School for Joy in Karnataka

BY B. K. Chandrashekar

THE trimester system introduced for schools test the competency of the learner rather than the ability to memorise

"I and my colleagues are convinced that the more pernicious burden is that of non-comprehension... a significant fraction of children who drop out may be.. potentially superior to those who just memorise and do well in examinations, without comprehending very much."

Yashpal Committee Report 1993

This was the typical school scene: Children are so demonstrably joyful and appear liberated while they rush out of school at the end of the day. Why should they celebrate it? Because they have just emerged from another day of repetition, rote learning, teacher-centred delivery of 'facts' and more facts all in the name of education.

All of this drudgery was in aid of 'covering the syllabus' and preparing children to face the final examination. While examination has been an obsession with students, teachers and education administrators, its social context has also been oppressive.

Parents as well as peer groups compare and contrast performance and spur children towards intense competition.

That high voltage pressure on young students is inimical to learning since it works up a siege mentality is generally not acknowledged. From the drone of the classroom to the neurosis of the examination, it is a joyless 'duty' to go through.

I therefore raised a question, as Education Minister, with senior officers, school teachers and renowned Kannada writers who had also been teachers and educational leaders (Dr. U. R. Anantha Murthy, Dr. Chandrashekar Kambar, Prof. S. Settar and others): "Why couldn't Karnataka get out of this uncreative mould?

There was something which could hit anyone in the face, but did not: why should a V standard child write a two and half hour examination, the same duration for MSc, or MA? If so much was determined by an examination, surely we had to reduce its centrality in order to be able to reform the classroom transaction?"

Their response was magnificent. It took 8-10 months of sustained labour by all and the reform was operational in the academic year 2004-05.

The duration (from two and half hours to 90 minutes) as well as content and evaluation are altered; along with core subjects, students will now learn life skills including health education and yoga.

Music and drama introduced in the school curriculum for the first time anywhere in the country will heighten children's sensitivity while providing refreshing change from the rigours of learning science and mathematics.

We decided to bring in the concept of 'trimester' hitherto discussed only in the context of college education. The trimester academic year has three blocks, July-September, October-December and January-March.

The school starts after summer vacation on the June 1 and that month is utilised for recapitulation of concepts learnt earlier, and remedial teaching, if any, identified in the unit tests.

The child learns a part of six subjects in each trimester and is evaluated only for that part. The burden of memorising throughout the year is now unnecessary. The physical load of textbooks would be reduced from the coming academic year since books with an integrated approach in tune with the trimester will be prepared.

One single text book will contain the pre-planned parts of the six subjects and that book alone needs to be carried to school.

The evaluation in the new system will test the competency of the learner rather than the ability to memorise. In core subjects, weightage is ascribed to understanding, application and other skills that are learnt.

In respect of languages, weightage is stipulated to evaluate oral as well as written communication skills. Language competency is assessed also by using non-textual matters like stories, dialogue and other forms. This appears to have helped rural students as indicated in a recent departmental survey.

Marks or weightage against subjects are now converted into three grades - A, B and C, thus doing away with the old categories of first class, ranks, pass and fail. Whoever gets a 'C' grade will be entitled to remedial teaching followed by fresh evaluation.

A just concluded survey of students, teachers and parents of eight districts by the Directorate of State Education, Research and Training (DSERT) revealed that due to testing of competency rather than knowledge and memory alone, scope to express oneself better in project work and oral evaluation, students have exhibited greater interest in attending school.

The three-grade system has also been well received. The survey suggests that while a child may want to work hard to obtain 'A', grading reduces the possibility of unhealthy competition and of parental pressure.

The trimester scheme is alright up to class IX but how does one design and modify evaluation for class X or 'SSLC' which is the only State-level 'public examination' (such an examination for class VII has now been scrapped)?

It was deliberately decided not to go in for full scale introduction of the scheme to SSLC but to change the model of the question paper and opt for a mix of objective type of questions (60 per cent of the paper) and the rest based on textual material.

A book of questions has already been provided by the department to class IX students so that they are familiar about the Class X examination, which will be less strenuous than hitherto.

It is worth mentioning that text books are being thoroughly revised, as in the case of other classes, with emphasis on understanding, analysis and application.

A great deal more needs to be done and gaps filled, teachers assisted with training and material in the coming months. Clearly, a bold and creative journey has started. Can the HRD ministry look at the possibility of replicating the Karnataka model?

(Courtesy - Deccan Herald)