Hey.
One stumble into September with the 'Teachers Day' celebrations. Suddenly, everyone is recalling, thanking, and admiring their teachers whom they have pushed away into oblivion for so long. Of course, it is not humanly possible, nor is it requisite, to remember all our 'teachers'.But, it is amusing how one of the most made-fun-of relationships takes centre-stage suddenly!
This is an auspicious opportunity to look at the present day situation regarding education and what it presents to both teachers and learners.
'Education' and issues related to education have never failed to kindle passionate discussions and/or debates. From the feminist struggle for a room of one's own to the Dalit's assertion of the right to education; from a children's right to choose what they want to do to the parents' "I know what's best for you!! because I know the world better than you"; from the teacher/facilitator "You need to listen to me and learn from me. Don't ask questions" to the learner saying "I am the millennial, I use the gadget better than you, and so, Please DO NOT preach"; from news about grumpy, corrupt teachers, fake certificates to the ideal teacher-researchers who light up the learners interest in 'education'; from the ideal notion of 'education' as the requirement of the Soul to 'education' as a means of livelihood, dissatisfactions galore.
As parents, we all go through bouts of anxiety about the system of education. The gaps, the inconsistencies and oppressive systems keep surfacing ever so often. For those committed professionals, there are opportunities to innovate and create a conducive learning space. School education opens up scary chasms-the ever-increasing 'tuition fee', the backbone-breaking school bags that children carry, and the uninspiring classroom learning. Higher Education, with the introduction of the Choice Based Credit System, was supposed to have invigorated the education system. It was meant to encourage knowledge-seeking and equip learners with employability skills. But, like all ideal situations, this one too has its points of nemesis that are greater in number than the positives.
Even as institutions, learners and facilitators were gaining a semblance of order in the credit system, NEP2020 is announced. The NEP does seem to have its heart in its place-especially with school education. Higher education is always a mixed bag as the pressure to match up to the Western standards of education, especially with research opportunities, is intense. That is a matter of concern. Where School education is all about mother tongue and multilingualism, higher education shifts the focus to globalisation and Western academia. Even as a researcher, this was a major concern for me and my batchmates. Many of our (Indian)texts and methodologies don't fit the 'Western research bill' nor do we get the 'approval' of Western research journals. It is an endless struggle for indigenous research and researcher. So, the problem remains intact--the increasing chasm between indigenous methods and Western methods.
Undergraduate programs can make a sure difference in this direction, especially the Humanities and Language Departments. Creating a learner-centric classroom is much more of a necessity than before. It makes learning exciting when it is interdisciplinary, focusing on the complex rather than simplifying.
The millennial learner is very different. One, the millennial learner consciously perceives the 'multi-aspect of the world more often. Two, the millennial learners' access to information is almost at the tip of their fingers-like the snap of the famed Thanos. So, the teacher-facilitator has to negotiate with this millennial whose confidence is doubly equipped with access to the most recent information. So, the acceptance and appreciation of the teacher by today's learners are measured by the knowledge negotiated and the kind of person the teacher-facilitator is. The learner is constantly questioning the teacher-facilitator; the millennial learner is that kind of individual. The young learner displays that kind of demand on the teacher, making the millennial learner a very different kind of personality. However, they do look up to the teacher to learn. In fact, such an interaction presents a beautiful opportunity to negotiate knowledge, epistemologies and cultural ethos that are important. The currently fashionable Webinars have brought the academic world a lot closer, in one part at least. There is nothing more beautiful and exciting than interacting with young, intelligent minds to learn a few more things in the world.
All said and done, finally, what matters is this👇 (pc: cartoonstock.com)
HAPPY TEACHER'S DAY TO ALL MY READERS
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