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Aberrations in the education system

In his article ‘Confusion on education front: The system has been fiddled with too many times’ (April 24), SS Johl has pinpointed aberrations that have crept into our education system due to excess of streamlining. Really, this interference has complicated the once simple, equitable, socially responsible and accountable system of school/college education and has become inequitable commercially oriented system that utterly lacks accountability.

The system has been creating a sense of superficiality by allowing students to be promoted to next standard up to Class VIII without assessing their actual capacity to bear the load. Though a large number of them fail to enter the college due to this very reason, the quality of leftovers is not good, which has ultimately started showing its impact on governance. The open schooling and distance system of education has also become the bane of our education. If the quality of education is to be improved, first of all, the government will have to consider compulsorily reverting to the examination system from Class I and board examinations for Class VIII and mandatory board examinations for Classes X and XII.

Secondly, in order to introduce an element of accountability among government school teachers, their grant of annual increment, assured carrier progression (ACP) and promotions to the next higher grade should be linked to the results. Continuous poor result of a class in rural government schools for five years should invite removal of teacher concerned from service. At the same time, the teachers who continuously bring good results should be given special increment and out of turn promotions.

Thirdly, special arrangements should be made in schools for serving the mid-day meal to students and teachers should not be involved in it, so that they cannot make excuse of time wastage. Fourthly, recruitment of teachers should be made on a merit basis and for creating a class of dedicated teachers, aptitude should be properly assessed before admission to the BEd and JBT courses. Fifthly, the rural-urban divide will have to be narrowed down by creating facilities in rural schools on a par with urban schools and should be maintained. Last but not the least, hard and concrete steps are need of the hour before we are lost in statistical jugglery of educated India.

PURAN SINGH, Nilokheri

H KUMAR KAUL, Barnala

Population explosion Prior to Partition, the population of the country was 33 crore. The pace at which it is increasing now is going to affect every field and every person. Everything will be topsy-turvy in everybody’s life. The rising population has nullified all development projects and progress seems to be a things of the past. What is the use of adopting the two-child norm when many families are bearing four to six children? The political parties, as usual busy in self-seeking pursuits, are not taking any steps to check the spectre of a growing population. If thousands of Bangladeshis have infiltrated into the Indian territory, it is because of lack of political will on behalf of our leaders. Rather, our political parties help these potential vote banks by preparing their ration cards and voter cards. The rising incidents of rape are also due to the rising population. THAKUR KALYAN SINGH, Mohali