Prime Minister for paradigm change in education policy

Calling for a paradigm change in the nation’s education policy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said focus should now be shifted from widening the coverage to ensuring quality.

“As we move ahead, we need a clear shift in our strategy from a focus on inputs, access and enrolment to what goes on in the classroom and the school,” he said, noting that poor levels of learning among students remained “a major concern”.

He was addressing teachers, who will receive national awards for their meritorious services from President Pranab Mukherjee here on Wednesday. The prime minister said there was a need to set up “transparent and reliable systems” for tracking attendance of children “in a truly meaningful way”. “At the same time, we need to put in place a system of continuous assessment of the benefit our children are getting from education. Participation of the community and parents would be essential in this process, so that they can be satisfied with the quality of teaching,” he added.

Noting that teachers are critical to the success of government’s endeavours to impart quality education to children, he said: “The empowerment of teachers that includes real opportunity for them to share policy perspectives and decision-making will be the key component of the educational reform process.”

He suggested the teachers to develop in children independence of thought and action and the capacity for taking carefully considered decisions.

“Through you (teachers), our children should also develop sensitivity to the well-being and feelings of others and also the ability to work and participate in the processes of social and economic change,” he added.