A school should be first and foremost a place that spells acceptance. , Photo credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
SChools are not just centers of learning anymore. Why should a student worry about attending classes in school when he can learn the laws of motion from the comfort of his home?
So it is not surprising that dummy schools are popular among so many IIT aspirants. They promise full marks in practical exams of the board to the enrolled students without any physical presence. The relevance of such schools remains only as centers for year-end examinations.
Enrolled students thus attend coaching classes that groom them to master the strategy for answering multiple choice questions. The way the teacher deals with the subject is in a one-sided manner, which robs the subject of its beauty and joy.
Given the popularity of dummy schools, school leaders and policy makers need to rethink the purpose of schools’ existence. Do they need to reinvent themselves to meet the new challenges and changing scenario? What is it that they offer in particular? What are their best practices that justify their existence?
As a school teacher for over two decades, I can say with some conviction that the environment a school nurtures and provides to a young impressionable mind is all that matters. It emerges from the ethos and philosophy of its founders. If the philosophy of the school is to groom the highest number of toppers in the country, it goes without saying that the entire machinery would be focused on this superficial goal. The selection process will weed out anyone who is even slightly off the mark. The teacher will be given some academic autonomy. She will teach or instruct in a machine-like manner with precision. There will be little room for any on-topic or off-topic discussion. Anything beyond the textbook will never be part of a lesson plan. There will be more examination than teaching. Will a kid who is a creative oddball ever thrive in this kind of hyper-competitive environment?
Recently, a person who “successfully” owns and runs a school remarked that they have a policy of rewarding teachers who have the highest number of board exam toppers in their class. What could be more shocking than this?
Imagine teachers competing with each other to get their respective students the highest grades. Imagine what the students who didn’t make the cut must go through in such an environment.
The toxicity and manipulation that adults resort to when competition prevails as a shared experience is a natural consequence of decisions that fall down the drain. The coaching institutes that have made Kota famous (or infamous) are living proof that an ultra-competitive environment dehumanises students. They become marks-scoring machines and the bragging rights of these overcrowded coaching institutes. Is this the ultimate goal of education? Is this good news for a society that is already deeply divided?
For schools to remain relevant, they must realize that children cannot be herded into neat little boxes. The most important role of a school is to provide children with an inclusive, joyful environment. A school should be first and foremost a place that spells acceptance. A place where new teachers are mentored so that the ethos of the school is carefully communicated to them. Students learn best when they have no fear of being ridiculed or judged. When teachers do not politicize students’ shortcomings and misdeeds to hide their incompetence or morally signal to higher authorities, the school becomes a safe place.
It is a place where students share a bond with their teachers that goes beyond the classroom. They learn every day that the freedom to ask questions is a natural right, not a privilege. Teachers use reflective practices and talk about the biases humans hold, including their own. Subjects and subjects are treated as vehicles of inquiry, not just something that must be learned by rote. Scoring high grades doesn’t have to be an all-consuming goal for students and teachers. Students of such schools step into their college life with a sense of purpose and confidence that is a reflection of the faith that their alma mater has reposed in them. They feel free to tinker and experiment with new ideas.
It is therefore up to the school management to actively and systematically promote policies and practices that create an environment of acceptance and inclusiveness. Procedural transparency in the admission process, promotion of staff and allocation of duties is essential. It has been proven time and again that a teacher’s influence can be a game changer in the lives of his/her students. She can make their day with a pat or smile, or ruin their day with a sarcastic remark. His behavior affects his class. He is responsible for the climate of the classroom and is also responsible, at least to some extent, for the interpersonal relationships among his students.
It is, therefore, natural that when teachers are overburdened and treated as the lowest rung in the school hierarchy, the effects are pernicious. Teachers work just to check boxes and keep their jobs. Ultimately, it is the students who are irreversibly affected.
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