As in other years, the dawn of the New Year sparked a festive mood among millions of school children in the country. Dubbed as the Textbook Festival, it has already become the most enthralling occasion for students at public primary and secondary level educational institutions. They receive new textbooks as per their curriculum and at free of cost. The degree of joy amongst them in receiving new books on the commencement of their new academic year is obviously quite remarkable.
The National Curriculum and Textbook Board under the aegis of the ministry of education have been distributing free textbooks among the public school students since last seven years. Notably, this unique programme has already received global acclamation setting it as a praiseworthy step towards encouraging education for all and lifting the country out of poverty.
It is indeed a stupendous task of facilitating millions of students with free text books and that too, right at the onset of their academic year. As reported, the National Curriculum and Textbook Board has distributed over 333 million books among 4.5 million students of primary, secondary, ebtedayee madrasa and technical schools across the country. According to graphical observations, these numbers are on the upward trend indicating that the enrolment for primary education is getting better every year.
While the concerned authorities should deserve kudos for such a commendable work of enhancing the quantitative level of education, it is time to concentrate on ensuring qualitative factor of it. It is often alleged that the quality of education at all levels - from primary to secondary and beyond, is yet to be up to the mark. In some cases, the allegations even term it as degrading. It is definitely not the volume alone which can serve the purpose of education but the quality as well.
Thanks to efforts like slapping a ban on private coaching centers and guidebooks. These have been the stalking menaces for infusing holistic educational pursuits. Unfortunately there are reports of these practices going on in its usual spate along with the traditional practice of learning by rote. In addition, there has been an emergence of a new menace - question paper leakage. Strong and exemplary punishments are needed to cure these ills to ensure enhancement of quality of education.
It is also noteworthy that efforts are underway to develop interactive digital contents of the curriculum and digital classrooms at primary and secondary education levels. This would definitely help accelerate the pace of efforts for creating time-befitting educational standard. According to researches, visual education drives a four hundred per cent increase in understanding and retention among the learners. However, the digital tools are just intermediaries or transit channels and would need effective piloting by the teachers.
Secondly, there is indeed a deep gap in the skills of the teachers most of whom are still at bay about modern pedagogical methods. Massive efforts are needed to develop the mindset of the teachers at all levels to bring the wind of change in their role. They are the only and most dependable facilitators to ensure quality education.
Teaching and learning are closely supplementary. Both, teachers and students, should be passionately engaged in making the process of education interesting and fruitful based on creativity, intelligence cultivation and fun. Only thereby the smiles of the textbooks receiving children can be fulfilling!
(The writer is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) consultant and a national TV/radio broadcaster.
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