Tag: #education crisis

Education for Development

It’s not possible to predict all future educational issues, or know every detail of the sector’s current situation, but in the process of applying for teacher training some research will go a long way in demonstrating your enthusiasm and impressing potential employers.Recruiters are looking to see how much you’re engaging with current issues and are aware of the challenges that these place on a school. Your answers can reveal if you are genuinely interested in education, schools and the world of teaching.Today, education remains an inaccessible right for millions of children around the world. More than 72 million children of primary education age are not in school and 759 million adults are illiterate and do not have the awareness necessary to improve both their living conditions and those of their children.

You may have a question around recent education trends, current issues or new methodologies in education. In your interview you may be asked to create a presentation on current issues in education or asked a question around current issues in schools and in the media. Relate your answers back to the classroom – start with, ‘when I was in the classroom, I noticed…’ or ‘in the staffroom, I heard teachers talk about…’. Take a look at what other teaching interview questions you may be asked.

For many children who still do not have access to education, it is notable because of persisting inequality and marginalization.

In developing and developed countries alike, children do not have access to basic education because of inequalities that originate in sex, health and cultural identity (ethnic origin, language, religion). These children find themselves on the margins of the education system and do not benefit from learning that is vital to their intellectual and social developmentFactors linked to poverty such as unemployment, illness and the illiteracy of parents, multiply the risk of non-schooling and the drop-out rate of a child by 2.

Undeniably, many children from disadvantaged backgrounds are forced to abandon their education due to health problems related to malnutrition or in order to work and provide support for the family..

Universal primary education is a major issue and a sizeable problem for many states.Many emerging countries do not appropriate the financial resources necessary to create schools, provide schooling materials, nor recruit and train teachers. Funds pledged by the international community are generally not sufficient enough to allow countries to establish an education system for all children.

Equally, a lack of financial resources has an effect on the quality of teaching. Teachers do not benefit from basic teacher training and schools, of which there are not enough, have oversized classes.

This overflow leads to classes where many different educational levels are forced together which does not allow each individual child to benefit from an education adapted to their needs and abilities. As a result, the drop-out rate and education failure remain high.

Why are students from International Boards being welcomed by Indian Universities

The world is facing a learning crisis. While countries have significantly increased access to education, being in school isn’t the same. Crisis will affect generations of students without action to boost teaching. Global learning crisis is costing $129 billion a year 10% of global spending on primary education is being lost on poor quality education that is falling to ensure that students learn. This situation leaves one in for young people in poor countries unable to read a single sentence. International students applying to foreign universities have hit a wall due to this global crisis. The dilemma to continuing with their education in India on waiting for universities abroad is faced by many students who are studying in international board. Many studies explored the challenges and hurdles experienced by international students attending institutions of higher education abroad.

Universities and college campuses are places where students live and study in close proximity to each other. They are also a buzzing cultural hubs where students are brought together from Nations around the world. Recently, the foundations of this unique ecosystem have been impacted significantly by the rapid spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, creating uncertainty regarding the implications for higher education.

One of the biggest concerns for the sector at large is the percentage of international students that make up the domestic higher education markets. This pandemic has resulted in an economic slump globally and parents are becoming conscious of the cost of sending the children abroad. As a result, international school students who would have ideally chosen to apply to universities abroad are now evaluating higher education prospects in their home country.

The question we often ask parents is : if their ward is planning to apply to an Indian university, should they opt for a school that offers curriculum from international boards, or stick to conventional Indian boards.

It is believed that it is highly advisable for parents to enroll their child in an international board as the curriculum is global and the skills amasses will ensure that every student becomes an active learner for life. These programs are brilliantly designed to help students become adaptable, thereby helping students to perform with ease in the Indian education system as well as Internationally.

It is important to understand that a rigorous curriculum ensures that students are challenged effectively to think critically and creatively. These skills along with many others these programmes inculcate, are learning for a lifetime. They are also highly sought after by universities and employers both abroad and within India.

International board follows application based teaching – It is also important at this stage to understand that while many curricula focus on teacher-led methodology, the international curriculum is more about an involved facilitation process, in order to allow the student to develop essential independent thinking skills.

Cambridge international AS and A Level is an in-depth program which helps students develop many core higher-order thinking skills that universities are looking for, such as analysis, evaluation, and synthesis. The program also focuses on building research, innovation, reflection, and communication skills in each student. These I believe are essential for the 21st-century learning and a global citizen.

Students adapting to international curriculum – Let us focus on India for the moment. Many parents were often worried if the process of transferring a child from an international curriculum to our national one is easy. Let me reassure you here that there is a smooth progression for the learners who choose to study at universities in India. These learners from international boards acquire knowledge, skills, and adaptability that enable them to enter, or re-enter the Indian education system, without difficulty as they are well prepared for independent study. All reputed indian universities accept and value international qualifications.
The subject knowledge along with the critical thinking and reasoning skills that the Cambridge International AS and A Level programme grants its students is unparalleled. And this has been of immense help to our students who have moved on to various Indian and international universities to study science, technology, law, design, medicine, management, finance, history, math, psychology, literature, research etc.

The international outcomes allow them to apply to all universities including esteemed organisations such as All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Indian Institute of Technology, National Institute of Design etc.

Many students from Podar International School have over the years successfully found placements in renowned universities. I strongly believe that the skills and knowledge that they amass during their years of international education are significant contributors to them being successful in the field of their choice.

Can mid day meals solve the school education crisis in rural India ?

The roots of the mid day meal program can be traced back to the pre-independence era, when the British administration decided to come up with ways to help disadvantaged children. Today, this scheme seeks to address the following issues – food security, lack of nutritional food in rural areas, and access to education. It is hoped that by providing hot meals to children in lower primary and upper primary classes, more children will be encouraged to attend school regularly.    

Today, in India, 4 percent of the children do not attend school, and 58 percent of the children have not completed primary school. In fact, only 10 percent of the children in India make it to college. This is the education crisis that India is facing today. According to the government, the mid may meal program reaches out to more than 120 million children in over 1 million schools nationwide. However, has the number of children attending school increased over the past few years because of this scheme ?   

In fact, according to a government report, in Bihar, the attendance of children dropped by 9 percent in the last five years and in Madhya Pradesh, the attendance of children dropped from 67 percent to 54.5 percent between 2008 and 2011. And in other states such as Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh, there is an increase in private school enrollment in rural areas over the past five years. This proves that the mid day meal program has not been effective in solving the school education crisis. Despite providing healthy meals for children, there is a significant decline in the enrollment of students in schools in rural areas. On paper, the government has urged schools to provide meals with a minimum of 300 calories for those studying in lower primary classes and meals with a minimum of 700 calories for those studying in upper primary classes.   

The Mid Day Meal is a significant part of the diet of Indian children. The meal is available to all primary and upper primary children (classes 1 to 8) in government schools, government-aided schools and Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS) schools. Two out of three Indian children go to government schools alone (according to the 2011-12 India Human Development Survey). Not every child entitled to the mid-day meal receives it; the survey shows that 82% of children in government schools reported getting a mid-day meal. In all, at least half of all children in classes 1-8 in India get a mid-day meal.

How many children get a mid-day meal ?

For many, the mid-day meal is invaluable. The 2011-12 National Sample Survey (NSS) data shows, 10% of the meals that all primary school-age children (5-9) in rural India receive in a month are from school. The Mid Day Meal’s self-selection works; the poorest children in both rural and urban India get more meals per head from school than richer children, the NSS data shows.

There is evidence that the Mid Day Meal has contributed to the gradual improvement in child malnutrition indicators. The Mid Day Meal scheme explained at least one-tenth of the total reduction in stunting in India in between 206 and 2016, researchers at the International Food Policy Research Institute found. Adolescent girls, now 12-17, who got meals under the Mid Day Meal Scheme in 2004 were taller, they found. The effects on health were multi-generational; children born to young women who had received school meals in 2004 were less likely to be stunted.

Yet, the nutritional value of the meal is far from perfect. On paper, each hot cooked meal is meant to provide a primary school child with 450 calories and 12 grams of protein, and an upper primary child with at least 700 calories and 20 grams of protein. This is often not the case; earlier this year, journalist Pawan Jaisal recorded a government school in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur serving the children rotis and salt only. In 2012-13, 90% of school lunches served to primary school students in Delhi did not meet the energy and protein norms.

This becomes important in the context of general under-nourishment among school-going children. The CNNS shows that the diets of school-age children are highly deficient, and they consume lower than recommended amounts of most healthy foods.

School-age children have deficient diets

The outcomes are evident. 22% of children 5-9 were stunted (low height for age), and 23% were thin (low Body Mass Index for age). 24% of adolescents (age 10-14) were thin. The prevalence of stunting was higher among children who were out of school.

School-going children have significant rates of malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency

For those from richer families, availability of healthy foods is a lesser problem (though it exists) compared to obesity and related non-communicable diseases, which stem from poor nutritional awareness.

However, there is no government body to monitor these schools and ensure that nutritious meals are reaching the students. A survey conducted by the Department of Economic and Statistical Analysis shows that 72 percent of schools do not have kitchens and facilities to cook. So, food would be cooked miles away and transported to the schools. By the time the food reaches these poor children, it would have turned cold. Also, 69 percent of the schools that were surveyed did not have proper eating utensils.     

So, the mid day meal scheme is not a solution to the school education crisis in India. Steps have to be taken by the government to ensure that schools have the proper facilities for cooking. In the last few weeks, there have been incidents of a dead lizard and insecticide being detected in mid day meals. This shows that the government has no mechanism in place to check the quality of food before it is consumed by children. Government schools lack the proper infrastructure for teaching, which is why students prefer to study in private schools. Those who are unable to afford an education in private schools prefer to work because of the horrific conditions of government schools. So, it is time for the government to take responsibility of the education system and provide proper facilities for the welfare of the children in India.