Educational decline is one of the most-talked-about issues . The discourse about the sector highlights the hindrances towards educational advancement . To remove these, every so often certain measures are taken at governmental level . Such measures, for example, include increasing budgetary funds, establishing new schools, providing basic facilities in schools, efforts for bringing out-of-school children into schools, employing biometric attendance to ensure presence of teachers and so on. These steps may be beneficial in one way or the other. However, there are some educational predicaments, which if not problematised, may hinder the materialisation of qualitative education.
The efforts for educational advancement will derive intended results only when all relevant issues and problems are pinpointed and managed. Most of the time, measures taken for reforming education do not take into account important factors, as some mentioned above, that may despoil the usefulness of such measures. The need is to problematize such issues and take steps for mitigation of their effects. Lowering the teacher-student ratio, enhancing parental involvement in education, working on children’s mind and psychology, and increasing assessment activities in classrooms will surely help in begetting the standardized system of learning
One such predicament is the prevalent high student-teacher ratio in schools. The student-teacher ratio is a crucial indicator of the learning environment in classrooms. The lower the ratio the more conducive he learning environment. Most classrooms in public schools, especially in Sindh province, are over- crowded, having more than 100 students enrolled.
To reduce the number of out-of-school children ,those at the helm , without taking simultaneous correlative measures for alleviation of the probable accompanying effects, have adopted the policy of enrolling more and more children. Thus classrooms have become jam-packed. Such classes have their own issues: teachers find themselves unable to attain the set Standard Learning Objectives (SLO); more of teachers’ time is consumed in maintaining discipline, leaving less for academic work; four to five students are made to sit on a three-seat bench, making it difficult to concentrate on learning; teachers fail to identify each individual’s strengths and weaknesses, and tailor teaching according to their needs ,also they do not find enough time to provide feedback or give time to students needing extra help. On the whole, quantitative classrooms create hindrances for qualitative education . Without problematising the issue and subsequently taking measures for reducing the students’ enrolment to an appropriate level, no appreciable expected change can be brought about.
Another academic matter subjected to less significance is the role of parental involvement in learning. Parental involvement ,as has been proved by many studies, produces positive effects on learning of children and helps in improving their academic grades. Here teachers are thought to be solely responsible for academic performance of students, whereas responsibilities of parents in this context are somehow overlooked. Being an educator , I have witnessed that the relatives of just five to ten students ,in a classroom of 100-plus students , come to inquire about the academic performance of their children .
Others do not even bother to visit the school and meet their children’s teachers. Their disinterest influences the learning of their children . If promoted, the involvement of parents in education can be helpful in diverse ways ; (1) the attendance of students in classrooms will improve when the parents will accompany their children towards school (2) learning outcomes in classrooms will improve when students come to know that their parents are in interaction with their teachers as to inquiring their performance (3) behaviour of students will get reformed when they know that their habits and attitude at school and at home are being monitored by their teachers and parents through interaction between each other (4) the performance of teachers and school administrations will likely improve as they will have to satisfy visiting parents on matters relating to the learning of children. In an attempt to foster learning , one of the most helpful factors is the promotion of the trend of parental involvement in education that is significantly missing.
An important matter also requiring problematization is focusing on prompting educators to try to influence the mentality and disposition of young learners. The learners’ perception of study and education, particular type of habits, indulgence in certain peer groups, and the degree of trust in their own capabilities, are all factors that determine the inclination level of students towards learning. Here, teachers can play a crucial role, that is by trying to reinforce learners’ inclination towards study through moral education and motivation . Educators should consume considerable time in trying to reform the behaviour of students. Teaching students what is right and wrong for them enables them to prevent themselves from becoming prey to such habits or activities that may make them disinclined to study.
Motivating students also forms an important part of the responsibilities of teachers in classrooms. Motivation drives one towards study. The extent of motivation that a learner has, decides how likely he is to embrace learning . It also enables learners to bounce back from poor academic performance.  Teachers should recognise their role as motivators. The need is to instil in students the idea that ‘they can’. Those believing that they have the potential and ability to improve their academic record, and have the realization that through hard work they can attain this, will exert more effort than those believing in the role of intelligence in academic success. Unfortunately in our educational setting, such a role of teachers, as calls for working on the minds of learners to transform their attitude towards education, is deemed less significant. More focus is on teaching academic subjects, but the important responsibility of influencing the thinking faculty of students is less valued and practised .
Assessment is also an invaluable aspect of education requiring prioritised focus. Sadly, it has not been given that importance, particularly in public schools. Teachers remain obsessed with completing the course material, overlooking the level of understanding and learning of students. Their focus remains on pleasing the school administration, by covering more and more topics of the assigned syllabus . The administration on its part, in order to escape the fury of any visiting officer, tries to ensure that in every classroom enough course material remains covered and with this end in view pressurises teachers . In all this , what is lost is the very much needed focus on evaluating the understanding and learning of students.
For students and teachers, education becomes the name of keeping completed the fair notebooks of different subjects and nothing more. Unless the appraisal and assessment of the learning of students in classrooms is sufficiently valued and pursued, the true aim of education, that is enhancing knowledge and skills, cannot be attained. Teachers will be better able to impart knowledge if they are aware of the weaknesses and strengths of their students. And this can be ascertained through conducting assessment activities in classrooms. Remaining focussed on completing the syllabus is a good thing, but at the cost of the time of assessment it is certainly not.
The efforts for educational advancement will derive intended results only when all relevant issues and problems are pinpointed and managed. Most of the time, measures taken for reforming education do not take into account important factors, as some mentioned above, that may despoil the usefulness of such measures. The need is to problematize such issues and take steps for mitigation of their effects. Lowering the teacher-student ratio, enhancing parental involvement in education , working on children’s mind and psychology, and increasing assessment activities in classrooms will surely help in begetting the standardized system of learning.
