Chandigarh, Monday, August 17, 1998
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Chandigarh, Monday, August 17, 1998 |
Schools
sans heads |
Govt dithering hits school
working CAMPUS
SCENE: HISAR |
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How good are all-girl schools The first generation of educated women were products of single-sex secondary schools and degree colleges. This was not by choice. It was the social and cultural mandate of a time when sexual segregation was considered only natural. Today girls studying in co-educational secondary schools and colleges outnumber those in all-female educational institutions. Yet girls’ secondary schools and colleges abound. These include quite a few prestigious ones. With the growing acceptance of the co-education concept, governments aren’t usually inclined to open new single-sex secondary schools, unless local conditions specially warrant it. Often the demand for such schools — and the demand stays strong is met by non-governmental educational agencies. As to all-female colleges, not many new ones are coming up. At one time, a state like Rajasthan particularly promoted girls colleges to produce the much-needed women teachers. Do girls studying in single-sex secondary schools and college receive better education than their counterparts in co-educational ones? Does such segregation confer any psychological advantages? The subject has been researched at length by educationists and social scientists. The feminist movement lent it another edge. The debate still goes on as the findings remain inconclusive and experts continue to differ. Many women, who themselves studied in co-educational institutions, keep questioning the benefits of co-education at every level, especially in secondary schools. To them co-education schools are detrimental to the self-esteem of girls; they discourage rather than inspire girls’ achievement, particularly in math and science. Surveys show that, in general the co-education system favours boys and discourage girls . This begins in above fifth grade. Girls could suffer distraction from sexual harassment as well as neglect by sexist teachers who pay more attention to boys. As a consequence, girls who start equal with boys in measured ability, often fall behind their male mates in key areas such as higher-level mathematics and measures of self-esteem. Others argue that both sexes tend to lose interest in math and science as they proceed through school. And the loss of self-esteem is a function of adolescence. Boys suffer too; maybe they make noise to drown out their fears. Actually its the socio-economic status, not sex, that best predicts grades in exams. Yet many parents of girls seem to share the belief that single-sex secondary schools impart better education than co-education ones. Anyway, they want their daughters protected from the attentions of boys. Richer parents particularly prefer to send their daughters to prestigious all-female schools. It is, however, hard to quantify how much of the success of these schools stems from favourable student-teacher ratio, superior facilities and selectivity of students, and how much from the mere absence of male classmates. In addition to assumptions about improved scholastic performance and simpler gender problems, proponents of all-girls schools rely on a motley of social science reports to support the claim that segregation by sex fosters achievement. This is buttressed by the traditional feminist wisdom that the presence of male classmates generally hinders many a girl from achieving her full potential. However some recent studies in the USA do not support the idea. There is no consensus among psychologists as to the existence of psychological or congnitive differences between the sexes in the learning process. The overall effects of co-education are open to question, but evidence that single-sex secondary schools are especially beneficial for girls is scarce. Sexism is surely there in co-education schools but an insidious sort of sexism is seen to operate in all-girls schools, too. For instance, in chemistry classes, undue attention is paid to neatness and cleanliness, as if drawing a parallel between domesticity and chemistry. And there’s often an approach to teaching that assumes a female penchant for “cooperative” learning. Single-sex schools usually tend to encourage female academic achievement but in some subtle ways discourage academic competition with males. Many students of all-girls schools make out they feel less stressed because they don’t have to worry about their appearance in class — just smart on weekdays and pretty on weekends. But then the prospect of being intellectually assertive and sexually appealing simultaneously, everyday of the week, presents its own challenges and growth potential. Indeed, in protecting young women from the attractions and distractions of men, single-sex schools can unwittingly contribute to their sexual objectification. The interaction between the sexes remain primarily romantic, not collegial — and collegiality is crucial to gender equality; the daily experience of boys working with competent, intelligent girl classmates. This does not mean that many women don’t benefit from attending single-sex schools. But it is important to acknowledge that sexual separation in schools doesn’t come cost-free. Indeed, one has to
recognise that in this area individuality plays a crucial
part. Some girl students prosper in single-sex schools
and some benefit more from co-education. |
Schools sans heads FAZILKA: In Faridkot circle of education comprising six districts, more than half of the senior secondary and high schools are without principals and headmasters. An alarmingly high number of posts of lecturer and librarian are also lying vacant in different schools of the education circle consisting of Faridkot, Ferozepore, Bathinda, Moga and Mansa districts besides Fazilka. According to knowledgeable official sources, out of 626 senior secondary and high schools, 353 are without principal and headmasters. These schools are being managed by officiating principals and headmasters. In most of the cases, the vacancies have not been filled ever since upgradation of the schools. Likewise, 478 posts of lecturer are vacant in these half a dozen districts. Out of the total 97 posts of librarians, 34 are lying vacant whereas the posts of librarian have yet to be sanctioned in the remaining senior secondary and high schools. The worst affected is Mansa district. Eightyfive per cent of senior secondary schools and 75 per cent of high schools in this districts are without heads. Out of 22 senior secondary schools, 19 are without principals and 36 out of 47 high schools are without headmasters. Besides, 79 posts of lecturer out of a total of 202 are vacant in this district. In Bathinda district, 29 senior secondary schools out of 44 and 44 high schools out of 86 are without principals and headmasters. As many as 78 posts of lecturers are vacant out of 324 posts in this district. In Moga the home district of Mr Tota Singh, Education Minister, Punjab, the situation is no better. Nineteen of 28 senior secondary school and 25 of 71 high schools are without heads. Here 69 out of 216 posts of lecturers are vacant. In Muktsar, the home district of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, 24 out of 34 senior secondary schools have no principals, whereas 46 out of 70 high schools have no headmasters. Out of 235 posts of lecturer, 69 are lying vacant. In Ferozepore district 30 out of 53 senior secondary and 64 of 112 high schools are without heads. Here 35 per cent posts of lecturer (157 out 441) are vacant. In Faridkot district, which houses the office of the Circle Education Officer, the situation is slightly better as five senior secondary schools out of 18 and 12 high schools out of 41 are with principals and headmasters. Similarly, 26 posts of lecturer are lying vacant out of a total of 159. The main reason attributed to the large number of vacancies is that senior lecturers and teachers have not been promoted as principals and headmasters since long in Punjab. Mr Raj Kishore Kalra, spokesman of Senior Secondary Teachers Union, Punjab, has suggested that the problem can be overcome by promoting senior lecturers and teachers in their existing pay scales. Ironically, the entire
staff of the circle education office at Faridkot is on
deputation for the past more than two years ever-since
its establishment. No regular post for the office has
been sanctioned so far. Moreover, the office does not
have its separate building. It is being run in a portion
of the Inservice Training Centre building of the
Education Department at Faridkot. |
Govt dithering hits school
working A number of posts of teacher, headmaster and principal are lying vacant in rural schools. As many as 44 posts of headmaster and Principal in senior secondary and high schools are yet to be filled through open seniority or the roaster point scheme, for the reserved category teachers. Inquiries from the Education Office reveal that the government is indecisive on the promotion policy due to a conflict between ministers belonging to the general and reserved category. According to a top Education Department official, administrative as well as teaching work is being affected due to these vacant posts. Various problems, like differences among employees, are not being solved. The warring parties in the absence of any administrator, rush to the higher authorities at the block level or district level to redress their grievances. Further, the temporary arrangement made at a number of schools by deputing a senior teacher as the head of the school with ‘DDO’ powers is affecting teaching work. The Samana block area has the highest number of such schools. They are situated in Namly Arno, Binjhal, Kohali, Fatehgarh Channa, Qutbanpur, Tanetha Daftari Wallah, Behar Judge, Nanahera and Chintan Wale villages. The District Education Officer, Mr Kharak Singh says the government will soon take a final decision on the promotion policy of teachers. He says the issue is a sticky one as the general category teachers are opposing the policy of the state and the Union Government which provides promotion to reserved category teachers. The latter on the basis of reservation, get speedy promotions from one post to another while the general category teachers, even if they are ahead in seniority, have to wait much longer. The general category teachers demand that a reserved category teacher should be given benefit of reservation only once in his career and not at each post. Apart from
the problem of vacant posts in high and senior secondary
schools, education work at primary schools is also
suffering to unwillingness of a number of teachers to
work in remote areas. There are 1,150 primary schools in
the district in which 800 posts are lying vacant.
According to officials in the District Education Office,
the posts are vacant in spite of the Punjab
Government’s policy on mandatory three-year
employment in a village by a recruit. However, the policy
is not being followed in toto as the recruits manage to
get a posting in a village near a urban or semi-urban
area. |
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Institutionalised
in-service training HISAR: Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (CCSHAU) has taken a number of initiatives in the field of agriculture extention, research and education. The university has conceived and implemented a unique system of extension education for transfer of technology to its ultimate users through its Directorate of Extension Education. The directorate acts as a bridge between research scientists and farmers and other beneficiaries. The role of the directorate is two-fold — transfer of technologies from scientists to the farmers through field functionaries and to find out field problems. The directorate has been recently entrusted with the pilot project on technology assessment and refinement through the village linkage programme. The main objective of the project is to generate technologies for maintaining high productivity and profitability with ecological sustainability of production systems and to monitor socio-economic impact of technological interventions in different farming situations. * * * * The university is the first in the country to have institutionalised in-service training for teachers and scientists for this it has set up the Academy of Agricultural Research, Education and Management (AAREM). The academy has been established with financial assistance from the World Bank under the Agricultural Human Resource Development Project. It aims at providing regular training to the faculty and staff members through various courses. In a short span of just three years, the AAREM has emerged as a premier training institute in the agricultural system of the country. The courses organised by the academy have attracted participation from different states. So far, it has conducted 32 courses in which more than 800 persons have participated. * * * * The significant achievement made by the university in its mandatory activities has caught the attention of scientists and farm policy planners not only of the country but also of those abroad. As many as five delegations from different countries visited the university in July. The high-level delegations were from Borno State of Nigeria, Michigan State University of the USA, Gombe State of Nigeria and World Bank team comprising Dr Alex McCalla, Director, Rural Development; Ms Dina Umali, an economist, and Dr Saha, an agricultural engineer. * * * * To meet the demand for quality seeds the university, besides producing seed at its own farm, has taken certain initiatives these include extending technical help to seed agencies and undertaking seed production at its outstations. At present the university is producing about 110 quintals of breeders seed and 10,000 quintals of founder’s seed of different crops. But that is not enough to meet the demand of the farmers. In its recent endeavour, the university has reached collaborations with private seed agencies. * * * * The campus schools of the university has introduced computer learning programme from the current academic session. According to Dr Kuldip Singh Dhindas, Vice-Chairman of the school, all students from class IV to class X are being imparted instructions and practical training in computers. For this purpose, the school has acquired 13 Pentium-166 MMX computers with printers. Two trained computer teachers have been hired. Computer enhances the imagination of children and gives them information in an interactive manner, says Prof Dhindsa. Software relating to chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, creative arts, general knowledge and educational games will be soon added which will enable the students to understand and comprehend difficult concepts easily. Dr Dhindsa says the university has already installed a VSAT and has access to Internet. To improve the quality of
education in science subjects, the school has decided to
lay added emphasis on laboratory practicals. For this
purpose, chemicals and equipment worth Rs 2 lakh have
been to the laboratories during the current year. |
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Grim education
scene in Pak March over Jakarta
violence Enterprising
students Internet link for
varsities |
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