JOIN USEducation isn’t how much you have committed to memory. It is being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don’t. Teachers, parents and institutions involved in education should try to bring about this ability in the students rather than just stuffing them with knowledge. Sadly, education in schools is reduced to marks, percentage, position secured by a child in its class, by none other than parents.
Today most of the schools show the annual exam answer scripts to the parents, so that they can assess their ward’s capability and performance. A glance at the answer scripts gives an idea of the strength and weaknesses of their child; his/her capacity to learn, understand or merely rote and reproduce.
Last month, the results were announced and the annual exam papers were kept open for the parents to see. As a teacher I got to witnessed two very different incidents, the first of which took place on the day the results were announced.
Fourth? Oh no!
A particular child in the fifth grade and who was always among the top three places in class had slid down to the fourth place. This was a big shock and the entire family – mother, sister (student in a higher class) and the child – started crying! Though the child had scored over 90% they were unable to digest the fourth place. The next day when the answer papers were displayed, it was discovered that the teacher had not given one mark for a particular question. The mark duly given, the child’s rank changed. The entire family which had trouped in to see the answer scripts were very happy that this year too the child was within the first three places.
The second incident took place on the same day and it went on like this – a child in seventh grade with illegible handwriting had secured around 75% and had come with the mother to see the answer scripts. The mother patiently went through all the papers and just when we were thinking she might start scolding her child for his marks and handwriting, she started praising him. It seems she had not helped the child in any way before or during the exams and the marks secured by her ward was purely on his own effort. Though she agreed that her son had to improve his handwriting, she was of the opinion that parents must not force their children to always score above 90%, and that learning the concept was more important than scoring marks.
Knowledge vs marks
Two highly contrasting type of parents – one believing that marks and position in the class are the most important criterion in education, while the other believing that knowledge is ultimate aim of education.
Unfortunately for the system of education, I find that most parents belong to or relate to the first category and very few really understand the meaning of education. All parents want their children to be in the first three places. They don’t want to know their child’s capacity to learn, they don’t care whether their child has understood the concepts being taught in the class, all that matters to them is their child’s position in the class and to achieve this the child is made to go through tuitions, abacus, memory enhancing classes and what not.
Most parents are highly educated and they believe it is but natural that their wards have to be the next Edison or Newton. They forget that Edison, Newton and the ilk never fared better in their schools. They do not realise that by forcing their child to constantly excel they are pressurising the child or putting such a heavy load on its shoulder that it is being deprived of all the fun, excitement and adventures of childhood.
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