Objectives behind the schoolbag

By Younus Burfi Education system of Pakistan focuses on filling the bags with books instead of filling brains with knowledge. The curriculum is not updated according to the innovations and developments of the world. What do we think about the aims and objectives behind the burden which is carried by the little kids early in the morning? What they are going to be and what they are becoming? Teachers are installing the data into the empty brains without identifying the interest and inner potentials of the students. Secondly, the parents want their kids to become what their parents want. Both parents and teachers don’t realize that what the child wants and what he is going to be? Individual life and decisions of the students are being exploited. Mostly, parents apply their own experiences on their children. If a father failed to achieve any task in his life he wants his son or daughter to achieve that goal, if they don’t do so they are being tortured. What about the child’s interests and individuality? The major objectives behind carrying a bag full of books are to become a doctor, pilot, teacher, psychologist, politician etc. if a child wants to become a philosopher, we I mean the parents force to become a doctor. In this matter the child neither becomes a doctor nor a philosopher because we develop confusion and underestimate the child. Confusion is the dangerous element which we bestow and install in the mind of a child, because confusion develops hesitation and inferiority complexes in a child that leads to perish the child’s individuality and personality. And a confused personality can’t take the decisions independently in his life. Basically what do we need to do? We need to encourage and develop the intrinsic motivation of a child rather than putting a lot of pressure on him. Once we became success to develop motivation in students towards the goal that will be fruitful. In educational institutions there must be a psychologist to assess the student’s capabilities and their interests. Because there are various types of intelligences as social intelligence, numerical intelligence, chemical intelligence, mechanical intelligence, technical intelligence etc. It is not an easy procedure for a teacher to identify the specialties of a student and intelligent quotient (I.Q), it is the matter of a psychologist to identify the areas of interests and students’ intelligence. A teacher can apply the learning styles as visual learning, audio, physical contact and verbal directions. As an experienced teacher and an educationist I realize that teaching is the most difficult field. Because in a school we meet students with different intelligences. Some students are coming from educated families are good at understanding but some are not easy to be tailored. Individual differences are common in students. As a teacher we are putting our efforts and utilizing our skills, knowledge, experiences to accelerate them. When we are talking about the students who are getting education at Government schools we don’t know that they will compete the future challenges. What do I mean to say that? Yes I mean to say that we are recruiting the teachers on the basis of bribe and nepotism. While the selection process we don’t see that either the teacher we are going to appoint is able to teach or not. We grant jobs and making them happy. So how we expect that such teachers will make able the students to achieve the goals behind the bags. As a teacher I am surprised to see the children who come to the school with heavy bags full of books. When I checked a student’s bag I found nine books, nine copies, a rough copy, water bottle and a lunch box. (9+9+1+1+1=21), the bag was consisted of twenty one items and weight was approximately fifteen to twenty kg. What our education system does with the brains? Our education system applies a lot of book material on students and we are trying to fill the empty brains by loading a lot of information. In result the students are trying to deviate themselves from their studies. We need to apply the “Learning by doing” formula, because in this way students are taking interest in learning and they can easily clear their concepts. Mostly, students are not taking interest theoretical process of teaching and feeling a sense of Burden. If a teacher is teaching about a plant, he/she needs to show the plant, roots, leaves, stem practically and explain the process of food preparation. Mostly students cannot identify the plant “Fungi” even the plant is existed in their environment. The teacher has taught them about the plant theoretically but they are unable to identify it. Policy makers, Parents and teachers need to think over the burden carried by the children early in the morning and need take the prudent decisions about the future educational challenges. The writer is a teacher at Army Public School Bunji, Gilgit-Baltistan.]]>