Shiv Kumar Padha
padha.shiv@gmail.com
According to Ravinder nath Tagore, Education is a process of finding ultimate truth and enabling the mind to achieve, inner rather than material wealth. He viewed education as a holistic development that helps individuals live in harmony with nature, culture and the world .A.P.J. Kalam defined education as a powerful tool for positive change, an endless journey through knowledge and enlightenment. For Gandhiji education is the ‘ All round drawing out of the best in child and man mind, body and spirit”. It goes beyond mere literacy and aims for the holistic development of an individual in terms of character building moral and spiritual growth and physical fitness. Key to his philosophy was “Learning by doing” It can be inferred from the definitions given by the educationists and scholars that education is not confined to merely 3Rs or literacy, numeracy and technicacy but it advocates for judicious amalgamation of cognitive (thinking), affective (feeling) and psychomotor (doing) domains of learning these domains categorize learning objectives into mental skills, emotional/attitudinal development and physical/manual skills respectively.
Without commenting on the system and approach of education in vogue at present, I feel it my moral duty to apprise the contemporary generation and the posterity about the system and kind of education prevalent till late seventies in Jammu and Kashmir. Being a septuagenarian, having lived in the era, have much relevant and meaningful information to share with the youth, though they are the part of present system of education in the schools, equipped with good infrastructures and sophisticated electronic gadgets making the education more simple, precise and easy. Instead of going astray from the topic, I feel it worthwhile to highlight the salient features of both the scholastic as well non scholastic aspects of education which fulfilled the aims of objectives of education with the little resources they had in the era.
Non scholastic aspect.After the morning prayers the classes were sent to their, like the present schedule the school day started with the morning prayer comprising of devotional/ patriotic songs and national Anthem followed by hygienic inspection including size of the nails, teeth cleanliness and the condition of the dress born by the students. dress the moral and religious discourses by the teacher and clerics from different religions.
Maintenance, decoration and cleanliness of the class rooms and school complex. The first assignment of the students of the school was to clean their school play ground collectively and dispose the garbage, waste littered in the ground during the school working. The classes and the jute mats were swept by the students themselves and not by any one like the scavengers. To clean the walls of the class rooms, white wash them and decorate them with the charts and the designs on the walls was the concern of the students of every class, To carry and provide drinking water for the students was the moral duty of the students turn by turn. At the weekends or a fortnight the best class award was given the best adjudged class which could be retained till the next class takes it away.
Physical Education, games, PT and march pasts. Under National Discipline scheme NDS every High School was provided with the services of one ex. Army/ BSF/ CRPF Jawan with an exclusive purpose of inculcating sense of discipline, patriotism and manners among the students so that they become assets not liability for the country. This kind of system remained in vogue till late eighties in the state. The PET was so rigorous which could be equated with the newly recruits.
Games and excusrsions. There was provision of fortnightly picnics, morning and evening games for the students under the supervision of the teachers assigned the duty. Mural and intramural games and sports completions were held frequently in order to infuse team spirit and co operation among the students.
In short the system of education being discussed for the era was sufficient to translate all the aims and objectives of education in totality.
Scholastic aspect. Un like the present system of education, being imparted with the help of computers, smart boards, virtual classes and computer assisted instructions, the system and approach in practice up to mid eighties on the scholastic side was purely manual lengthy but comprehensive utilizing the co ordination between head, Hand and heart i.e combination of knowledge, understanding, interpolating, application and psychomotor activities.
Languages. Due to the financial constraints the parents could not afford the copy, pencil holders pens and the stationery to their wards. Up to the primary classes the languages and the mathematics was taught with the use of wooden patti and iron slate with clay pen. These devices could be brought in use after erasing and washing time and again according to the need. The Pattis painted with the lime were written over by the reed pen and ink. These devices were not only cheep and indigenous but helped in improving the hand writings of the students and solving the long and tedious sums like BADMAs, algebraic equations and sums on profit and loss and simple and compound interest. This helped in fixing the concepts in the minds of small children once for all. The students were trained in writing on spot essays on any topic. In order to correct their languages they were given dictations and practice in calligraphy.
Mathematics and the Geometry. The students could recognize and draw differentiate between different diagrams and shapes.. They could construct all kinds of triangles, circles, draw tangents, squares, rectangles trapeziums, rhombuses, draw perpendiculars etc. with the help of Geometry boxes used and must for every student to keep. The student could erase any sum they felt wrong with the eraser and reuse the page many times..
Sciences. The students could frame chemical formulas, physics formulas, fit the apparatuses, bend the delivery tubes themselves and carry on their science practical’s with a limited apparatus available in schools.
In short we cannot say that the system of education in vogue ti;ll late eighties was inferior or less affective in comparison to the modern one. It will not be an exaggeration if I call the previous system of education an ideal one and not second to any rather it has always an edge over the so called modern system where there is no scope of using on’s faculties. It is said the education received through five gate of senses ie. Touch, hearing , speach, sight and sense of smell remains permanently in the minds throughout their lives. The main hurdle in inculcating a sense of dignity of labour among the students is the fear of the fake social media which blackmail the school authorities on the matter of the labour of the children which they do in their classs rooms and within school complexes.
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