Education is the key towards success for every country. It helps to boost the economy and to generate democratic society in a country. The main resource of any country is Human Resource. If we'll prepare educated human in our society in advance, by providing proper education facilities to our younger generation, then we could move towards the path of success undoubtly.
If we look towards our education system, there are many unveiled reasons behind the de-motivation and poor academic performance of students. Despite a great deal of effort since from the day of independence, academic achievement among students in Pakistan continues to lag behind. No doubt that we are moving towards the successful future, but our education system some how, is hampering the progress of our country.
The results, which we see in matriculation, intermediate and graduation are not up to mark.
The interest in students to achieve quality education is de-motivated in the recent years. The only thing student require, is Certificate/Degree with passing marks.
In the attempt to improve school results, the teacher educators and education counselor are trying their level best to find the roots of poor academic achievement of school students. Educational Psychologist has also developed many tests, to judge and improve the skills of students, but the real cause has not been founded till date, that what makes the student frustrated to back out of education so easily?
Might be it's the fault of Ministry of Education to develop lack of integrated curriculum and wrong dimensional policies or it might be the fault of a teacher, whose teaching style is not appropriate to the age level students they teach, or its the problem of Learning Disability in a child.
Some point the finger at the outrageous homework loads students given by the teachers. Students are overburdened with academic demands of questionable value and, as a result, end up indifferent to studies, exhausted, and worn out.In addition, the heavy loads of books are not worthwhile, until and unless the students are ready to go through it.
Our Curriculum Ministry is trying to develop curriculum according to their own judgments, without keeping in view the taste and level of a student.
The reason for the poor academic achievement could be any out of these .
But the question is, why the student's academic records are more successful in European and American Countries?
The answer is that, they are keen to learn and explore things. No over load of work is given to them nor books load and examination pressure is exerted on them. The books are well integrated too.
The new writers, who want to write curriculum books according to the requirement of students, are never encouraged in our country.
Teachers, even sometimes avoid researching, and teaches whatever is given in the textbook.
The main contributing factors that lead to low learning proficiency of students according to my experience as a teacher are as follows
1. Incomprehension of the Studying Purpose
The main reason why so many students don't feel interested in what they are doing at school is the incomprehension of their studying routine. A vast majority of private and government teachers are not even bothered to explain to their students what the learning outcomes are, why they need to achieve them and how they will be assessed. Mostly Teachers take out their textbooks and start making a wrong impression of rote learning on students, and then evaluate their students without seeing the capabilities of a child. Students are not encouraged to write their own answers. Despite of it, teacher wants their student to copy the same answer in the examination, which they have taught or were made to write.
Thus, the writing and analytical thinking skill gets hamper, for which we can't blame a student.
Student just accomplishes their tasks by command, which needs to be bluntly carried out. Students prepare projects; submit reports etc just to get extra marks, without knowing the purpose of their study.
2. Wrong Assessment Process
Assessment means to evaluate children capabilities, not to judge them.
Assessment in Pakistan is often wrongly intended by teachers as a punishment for students, or traps to catch them out. Grades seem to exist in order to show students' errors, mistakes and drawbacks in the study area, rather than to give students reasonable chance of demonstrating their achievements of specific learning goals. Same five years questions, wrong curriculum development by the ministry of education, changing of the course at the last moment of the end of the year are going on in secondary and higher classes. Assessment should not be based on counting the pages, which a student fills. Rather than this, evaluating system should be changed. Invigilators should be well educated to judge the learning tasks and own input, else the wrong assessment process, which is going on since a long time would create a fearful attitude in students towards assessment.
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