When we were children and in school, there was only one school in our village, being managed by the government and catering to the needs of students up to 5th Standard.
Students from nearby villages also came to our school for study. Later, of course, more and more schools have come up, initially till 3rd Standard, subsequently having been upgraded to 5th Standard. In addition to studies, sports and drawing were also emphasized. One teacher was assigned the subject of drawing and performing arts. He taught drawing regularly but trained the students in drama and music mostly during the Annual Function or visit of a supervising officer.
Only on Saturdays, there was morning school, and after recess, sports activities were done for the interested students, while the other students used to leave for home.
There was not much of a change after we reached High School. But drill class was a ‘must’ every week. On Saturday, all the students from 6th Standard to 11th Standard came out to attend a drill class in the field in front of the school. Interested students also joined the NCC by enrolling themselves. There was also a compulsory weekly class on carpentry. Interested students tried to learn the tricks of the trade from a specialist teacher.
There was some change after we reached the college and university level. In the college, there was only provision for NCC and social work. A teacher was assigned the work along with his teaching job. There were no classes on sports, performing arts, and any other extra-curricular activities. But the plus point was that the college and university had both playgrounds and provision for constitution of dramatic associations, with students being elected as office bearers through elections.
During my career as a student from the lower primary to the university level, what I have seen is that most schools and colleges in our area are having space within their premises for playgrounds and stages for cultural programmes.
Recently, while talking to a student, I came to know that he had scored very high marks in school and expected to do so also in college. I wished him well and told him that he was switching over from a comparatively narrower to a broader arena, and accordingly, he had to work hard. Instead of memorizing things to appear at the examination, he had to understand things.
In High School, I used to memorize lessons. But when I entered college, I had to listen to lectures, note them down, and then understand things.
There were meritorious students who had done extremely well in their High School examination but could not do well in college and university. Similar is the case with students who do extremely well in their High School examination and, while talking to the media, speak about their future plans. One wants to be a scientist while the other wants to be an administrative officer. I do not know and cannot even comment on what happened to them in future.
In giving this example, the intention is to apprise students that study is a continuous endeavour and needs constant and hard work, at the same time adapting oneself to the requirement of change at every stage.
One more change is quite noticeable in the present setup of education. In our time, sixty percent of marks was considered to be a very good percentage and came under first division or class. In college, at the Intermediate level, students securing more than sixty percent could get National Merit Scholarship.
But today the situation has changed entirely. Educational institutions have increased in number. The number of students getting admission has always been on the rise. Competition for both admission and jobs has increased. At the same time, the percentage of marks being secured by students has also increased to a considerable extent.
Students securing more than ninety-nine and even cent percent marks in examinations has become common. The situation has come to such an extent that, what to speak of 60 percent, securing even eighty percent or more marks can hardly satisfy the students or their guardians. Students making their faces pale and even committing suicide for securing less than eighty-five percent of marks has become common news during the season.
Securing the highest percentage of marks and grade seems to be the goal of the students of today. Liberal marking may be the main reason for such high scores. I cannot say anything about how marking is done today. But in our time, securing more than ninety or hundred percent marks in literary and related subjects was just next to impossible.
But it was possible in science subjects and mathematics, where errors in language and grammar did not impel the examiner to deduct marks. Anyway, students of today are securing even cent percent marks in all subjects, defying logic. But all this does not seem to have enhanced the quality or standard of present-day education. There is still demand for reforms in certain sectors. There is still unemployment and subsequent dissatisfaction amongst the youth. Then what can we do to enhance the standard of education?
(The views expressed are the writer’s own)
Mr. Prafulla Kumar Majhi,
Retired Asst. Director, A. I. R, is an eminent Scholar and freelance writer in English & Odia. His areas of interests are sociocultural, economic, literary, historical and analytical studies and writings.
Email: airprafulla61@gmail.com
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