Science’s success is due to the trivial nature of the questions it answers

Number of words: 233 A normal child, left to himself with proper love and guidance, is not immobilized by the fear of failure. He, in finding ways to remain civilized, will naturally ask himself an important question: In what way do I see my own success without hindrance to that of others? His primary problem … Read more

Calcutta’s School for copying in exams!

Number of words: 120 Extract from India today. One enterprising soul, going by the name of Geeta Pal, claims to have set up the Pal Tookli tutorial home at Phulka near Shantipur that specialises in teaching students the art of cheating in an examination. Commuters travelling from Sealdah station at Calcutta recently were handed leaflets … Read more

School is a filter not a dam

Number of words: 448 There is need on part of parents and public to return to the traditional values of the past. With the social sciences occupying centerstage today only because they are capable of empirical proof to a certain degree, we have devalued man, subjecting him to the same evidence that the physical sciences … Read more

Role of Frequent Feedback and Rewards in Academic Progress

Number of words: 225 The programmed school puts an emphasis on the learner rather than the teacher. The learner is kept active by the feedback provided. While it can be quite helpful to the student in the earlier stages it becomes less so later. By omitting sections which have already been mastered, the bright student … Read more

Relative grading does not work

Number of words: 339 Despite certain obvious advantages, competitive examinations, like competitive sport, have destroyed so much that is potentially good and the return to the individual and to society for this loss has been questionable and meagre. If this principle is accepted then the present curriculum will need radical restructuring. The present vocational biased … Read more

Generation gaps and the importance of the adult in the classroom

Number of words: 495 A common complaint in educational circles regarding the non-performance of students in school relates to generation gap. It is difficult to capture the attention of the student today and to persuade him towards the goal, when he is interested towards other fields and when he appears to feel no relevance to … Read more

Small is beautiful in education

Number of words: 145 The present examination system encourages passivity, merely following the orders of instruction without questioning and thus increasing intellectual and emotional dependence rather than self-motivation, curiosity and self-assurance. There is no training for active leadership in occupational environments. Individualism prevents the ordering of responsible attitudes towards others and society. It is thought … Read more

The fallacy of the MCQs

Number of words: 320 The use of objective type and short answer questions answers, doubtless, reduce the importance of language in testing, but whether in the long run they will provide more than the immediate gains of alerting recall and understanding, remains conjectural. That can be moved to multiple choice questions with the test maker … Read more

English Vs Vernacular Medium

Number of words: 263 In India a school is a veritable tower of Babel, with teachers and pupils speaking different languages. The language problem, perhaps more than any other, has been responsible for the confusion and lack of direction and conflict that characterizes the school system. Part of this problem is the question of what … Read more

Challenge for lower class talent when they have to education’s middle class values

Number of words: 369 Middle class children, even as young as three years, talk about their surroundings in a cause and effect fashion, lower class children speak only concretely of their approaches to objects and situations. A role play type of conversation can therefore be very helpful for a slum child to become richer and … Read more