Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

On reforms

The article "The urgency of educational reforms" (June 1) was interesting and thought provoking. Of late, a lot of debate has been taking place on the falling standards of teaching in schools and colleges. A couple of decades ago, teachers were held in high esteem. They were proud of their profession and felt they were responsible to society for imparting quality education. But today, the best brains hardly opt for a career in teaching. In fact, teaching is the last resort for employment for many. This reflects adversely on the quality of education.

S.R. Koushik, Chennai

As one who has worked as a professor for over a decade, I agree that the least has been done with respect to education. As pointed out, the system of examination instils fear and anxiety in the minds of the children. Teachers do not take individual differences of students into account. It is important to pay more attention to teacher training. It is true that the quality of education is the true reflection of the quality of teachers.

G. Rajamohan, Chennai

The National Curriculum Framework 2005 proposed many reforms. One of the far-reaching proposals based on the Yash Pal report was to make the Class 10 board examination optional. If we do away with examinations on the plea that they instil fear and encourage cramming, it will lead to a further decline in the educational standards in schools.

Memory testing rather than conceptual understanding has occupied a prominent place in our examination and evaluation system. The craze for ranks has added to the problem, making learning and teaching a burden. These evils associated with our education ought to be removed, not examinations. Introduction of the no-detention, no-evaluation, and automatic promotion policy will have a telling effect on the educational standards.

S. Govindarajulu, Hyderabad

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