The prevalence of poor-quality education in India has led to poor learning outcomes, which have forced children out of the education system, leaving them vulnerable to child labor, violence, and abuse. Even after the development of the New Education Policy 2020, there is still a continuance of classrooms identified by teacher-centered rote learning, discrimination, and corporal punishment.
The progress made by society so far has been incredible, and it is all because of education. Education is the foundation of society; it brings reforms, gives a path for innovation, and helps overall progress. The importance of quality education cannot be underestimated in society. Thus, great leaders have extensively focused on the importance of a civilized society. Because of education, we can explore vast things in this universe and understand the mystery of its existence in atoms.
However, even in the 21st century, some countries still lag in quality education. Learning assessments show that most children in school lack the basics of literacy and numeracy, or the additional skills and knowledge important for their all-round development. Besides, much remains to be done for a child-friendly learning environment that assures all children benefit from inclusive classrooms alongside the availability of sanitation and hygiene, improved water, and midday meal practices.
In India, everyone has a fundamental right to quality education, which helps them acquire basic literacy and numeracy, where they enjoy learning while feeling valued and included, and not fearing it, irrespective of where they come from.
According to the World Bank, a year of school closures owing to the COVID-19 pandemic has deprived children of quality learning. During this period, the government took various initiatives to ensure the continuity of learning for children, yet there was a great lack of quality education.
In this blog, we have particularly focused on the quality of education and how to transform it in India’s school management system.
Understanding Quality Education
According to Educational International, a Belgium-based organization, quality education is defined as education that focuses on the physical, social, mental, emotional, and cognitive development of every student irrespective of their race, ethnicity, gender, status, socioeconomic status, or geographic location. Quality learning in a school management system ensures that a child prepares for life, not just for testing.
In 2012, the United Nations involved ‘Quality Education as a part of their Sustainable Development Goals. Moreover, the modern world is dependent on and influenced by Information and Communication Technology, which has paved a long way in the education system. Educators’ technology help students both at school or higher-level education to prepare for life and attain the best knowledge. Besides, they also help in building individual personalities, teaching morals, values, and ethics for a better upbringing and creating a healthy lifestyle.
As we all know, how technology is changing the outlook of modern education, it has also reconsidered the methods of teaching students. Traditionally, education was more of a monologue, but now teachers encourage students to maintain a smooth flow of communication in and out of classrooms.
The need for leaders and experienced professionals is more now than ever, as they are the ones who can reshape the learning management system in education. To encourage leadership and power to influence the students, it is imperative to redefine the way of teaching practices. Nevertheless, with the advent of new technologies, students are just a click away from gaining endless educational resources.
Initiatives to Reform Quality Education in India
Steps required to reform the quality of education in India do not always mean policy change or a new educational policy. To build quality education, you can follow the below-mentioned initiatives that can change the outlook of Indian education-
· Making the problem visible and working on solving the problem will go a long way in solving issues. Regular assessments help measure learning progress and make current levels of students’ learning visible. India needs to participate in international assessments regularly like Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and Programme for International Student Assessment and third-party assessors like Educational Initiatives and Annual Status on Education Report that encourage periodic feedback.
· Building a systematic and institutional capacity is greatly important. The problem in the educational system is a severe shortage of capacity. A lot of educational goals can be achieved by focusing on two initiatives- the Teacher Eligibility Test and the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation. Strengthening research on learning is the foremost step and the long-term solution to solve the crisis.
· Assuring that at least 80% of children can read and write in any one language by the time they are 9 years old will probably solve 80% of educational problems. Reading helps focus on different areas for both action and measurement. Moreover, developing specialized training programs for teachers on reading skill development and measurement will also go a long way in implementing quality education.
· Changing the goal post by redesigning board exams to test the understanding and learning of children rather than recalling it. The focus of students, teachers, and parents should be on increasing their learning and not gaining more marks. It is not a difficult effort, but it can change the entire education system.
· Investing in educational research and development and upgrading the latest technological tools for students, teachers, and parents will also drive the change we focus on. High quality content, such as intelligent teaching systems and tools, will help students excel in their skills, like developing content in multiple languages or honing their basic skills like reading and writing.
Final Thoughts
The unexpected number of crimes, climate change, drastic economic downfalls, and whatnot have led to expendable changes in societies around the globe. As a result, educationalists are working towards emphasizing quality education and uniting people towards achieving this goal. For this, educational brands like eduTinker are working in different ways to enrich the education of India. To know more about our modern ways of helping the educational industry, visit our website .
