FORUM (Spotlight Weekly)

Education For What?

By Ambika Joshee

Education for what? This is the question that should be answered by the top ranking educators of Nepal. The Government of Nepal has been trying seriously to modernize its education system without much success. The current education system of Nepal still has been strongly influenced by our ancient gur kul sikshya. Rote memorization is the rule in our schools. Teachers ask students to memorize materials from certain pages of the textbook and leave the class. This is one factor, but there are various other factors, which are responsible for holding back the education system of Nepal. The first and foremost among them is "Cheating in examinations" which forces me to ask the question "Education for what?"

Our literacy rate is below 40%. Women's literacy rate below 30%. Illiterate parents do not know the real value of education. They often send their children to school just because they have been told to do so. Their dream is to have their children graduate from high school or college and hope to see them land a prestigious government job. For them, there is no difference between educating their children for knowledge or educating them simply to pass the examination. The parents want their children to have the piece of paper that states that they have passed the certain examination. Even though that piece of paper does not guarantee any skill or knowledge, it serves as the "gate pass" to enter government service.

Parents go to school to argue with the teachers if their sons or daughters failed the examination. They do not care about the percentage of the student's attendance at the school. They do not care whether they do their homework or not. Many parents will be happy if their children come home from school a few hours early in order to help them with their house and farm work.

The teachers' job is crucial. They have a set curriculum and prescribed textbook that they have to teach within a school session. They are faulted if they don't complete the prescribed textbook within the year. They have to help the students pass the exam if they didn't complete the text. How can teachers help the students pass the exam without teaching them the prescribed text?

The teachers have a reasonable financial package in comparison to other government employees. Within the last few years the government has made provision for pension for public school teachers. Their salary is on par with government employees. Yet they continue to complain about their salary and benefits. Teaching is a part-time job for most teachers. They have their farms, their shops, tutoring for money at home and various other responsibilities besides teaching at school. Interestingly, private school teachers financial package is considerably lower than government schools teachers.

Besides all the above, every school has to pass certain number of students in their SLC examination. If not, the government may cut the funding that they are receiving. Not being regular, not teaching well at the school, fear of fund cut, who would not help the students to cheat in their examination? That is why the teachers are often at the examination hall and helping the students to copy from the book or from their note book. Sometimes we even see the teacher's writing the answers for the questions on the blackboard so that every student will be able to copy and pass the exam.

"If you don't understand, come to see me at home". You may have heard this statement from math, science and English teacher telling their weaker students. Many math, science and English teachers take tuition classes at home for money. These are major three subjects in which students usually fail in their exams. Some teachers may not be that diligent at the school while they are teaching their students in the classroom. This way they can attract the students at home and charge money for tuition. If they are charging them money for tuition they certainly take the responsibility to help the students in their exam. This is why they help the students to copy in the exam.

In most of our Nepali schools, we don't have semester or terminal exam system. We have only half-yearly and annual exam. Students have to memorize every thing that had been taught for six months or a year for their exam. Homework is very rare and the teachers do not have the time to correct the homework. Even if they correct they do not have the time to explain the problems to the students. Paper writing is not required in schools and colleges. The students do not know how to do research. They do not know how to write a project proposal and how to write a report even after they pass their BA or M. A. examination.

Many schools have at least some science equipment. How many schools use the science equipment that they have? But if you talk to the science teacher, you will always hear them complaining that they do not have science equipment. There are a lot of educational materials or teaching aids that they can make from no cost or low cost materials available locally. Teachers either don't have time to even think about it or they have never seen a test tube during their whole school or college life. How do we expect them to do practical and or experiments in their classes if they have never done one before?

Teachers go to the class and lecture. Students are not encouraged to ask questions in the classroom. They may have not understood what has been taught, but they are afraid to ask questions. Our teaching is mainly teacher-centered not student-centered. Curious students don't get chance to express their curiosity. So when the exam comes, they will just copy from the book.

Students have been habituated from the primary classes to pass the exam by cheating. They are never taught that they are at the school to gain knowledge. The focus has been mainly on passing the exam. It starts from grade one and continues till they will be working for their Master or Ph.D. degree. The style and percentage of cheating will be different as they go in upper grades but cheating will continue. People even hire some one to write their thesis for their Master or Ph.D. degree. We have read the news in newspaper saying that the examinee has been caught in the examination hall while writing the paper for someone else.

The only remedy I can see is to educate the parents and the students. The concept of "Education for knowledge" should begin from grade one. Parents should know that just passing the exam does not do any good but their children should strive for the knowledge. Confidence should be build on the students from grade one that they will have the knowledge to pass the exam if they are regular in the class. Our Educators should think seriously about: "What is the target of the education?" Students should not be taught just to pass the exam but should be trained for certain job. What is the value of the M.D. or MBBS passed student if s/he does not know how to talk to a patient. It is high time that our educators work seriously before they sit down to revise the curriculum and it is high time for our teachers to educate the students and parents about the importance and value of education as well as the difference between "Education to pass the exam" and "Education for knowledge".