Leader Writer: Ksh Sopen
In harmonious with NCERT guideline for holistic approach to education , CBSE and Council of Higher Secondary Education Manipur have declared their respective class X and XII exam results without mentioning the names of the rank holders broadly grouping the students into A1, A2, B1, B2 and so on. This system is known as Cumulative Grade Point Average scoring. This teaching-learning shift has been introduced in India in phase-wise manner so as to make educational activity more enjoyable to the students with a slogan of ‘learning without burden’ irrespective of high graders or low graders. The earlier system only recognises rank holders as students thereby sidelining the low achievers which in turn produce socially disengaged youths and anti-social elements. However, the galaxy of prominent and literary personalities around the world and also in India has are comprised of the low school achievers and average performers. The revised National Curriculum Framework – 2009 opens with a quotation from Rabindranath Tagore’s essay, Civilisation and Progress, in which the poet reminds us that ‘creative spirit’ and ‘generous joy’ are keys in childhood, both of which can be distorted by an unthinking and imaginative adult world.
The holistic approach to education develops students to be critical and confident which aims at making learning more interesting to students as well as to the teachers. It is a process of self-improvement that recognizes the self and the social context of learning and teaching by recognising the needs of the students in the interaction. It recognizes that the exchanges that take place within social action are the foundation for developing critical learning including that of experiential knowledge of learners and teachers to improve the quality of the teaching situation and levels of learners’ achievement. Holistic education is a philosophy that each person finds identity, meaning and purpose in life through connections to the community, to the natural world and to humanitarian values such as compassion and peace. Holistic approach to education aims at calling forth from people an intrinsic reverence for life and a passionate love for learning. Through holistic learning, one will find personal interpretation of the world.
Contrary to the National Curriculum Framework, many private schools of Manipur have been publishing the names of the rank holder students in an advertisement bid to attract students to their respective schools. One can find such advertisements in many local dailies. In the advertisements, the school authorities publish the photos of the rank holders along with the notice of admission opening of their schools. The school authorities never think of the unsuccessful and low grade students. They never express their concerns for such students but a major portion of school income comes from these students. So, customised learning system and necessary academic counselling should be provided to the poor graders. Moreover, the school authorities must give a certain portion of their income to those students whose photos and achievements are used for admission advertisement. In this connection, the concerned students can also claim their share as a right for using their photos and names in the admission advertisement.
On the other hand, the government schools in the state need a magic hand from the government to perform at par with the private schools. In this matter, the management of some selected schools of the existing Manipur govt schools could be transferred to Navodaya Vidyalaya Sangathan or others which have good record of school management. Such school could be run on PPP model but non-residential unlike the residential JNVs as residential schools demand more funds. What is needed is to evolve a new system.
