Dr. Asangba Tzüdir
Quality Education is one that nurtures life and facilitates ‘life skills’
Agonizing condition of roads; ‘ghost houses’ called Govt. Offices; deplorable news related to schools; corruption of all sorts unimaginable beyond human comprehension abounds as ‘breaking news.’ The promise for development and a better life has not gone beyond lip service.
Today, our society is crippled by various forms of crisis and the search for a solution out of the present crisis lies with education. This calls for a serious situational reflection that, for a revival of sorts, there is need for quality education that can fully develop and exploit the human resources in transforming lives into productive assets. Quality education demands a quality system that can sustain a lifelong process of self enlightenment which is foundational to comprehend the phenomena of things occurring in our everyday lives, more so, in charting a life encapsulated within value based meanings.
The current system of education in Nagaland is generally perceived as the pursuit of good grades and a ‘pass’ to socially accepted careers. This definitely creates a disillusioned rivalry of scoring the highest marks. Towards this promotion, is a dull and rigid curriculum that seeks to impart basic knowledge in different subjects and areas of study. This lack of flexibility is a stumbling block that closes the door to creativity and innovation and thereby potential skills and talents endowed in the students are not allowed to develop. Quality education is one that seeks to inculcate students with abilities required to develop sustainable live skills and one that is directed at an all round development. This can never develop by rigidly sticking to the written texts which will only result in students accumulating spoon fed knowledge and may not find practical application.
Imparting quality education requires the presence of an intellectually stimulating and interactive environment, resources and facilities so as to implant the desired content that are required for a productive transformation of an individual. Simply bringing in ‘varieties’ associated with learning does not make up for quality education. What is needed is a well researched curriculum that can open up their minds to imagination and broaden their creative and analytical faculties. If education system so designed is not able to communicate with the lived experiences, it will only result in producing mechanized students. A curriculum that is designed to produce quality education should be student-centric so that a student can relate it to oneself and the things happening around the world and beyond. Only an imaginative curriculum can create room for experimental and practical approaches making education and learning more interesting and engaging.
Not only are the students affected by grading but also the schools, colleges and universities. The fulfillment of certain technical criteria’s to acquire the desired grades and accreditation should not be the only defining parameter that makes for a good school, college and university. But for ensuring quality education, it is the curriculum that needs to evolve beyond conventional system which is somehow not pragmatic. Besides, there is an inclination towards easy way learning which does not in any way augur well in preparing for the varied career opportunities in different sectors. The way out is to make every subject more practical, engaging and pleasurable, be it arts; science; commerce or any other allied subjects. A lot depends on how much the curious minds are disturbed.
The present education system is trying to evolve through the incorporation of certain changes and innovative teaching and even in the ways of learning but much more is left wanting in terms of content, beginning with a well researched curriculum that is student centric, practical in its approach and a system of knowledge that is well-balanced, and one that opens the doors towards enlightenment and acquisition of life skills and most importantly, to inject moral values and values that addresses the principles of humanity. After all, what is education without a human face?
Changing scenario around the globe and the level of competition within the question of survival calls for urgent attention in ensuring quality education towards human resource development which tantamount to the progressive growth and holistic development of a society. Human resource development is a huge concept besides its difficulty in reality. And at the heart of the process of human resource development is education. Thus, if our present education system fails to evolve, then the present, and for the times to come, Nagas will be confronted by an unrealized reality of slowly becoming ‘redundant’ beings in today’s fast evolving world.
For the evolution of quality education and thereby, human resource development, there is a lot of learning, unlearning and relearning to do beginning with a holistic redefinition of what makes for quality education.
(Dr. Asangba Tzüdir is Editor of Heritage Publishing House. He contributes a weekly guest editorial to the Morung Express. Comments can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com)
