CCE 'TO BE' OR 'NOT TO BE'??

 A couple of days back its was in news that CBSE Board is planning to scrap CCE for classes IX & X after the negative feedback it has received from respective stakeholders in education system ie schools, teachers , parents and students.

The question which arises is 'Why' was it introduced in the first place in 2009. Then negative feedback has been coming since its inception...Its five years since then and Board & policy makers are waking up to this so called  negative feedback after such a long sabbatical... Agreed its for the so called good... But what about the students who passed out in these last five years?

CCE was introduced with the intention  to help improve a student’s performance by identifying his/her learning difficulties at regular intervals and employing suitable remedial measures and reduce undue stress of competitiveness. This includes all relevant aspects of personality development of a student to bring the best out of a learner. A continuous evaluation system is adopted to check effectiveness of learning process that includes both the scholastic and co-scholastic aspects of a learner’s growth.

But it just became a mere evaluation/ grading system where ‘Continuous’ has  been translated into just a series of tests or ‘mini examinations’.‘Comprehensive’ has become grading life skills, work education, attitudes, and values through co-curricular activities. 

My only concern is where are we heading with all this? With the way current system is working, our education system has become the latest fad for the policy makers to keep experimenting with the ideologies/ theories on education being floated around the world that catch their fancy. But who is getting affected?

The real problem cannot be addressed with scrapping CCE and bringing in something new or bringing the old Boards back, but it needs to be addressed by first answering a few questions honestly:

1. What is the objective of framing any education policy in India- Is it just to bring in 100% literacy or to create a system that makes the students learn to deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.

2. How are we going to reach the above mentioned objectives- For 100% literacy the current system of education is perfect. Rote methodology and then putting it in paper the way its been for over a century now all over the world.

To create a system where individual is taught how to use his freedom to transform his world then we need  to find a balance on 'how and what' aspects of learning should be evaluated so that we do not end up with another CCE. 

Its time we seriously start thinking to find answers to these questions if we really want to develop an indigenous model of education that would be universal in its appeal and impacts humanity.

Application the Missing Link in Education!

I have always wondered what is the importance of education... Most of the people I have talked to say its important to get a good job...a good materialistic life etc..Well if that was true then all of us would have been living happily ever after after doing MBAs and various other professional courses and having access to all the materialistic pleasures of life..

But on the contrary that does not happen. Ever wondered why??

Well of late I have been working  very closely with schools, teachers and students with respect to our new initiative Dastak- a clarion call by young minds. And thats when, every time  I have interacted with people in this sphere, this pertinent question is coming to my mind, what are we educating our children towards... is it getting cool jobs or is it leading a happy and contented life...

The whole problem lies in the way we are applying our knowledge to build our future. For me its a very superfluous approach. 

Or we have all these years been taught to learn what is written in the books, but have forgotten to understand WHY its there in these books? From WHERE it has come in these pages? WHAT is the importance of this information? Finally HOW will it actually affect me? WHY should I as a student pay even slightest attention to it...

As a kid I was always taught and bombarded with information and advertisements of SAVE WATER!! 

But why should I bother to do it, when I am getting water in my house 24 hours and 20 years down the line I am still getting enough water to enjoy a lavish bath tub bath... So why should I change my attitude towards saving water... why should I be bothered about conserving water.

The answer came to me just a fortnight back when I was preparing a presentation for some 11 school kids  under our flagship program Dastak, on importance of conserving water. I realized its the economic implications, the water wars which will become a reality in next 30-50 years (that's an optimistic view, in fact its happening around ). If you take a closer look at home, we get envious when neighbourhood has water but we don't. It goes forward to cities, one city getting more access to water and holding on to its reserves or withdrawing more water and not releasing for the other. It further gets accentuated when states end up fighting for water (like cauvery water disputes). International boundaries are being breached just to get access to the hydel power and water resources...

But are we really teaching this to our children? Are we helping them find a connect between saving water,water harvesting to how water wars will affect the political and economic conditions of the Nation. Or finally affecting the Human Race...

Is the application based approach not lacking in our so called education system where children are scoring 100% in their senior secondary exams but are unable to connect the importance of saving water with the economic and political implications!!

Are we not losing focus on WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE EDUCATED!!