Are Education Standards Falling? How Can We Ensure Quality Learning for Students?

Decline in Education Standards

It is sad to see the standard of education going down at all levels. Apart from a handful of institutions that are truly focused on creating leaders, the rest have become warehouses for minting money. No institute is willing to uphold standards that prioritize the students' interests; instead, they have individuals as trainers who lack proper training themselves. The training programs offered by specialists are of subpar quality. Incorporating programs conducted by professionals will help guide students in understanding the true essence of education and their purpose.

Sure, I fully agree that the standard of education is diminishing, but the cost is increasing. I would not touch upon the cost factor, but I can see many reasons why children and teachers are a stressed lot.

Reasons for Stress in Education

A few reasons that come to the top of my mind are: The school management is interested only in achieving 100% results and is not bothered about how teachers deliver education and how students are provided input to develop knowledge. This puts a lot of stress on students, teachers, and further trickles down to parents.

In my knowledge, many schools do not have regular training for trainers programs, which are required for teachers. One way to improve quality is to empower teachers to deliver lessons that instill the real meaning of education and knowledge rather than blindly finishing the lessons in the book.

But who cares? Parents are also to blame since the general mindset is 'paying more money means better quality education.'

Thanks for starting this discussion.

I really appreciate your views, and I also agree with what you pointed out about students and parents being stressed due to the same factor. I am sure cost plays a vital part in increasing stress levels and tensions of parents, but again, what are we doing to decrease the level of stress or tension prevailing in school or at home? This type of development will have adverse effects not only on the work and home environment but also on the psyche of the growing child.

Request for Thoughts

I would like to take this thread forward and request all parents, teachers, and even students to post their thoughts. Let's understand the source of such unwarranted developments in our lives.

Regards,
Ankit Agarwal
Head - Business
Tranquil Minds, SIMHANS

You are right in saying many things, and I fully support you in your thoughts. We certainly have to do something to minimize the effects of stress on children. I recently came across some news: in a random survey conducted in metros to assess the general awareness of students, many are still under the impression that Mahatma Gandhi is alive, and every student seems to know him for his photo that appears on our currency. Not to mention the other great men and women of India and other freedom fighters. This trend is truly disturbing, and if it continues, say, after 20 years, we are likely to lose our standing in the list of knowledgeable and competent nations.

The Role of Teachers in Education

Teachers play a significant role in laying the right foundations for children during their prime time of acquiring knowledge. I believe students should only be provided with information up to a level that corresponds to their age for them to comprehend correctly and, at the same time, develop their analytical and reasoning abilities. I am uncertain if every school follows this practice; at least, I haven't observed it in the school my children attend. I am also unsure if the curriculum by NCERT and others is pitched too high in terms of the information provided, which may exceed the students' understanding levels relative to their age. Regardless of how we analyze and speculate, schools need to establish clear benchmarks when hiring teachers to ensure they impart knowledge and help students build understanding rather than treating them as receptacles of information from textbooks. It appears that the entire issue revolves around the abilities of teachers in delivering education.

Exploring Solutions

I am beginning to question if this is the right forum, as we HR professionals tend to discuss more on management operational matters and less on education delivery issues. However, our expert friends and colleagues can shed some light on this matter using their experience in psychometric tests, talent management techniques, etc., to explore how stress can be alleviated for students, teachers, and ultimately, parents (not to mention school management).

Regards,
Sundar

Another thing is, nowadays, any Tom, Dick, and Harry with a mobile phone, a laptop, and a website claims to be a top trainer, whereas they know ZERO. All they do is blabber nonsense and claim to be motivational management gurus.

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience. This issue relating to stress problems in students is directly related to the HR business. Students in their third or fourth year of studies undergo so much stress that their interview performance lacks confidence and a balance of ideas.

Creating a Sustainable Environment

The step to create a sustainable environment full of confidence and consciousness towards the importance of understanding stress symptoms is crucial not only for students and the education environment but also for employees and the corporate environment. Every now and then, I come across disturbing news of people jumping off the balcony of their office or consuming poison to end their lives just because they are unable to strike a balance between work and life. Due to such circumstances, we are approaching a deadly turn that will compel us to leave this world for good.

I am sure not all people would like to end their lives due to stress, work pressure, or other things, but statistical data is really disturbing. All big IT and non-IT companies have EAP programs and other counseling assistance for their respective employees, yet such drastic measures are taken by employees. It is indeed a matter of global discussion and should not be taken lightly. It clearly shows that either there is a fault in the corporate culture followed by the organization or there is a mismatch between the expectations of the employee and the organization as a whole.

Passing examinations, securing good grades, and being successful in the interview doesn't mean that things are falling into the right place unless your consciousness and determination to stay on top of your game continue. This can only happen once we undergo thorough training on stress management and other influential factors that are directly related to every individual's performance at work or at home.

Regards,
Ankit Agarwal
Head - Business
Tranquil Minds, SIMHANS

Nicely said, Ankit. Your problem analysis is great, particularly the lines below are 100% true in the current context.

[QUOTE=tranquil minds;1746878]

Passing examinations, securing good grades, and being successful in interviews doesn't mean that things are falling into the right place unless your consciousness and determination to stay on top of your game continue. This can only happen once we undergo thorough training on stress management and other influential factors that are directly related to every individual's performance at work or at home.

I am able to see many factors driving stress levels higher. I also understand that parents are pushing schools to deliver more to their children without properly understanding the basics, like the natural capacities of a child to absorb and use information correctly.

I have tried to write the problems we shared as separate points for our friends and colleagues to help us out:

1. Children are stressed because they have to get good percentage marks, but they are not able to relate the concepts correctly in real life using reasoning, despite scoring good marks. Who shall we blame: Parents, Teachers, School management, or the education minister?

2. Teachers are stressed because the management is driving them to achieve results for the school only in numbers to project for the market. Whom to blame: competitiveness in the market, competition between schools, or demand from parents?

3. The management is stressed because they only think to position their school to be no.1 in the market. Knowledge, stress, low confidence levels in children, etc., are low priorities for them. Who shall we blame? Competitive market, economic conditions (inflation, etc.), survival, or demand from parents?

The rising costs are directly proportional to the current economic conditions. This will remain until our economy improves. This is my opinion, but in India, when the price goes up, it never comes down.

But what is the ROI? Are students able to gain knowledge and improve their self-esteem and confidence? Are schools able to provide an environment where students are having the right fun and developing knowledge?

The cases of depression, suicide, etc., are cases of low self-esteem, disappointment, jealousy, anger, fear, etc.

Parents also have the big responsibility of developing many skills for their children—communication, aptitude, perseverance, tolerance, awareness, sensitivity, etc., along with the lessons. Parents should demand these qualities to be developed for their children from schools instead of demanding more from higher-grade texts to be stuffed on children and being insensitive to the child's natural absorption and understanding capacities. For everything, there is a tipping point. A comprehensive stress management program will certainly help. I am looking for more views on how this whole concept of education can be made easier for students without blaming the existing structures.

Regards,
Sundar

The Importance of Prioritizing Children's Future

Very rightly quoted. I must say such discussions, including the future of children, must be made a priority by every parent, teacher, lecturer, and family member.

According to what I have understood, there is no one to be blamed. In fact, we must not blame anyone for any outcome to date. What we require is developing a system that could shift the paradigm from the present concept to new ones.

Let's face it, we are all here to grow. The only difference lies in the conceptual understanding of the word "grow." For many people, growth is termed only as monetary gains, for some, it's sustainable family happiness, and for many others, it might mean something different. Once we all understand the real meaning of growth, only then will we be able to walk in the direction required for the shift in our concepts and basic understanding.

Preparing Students for the Job Market

Students applying for interviews must understand that the information gained in school, college, or university is not the only requirement to secure their first job. Their commitment toward job responsibilities as stated in the JD, their passion toward their true artistic nature, and their determination to succeed in their application for continuous success and a sustainable environment are major requirements at all times.

All the above attributes are already built into our system; we just somehow are unable to find the right key to open the lock. Now, these keys are required to be presented by the educational institutions that are charging tons of gold from parents in exchange for their services.

Nurturing Growth and Development

Children are similar to seeds we plant and wait to germinate. Once they start to germinate, it is the responsibility of the parents and the educational institutions to look after the growth of the plant. If you continue being careless, the results will be as they are now. If you put in just a little effort, a conscious effort, the plant will not take long to grow and transform into a beautiful tree.

Your actions and your conscious effort will not only help the plant become a beautiful tree but also the aftereffects, which will be fantastic. The fruits the tree is going to bear will benefit the whole society. Your small seed, the one you sowed, will be one of the best supporting factors on which our humanity is based: life.

There will be no more suicides, early deaths, and unhappy tormenting times in the lives of people. I am not saying that this will be an overnight work, but it's a start that we are all looking forward to. Maybe consciously, maybe unconsciously, but we all certainly are.

Role of HR in Education and Training

HR(s) come together to start the practice, train the employees who might have been victims of our education culture earlier. They have the strength, they have the determination, they have the will to succeed; what they don't have is the key.

Regards,
Ankit Agarwal
Head - Business
Tranquil Minds, SIMHANS

Let us suspend the HR activity on helping employees cope with office pressures who were victims of educational practices earlier for the time being. We have to find methods to achieve quality standards with existing resources, which are available everywhere. This problem has to be handled at the elementary or high school level itself. A few more thoughts:

1. A stress management program for teachers and parents can also be included, and of course, for children.

2. A comprehensive TOT for teachers, which can include content related to developing reasoning abilities in children, sensitivity, awareness, managing performance in children, helping children to cope with competition, developing self-esteem, leadership traits, etc. In my observation, these words are available in many mission and vision statements but are not fully practiced by many schools.

3. A continuous and comprehensive evaluation (CCE) technique to be administered on teachers to improve them further in bringing effectiveness in their delivery on point 2.

4. More inputs in line with the above.

I have also noticed some children with high self-esteem are enjoying their daily activities with confidence, while children with low self-esteem are at the receiving end, and many of them are not even able to explain their discomfort properly. Our education delivery must treat this as a high priority and try to bring all the students to the same plane.

I look for more thoughts on this subject and would like to concentrate at the school level itself, which I feel is the right point to start.

Regards,

Dear Ravi,

I understand and truly believe that not all people claiming to be trainers know the basics of training. I agree with your point of view that showing off sometimes works for people, but in reality, it can backfire quickly. Let's just say that personality, along with knowledge and updated information, are essential parts of the training procedure. Without concrete fundamentals, a trainer is equivalent to a trainee. Thanks for pointing out another sensitive issue in terms of trainers.

Regards,
Ankit Agarwal
Tranquil Minds, SIMHANS

Beyond Formal Education Event by Tranquil Minds

Tranquil Minds is organizing "Beyond Formal Education" on 15th February 2012. It is a discussion where the heads of institutes will participate. The discussion will begin at 2 pm and end at 5 pm. This discussion aims to help the institutes focus on the career aspects of individual students rather than just preparing them to pass examinations with flying colors. This will certainly be an advantage to organizations' HR when interviewing them for specific positions in the future.

I hope for the best!

Best Regards,
Ankit Agarwal
Head - Business
Tranquil Minds, SIMHANS