Some changes in the educational system

Education is to draw the best in children and to develop their faculties. Since
life styles are always changing the contents of education- must also be changed
accordingly.

But in traditional school, the child was supposed to learn mainly the 3R’s . So
the chalk board and the text books were the main stay of the teacher who was to
shape the character of the child. Rote memory was insisted upon and examinations
were based on this learning technique. There was not much of a difference from
year to year on the way children were tested. The examinations conducted did not
test all the faculties of the child. So it was necessary for those who got through
examinations to be trained afterwards. In short, children were very rarely taught to
learn for themselves. This had continued for so long and the practice had to be
abolished.

Today the school is a very complicated organization; the teacher is no longer

the sole arbiter. The children instead of being passive listener, have been made
active participants. They are handling, feeling, planning, creating and learning with
newer tools and aids that the subjectivity has given place to healthy objectivity.

In order to make education relevant and meaningful, children are exposed to

almost life like situations. They must know how to live as good citizens and honest
members of society. The way the school creates situations with these ends in views is
important. The ideal school must be run as a republic, the headmaster or the
principal may preside over the republic, the lecturers serving as counsellors and
councilors, the students being the citizens.

On the intellectual side the library and the laboratory must play a vital role.
They complement and supplement more and more and the use of the library and the
laboratory must be encouraged through proper assignments. The playing field, the
various camps, the many organizations like the Junior Red Cross, Scouting, etc have
to be fully utilized to shape the character of the child. Beside the text books, there
are other aids for learning. They must be judiciously used. In fact, there are
hundreds of ways in which the audio- visual aids can be used with advantage.

Examinations must not be used to show the weakness but must be a yardstick
for providing the all- round education of the student. The questions must be
objective and reliable. The examinations must be welcomed by the students. In
order to satisfy the diverse population there must be diversity in programmes,
approaches, resources and aims and room for experiment. Examinations should be
a challenge for students.

Any system of education must help turn out a fully developed and all-
rounded personality.
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