Zanbeni Humtsoe
(A conversation) Me: Whom do you live with? Student: My father-in-law. Me: (with raised eyebrows) Are you married? Student: No Me: Then, how are you related to your ‘father-in-law’? Student: He is my father’s brother. (Audible laughter could be heard from colleagues at the background).
The fact that the student-respondent was a higher secondary student did not help the situation at all. Besides the obvious amusement that verbal encounter elicited from the ‘more-learned’ listeners, such a conversation highlighted the farce that is our education system.
We boast of a current literacy rate of 79.55 per cent, which is above the national average of 70.04 per cent. Yet, this data is a highly inadequate yardstick to measure Nagaland’s grass root educational scenario.
As per U-DISE (Unified-District Information System of Education) 2014-15 Report, Nagaland’s Net Enrolment Ratio (NER) in higher secondary level plunged to a dismal 17.65, from 40.28 in secondary level. We have the highest drop-out rate in the country. 19.4 per cent of learners drop-out at primary level, while 35.1 per cent drop out at secondary level. What more tangible proof do we need to comprehend the severity of our educational crises?
For decades, our state education department has been the perpetrator, as well as the victim of corruption at all levels. Our politicians and bureaucrats have been emboldened by the magnanimity of fund the department receives from the central government, as well as the size of its manpower. The same corruption trickles down to our school administrators and teachers. This chain of corruption ultimately produces students, who even after thirteen years of formal schooling, cannot distinguish between a father-in-law and a paternal uncle.
To say the least, our current teaching-learning process is tedious and monotonous for both teachers and students. There is no room for children to explore and learn on their own. Teachers are bogged down with lengthy syllabi. Many of our classrooms are jam-packed, leaving no opportunity for the teacher to connect individually with each student. Traditional pedagogy is inadequate to fulfill the needs and desires of our social media generation of students. In an age of technological innovation, we cannot expect to sustain our students’ motivation by merely providing desks, benches and blackboards.
We ought to learn from Finland which has perhaps the best educational system in the world. Finland keeps its politicians and bureaucrats away from education. Hence, educators are free to devise pedagogical methodology that is up-to-date, ensuring that students and teachers alike enjoy the teaching-learning process. Finnish teachers are required to undergo five-year masters’ degree in education with specialization in research and classroom practice. Teacher education is highly research-based. Hence, teachers in Finland are amongst the most trusted and admired professionals.
In contrast, our state government stoops to the lowest level, firing water cannons at teachers who have to ‘demand’ for their hard-earned salary. Our schools lack basic infrastructures. A particular higher secondary school has no library even after 73 years of existence. Middle schools and primary schools do not have office assistants. Playgrounds and attached toilets are far-fetched dreams for our already-stifled students. Staff quarters are virtually non-existent, which is a consequence of the unholy nexus between generations of corrupt politicians, bureaucrats, school administrators and landowners.
The end result of these chains of accumulated failure is the mass production of unskilled, unemployable, and literate yet uneducated citizens.
From November 10-December 10, 2016, The Morung Express will feature a series of ‘Guest Editorials’ every Thursday.
