should be assessed based on feedback from students, and if necessary, sent for extra training.... courses and such should be very much helpful.... if the teacher is really really bad, i'm sorry but for the sake of the next generation, the teacher has to go....
a teacher has a strong influence on his or her students.... a teacher can make a student love or hate a subject.... this is absolutely true.... having rubbish teachers tend to make students hate a particular subject even though the student might have great interest in it in the past.... good teachers are always needed....
i wont elaborate much on the next point cuz it would just make this post REALLY long.... i think those who know me well would have heard this THOUSANDS of times.... abolish the quota system and use fully merit based systems.... enuf said...
politicians are always put in charge of education departments.... WHY???? why aren't EXPERTS put in charge of the most important thing you can give the next generation.... i dont care if you put politicians in charge of finances, enviroment, roads or even defence.... but EDUCATION? what do they know about education.... politicians mainly want to pander to the public's opinion without actually thinking of the good of the country.... well, most of the time anyway....
how do we solve this staggering problem of big mouthed politicians with their disregard of using their brains? simple, take education out of their hands and put in into hands of the EXPERTS.... set up an INDEPENDANT commision of education to monitor the system within the country... sadly, i dont think the day will come when this will be a reality.... in politics, when you get power, you NEVER want to give it up....
selective education should also be a very good way of helping students.... what i mean by that is that students can choose WHAT they want to study and WHEN they want to study that particular subject... education should be fun... i remember enjoying kindergarten.... it was fun... there were games and fun activities.... why do people always have the foolish notion that the older you grow, the more serious you get? that is so wrong.... EVERYBODY loves to have fun.... if someone enjoys something, don't you think they will remember it? the same goes for education.... if students LOVE what they study, they will DEFINATELY be able to remember and recall what they are supposed to be learning.... they should be given freedom of choosing their own education instead of FORCING something on them.... of course some may argue that young kids dont know what is best for them.... well i agree.... what i said in the last paragraph applies to students of a higher level... lets say 15 yrs and above.... the current system of either having arts or science is not "free enough" a course.... it should be more flexible and more accomodating to students and teachers alike.... the process of learning should be like having fun at a playground, not locked up in a prison....
i have lots more to say on the subject but most of what i want to say is best left unsaid.... haha.... i think some of you will get what i mean.... if you dont, too bad... i belive that education in this country can be greatly improved.... what we need is someone with the guts to do it...
just some food for thought.....
