Public education sector seeks to attract more students with improved academic offerings
By Rayees Ahmad Kumar
Educational institutions across the length and breadth of the valley reopened last month after a hiatus of more than two months. It was indeed a moment of joy and excitement both for the parents as well as their wards who were eagerly waiting to step onto the school premises to appear for their 2nd term exams for the first time in their academic history.
Both at the administrative and institutional level, optimum arrangements were made to welcome the students on the very first day of school reopening. District education officers of some valley-based districts ordered to celebrate the first day as the “day of happiness” to lessen the fear, scare and threat among the students, especially the pre-primary students.
Air-filled balloons were decorated on the school gates, desks, and exam halls were kept ready for the examinees, and sweets and candies were distributed among the learners to give them a newer experience on the opening day of the new March-April session. Children too were thrilled to enjoy the day at school after a long break.
Now, some solid questions that strike the minds of the common masses are – Would the teachers help the students in learning newer concepts and topics in a joyful manner? Would they continue to be vibrant as seen on the reopening day? Would they bring reformation in their art and method of teaching so that their pupils feel pleased? These questions need not be merely answered orally; instead, some concrete steps must be initiated so that the public education sector is the choice of the parents for enrolling their kids.
It can’t be denied that teachers alone can’t bring a revolutionary change in the system; rather, parents, students, and the people at the helm of affairs all have to necessarily work together and play their roles in bringing the desired change in the sector. But a teacher is the main and basic pillar of this sector who can play a significant role in streamlining this system.
Thus, the main responsibility lies on the shoulders of teachers to infuse new life into the functioning of academic institutions. After the arrangements have been finalized by the school authorities regarding holding of term 2nd exams and the commencement of the new academic session, the most important and much-needed initiative is to improve the academic side of students besides launching enrollment drives in every nook and corner of the valley to attract a bigger lot to these educational hubs.
As it is rightly said, a school is like a garden, pupils are its flowers, and teachers its gardeners. So, in the absence of students or a very thin population of students, this garden turns out to be a desert. Thus, keeping this garden ever fragrant, it is of utmost importance to add as many new admissions in your school as possible.
This can be ensured by taking a number of constructive steps for the welfare of our children. Framing a balanced teacher’s timetable in which both the teacher’s interests and their academic background are given due consideration can be helpful in enhancing the learning levels and capabilities of the students. It should be done without consuming much precious time of students who will have a new experience of March-April session. Otherwise, due to lack of consensus among the teaching staff, framing a timetable at times seems a Himalayan big task.
Teachers need to give a cursory look at the contents of the books/subjects which they have been assigned in the timetable, which can help them formulate the strategy both for completion of the syllabus as well as the methodology. Whenever they face any difficulty or get stuck in the content matter of the books, they must exploit the available manpower and other digital sources to feel comfortable as well as for the larger interests of students.
Whenever they face any difficulty or get stuck in the content matter of the books, they must utilize the available manpower and other digital sources to make themselves comfortable, as well as for the larger interests of the students. Being continuously associated with only online learning for the last COVID years, our children have become rude, arrogant, and immoral, and these traits have taken root deep in their behavior. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to build moral values in them, and moral teachings during prayer/morning assembly times can be a better option to make them responsible citizens in the future.
Forcing or pressuring the students for any assignment during academic activity can negatively affect their personality, and sometimes they may become victims of depression as well. Teachers must remember that the children are attending physical classes after a long experience of digital learning, which has harmed them more than benefited them. So every precaution must be taken to make students feel pleased and comfortable in the classroom, which is a prerequisite for their productive learning. The use of negative reinforcement must be discouraged in the post-new academic period in order to expect better results in the future.
Through the new academic session, students must be made to realize that a mere change of session does not affect their studies; rather, fruitful results can be yielded when both teachers and students are concerned about their future, and the teaching-learning process is initiated with vigor and enthusiasm. Students now hardly show any interest in physical activities like games and sports; instead, they spend most of their spare time in online gaming and video watching. This has become a matter of serious concern for both parents and teachers. To bring children out of this menace, it is the prime responsibility and duty of teachers to act promptly in order to prevent them from becoming couch potatoes. To develop a scientific temper, literary taste, and interest in learning among the students, teachers must put efforts in the right direction. Lastly, they must keep in mind that they draw handsome salaries from the state exchequer mainly for teaching and molding the minds of students. This can direct them to act wisely and perform their duties with utmost dedication and zest.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of this newspaper.
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