Quality in Education

After a very long time today, I got the opportunity to interact or deliver lecture to young students pursuing a professional course (age 20 and above). It is surely not that the I did not get the opportunity earlier, but it is for the first time that various concerns that needs immediate rethinking, understanding and immediate change, so that we could sustain educational growth and development. If we do not do it now, we may miss the opportunity to bring ourselves out from educational distress. Some of the issues that came to mind, during these interactions, for which I do not foresee right answers are:

1. The classroom: The class environment has not changed. The class of 40+ or more, still expect the faculty to walk in the class and deliver and make them understand even if it is wrong. They can wait with no teachers for days and still they see no problem in it. The classroom is still a place where a so called TEACHER speaks and others NOD. The same routine you will find in all the class on most of the days and in most of the cases. PATHETIC......?

2. Classroom Infrastructures: Classrooms are renovated (is the correct word, the IT setup/ equipments etc) because the new infrastructure still remains a show piece. Reasons are many:-
* faculties are still not comfortable in using the LCD projectors etc in the right way. They avoid using it in.
* The desktop are networked but Internet connections are not provided because of the fear that the Internet can be misused. .... It is a scrap. There are thousand of web tools, applications, reading material, presentations, stories etc...and I doubt even the teaching staff knows it or can use it.

3. Course Curriculum: The updating of the course curriculum is very poor and students generally cram the outdated material to pass exams. In many cases the wrong answers give correct marks as the study material itself is faulty.

4. Teaching Staff: Most of the teachers hired are people who do not get job or do not understand teaching and it effect. These teaching fraternity add no or poor value to the system. But, the Institutes only concern is to see that class is occupied by a so called teacher and training of the teachers is a big joke...

5. Institutions: The institutions have an understanding that their primary job is to admit students, provide token education, conduct exams and issue certificates. The cycle continues.

The questions raised and discussed applies to 90% of the Institutions in India...... I feel that the people who need the education the most are the ones who are affected the most..... I wish quick recovery....:)