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by Dr. Uvais Ahamed, Principal Zahira College Colombo

In modern times with the quantum of knowledge increasing very fast, a phenomena sometimes referred to as 'knowledge explosion', the task of a teacher is by no means an easy one whether in the formal or non-formal set up of education.

When we consider the formal set up, a teacher has to function with great responsibility within his classroom. He has a syllabus to cover, an examination to prepare students for and proceeds at a pace based on experience and training and regulated by instant feedback from his class. He needs more resources to help him with his work, to enrich and make more efficient both the teaching and learning situation.

In any teaching/learning situation the most important resource is the teacher. Hence, a teacher necessarily has to be a very resourceful person, well equipped and trained to handle a class of students and deliver knowledge and skills in a manner that would make learning not only possible, but also a very interesting and pleasant experience to the learner. However much resourceful a learner may be he needs help in various forms to make learning possible.

Electronic media has come to stay as a very important teaching resource, but unfortunately it is very much underutilized. Educational Television which is audio visual in nature can include shots of realia, animations, demonstration models, etc., all in one viewing experience and simple audio in the case of educational radio can be produced very effectively using the staff and plant of broadcast production studios.

Although Educational Television Programme is expensive to produce, the cost per pupil benefiting comes down to a remarkably low figure and in most cases it has proved to be an extremely reliable resource especially in the teaching of science and mathematics where skilled teachers are difficult to find.

But very unfortunately the benefits that could be reaped from such resources comes down sharply due to several factors.

(a) Educational broadcasting is in most cases tied to the tyranny of a transmission schedule. The mathematical probability of a topic being broadcast at the precise moment that a teacher needs it in his teaching is infinitesimally small.

(b) A broadcast programme is a linear uninterruptable monologue, which proceeds for about 15 mins. Its structure has to be exceptionally good if human concentration has to be maintained throughout this period. Hence, the programme has to be well planned, producers well trained and the model teachers exceptionally good to counter balance the inadequately trained and resource poor teachers often found teaching these subjects in schools.

(c) It fails to take into account the fundamental symbiotic process by which the Socratic interaction takes place between the teacher and the pupil. This dialogue according to Socrates is of paramount importance for any effective learning. The process by which a teacher's eyes and ears let him know whether his pupils are keeping pace with his exposition of the argument - a split-second-by-split-second monitoring or instantaneous feedback which is the essence of communication.

These factors have resulted in many countries attempting to evolve a system whereby the advantages of educational broadcasts could be maximized through a greater emphasis in the field of utilization. Attempts are being made to resolve this by mechanical devices which can record programmes "off air" and play them or segments of programmes back at the precise moment.

Even the most well planned and well produced Educational TV programmes will be useless if the utilization aspect is not carefully looked at. Hence, the presence of the teacher in the class is of fundamental importance during the time of the broadcast. It has to be understood that the pre-broadcast and post broadcast work by the teacher is as important as the broadcast itself. Teachers have to be trained in the utilization of education broadcasts and it should be part of teacher training programmes in the Colleges of Education.

In the field of non-formal education, mass media has been and still is a major instrument of education forming a significant component of distance and alternative learning systems for various categories of learners. Its role is more significant in the context of situations found in many countries in the region like problems of illiteracy and heavy drop-out rates and also the emergent need to provide greatly increased access to education.

Non-formal education refers to the organised and semi-organised educational activities operating outside the regular structure and routine of the formal system. They cater of both young and old providing them with selected types of learning experiences.

Some non-formal programmes cater to the same learning needs as the schools and in effect are substitutes for formal schooling. The "Second Chance" programme in Thailand, the Radio Correspondence "School equivalency programme" in Kenya, and the Satellite Instructional Television programme in India are examples of such activities.

But non-formal education programmes are generally geared to serve the learning needs of those not catered to by the formal schools. These learning needs relate to health, nutrition, family planning and other requisites for improving family life, to developing good personal character and positive attitudes, to increasing economic productivity, family incomes and employment opportunities, to strengthening local institutions of self help and broadening participation in them.

Most of these programmes are aimed at certain identifiable sub-groups in the local population such as small farmers, craftsmen and entrepreneurs, older girls and women, unemployed out-of-school youth, members and leaders of community organisations such as cooperatives, farmer societies, and local councils. There are also multi-purpose programmes like the Sarvodaya movement in Sri Lanka which serve all sections of the community and a broad spectrum of learning needs.

In several countries both the radio and television according to their availability have demonstrated their appropriateness in the following areas of educational endeavours: (a) as a means to motivate the people to participate in national development; (b) as a major component of non-formal education which provides an alternative approach to the education of out-of-school children, youth and adults; (c) as a direct instructional medium dispensing with the need for an intermediary; (d) as an enrichment of the formal system of education where it can fill instructional gaps, up-date knowledge and bring in new learning experiences; (e) as a training component for teachers and supervisors; and (f) as a means of imparting vocational and professional skills. The writer in his work for the United Nations in the Asia-Pacific region has witnessed over the recent years varying emphasis in the use of the broadcasting media in some of the countries.

In Bangladesh the educational television division while producing curricula based educational programmes also broadcast other motivational and enrichment programmes on a regular basis.

Comprehensive Access to Primary Education (CAPE) successfully carried out in India which aimed at universalization of primary education, extensively used the radio and television to achieve its objectives.

In Japan due to the increasing use of video recorders in schools, the practice of recording "off air" programmes has become the order of the day. The programmes were recorded and used according to the convenience of the schools without being restricted to a transmission schedule.

In Malaysia "radio vision" charts were published and distributed to schools to complement radio programmes, while TV is being extensively used for educational purposes.

In the Maldives the potential of the radio is harnessed in order to extend educational facilities to the remote rural areas. The writer initiated a successful programme on behalf of the Commonwealth Secretariat to train teachers in remote Atoll schools using audio cassette technology.

In Nepal a project was launched to train around 20,000 primary school teachers through the radio since it has been found difficult to provide institutionalized teacher-training facilities in the mountainous regions of the country.

In Pakistan the Allama Iqbal Open University uses both the radio and TV to help their students in far flung areas to understand the content of the printed material provided to them by post, thereby integrating the radio and TV programmes with the text material.

In the Philippines the writer had the opportunity to train the personnel of an interesting Non-Formal educational programme called "Lingap ng Pangulo sa Barangay" which means the Presidents concern for the rural people. It is not concerned with teaching in the academic sense. Its aim is to improve the quality of life, especially in the rural areas, by providing its audience with the tools to get involved in the government development programmes. The radio was extensively used to educate the people.

In the Korean system of "Broadcast and correspondence, High School" instruction was given through radio and instructional TV combined with periodic attendance of students at evening and weekend training sessions in a local high school.

Although educational media is being extended to cover areas outside the structure and routine of the formal system. School broadcasts still remains an important Task. A good example is the Education Media Service project in Malaysia. Some of the objectives spelt out for the project holds good for many other Asian countries as well. They are:

To strengthen the national system by reducing imbalances and improving educational opportunities in rural schools which are handicapped by lack of qualified staff and equipment; to assist in curricula reforms through speedy and effective delivery; to improve survival rates of all levels by motivating pupils through interesting programme materials using developed audio-visual techniques and enabling teachers to devote more time to individual attention in large classes; and to assist in the teaching of subject areas where there is a shortage of trained teachers e.g. science, mathematics, technical and vocational subjects.

(The writer worked as UNESCO Adviser in Educational Media and Non-formal Education in the Asia-Pacific region.)

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