Schooled!

I am penning a few thoughts from my reasonably limited experience in contributing to the schooling process of my child in a secular, unbiased and inclusive school, administered by an unnamed state government in India.

(Leaving out History, Civics and Geography from this discussion for now)

Language education seems to be mostly in place for some languages only. Some gaps are introduced such as a jump start for Hindi making some students learn to avoid studying it altogether. This may exclude them automatically from positions in the future that require fluency in a certain language. A lack of fluency in English for example may be debilitating for a person applying for a job in an international organisation. Vocabulary skills are woefully lacking in every language that is taught almost at every level.

Science texts are extremely watered down. With almost no lab work, as most schools do not have even a rudimentary Science Laboratory, no real expert work can be expected by the school goers in the near future . Since such is the case with reasonably well funded STEM-ed colleges as well here, it follows that an underfunded school is unlikely to be able to garner the funds necessary to create the infrastructure to do so. A solution that has been implemented since a while back is to create common science labs, often funded by local Industry grants and mandatory percentage of profit donations. Sometimes a small expenditure in science toys can also supplement education, but, there seems to be no investment intended towards this, so far.

Mathematics is not taught with any hint of its practical applications in real life. While some basic training in Algebra is necessary to be able to create the building blocks of the brain that can do basic calculations quickly, it is wholly unnecessary to create a system of rote learning that students quickly lose interest in. Especially since other distractions are usually present almost at all times to the young student.

Computers are easily available, but when a 6th grader starts to write Python programs, a qualified Computer Engineer objects and says "this is not the students age to be staring at computer screens!" Also expresses a view such as "What are engineers supposed to do if 6th graders write programs!?"

Any attempt at a "Cultural Education" may get shot down as an attempt at indoctrination as there may be many cultures prevalent in one school classroom at one time.

The focus of schools seems to be towards providing mid-day meals and reducing the weight of bag-packs. A study seems to have done the rounds about how heavier school bags reduce the average adult height! School Lockers should be easy to procure, but since the focus is argument and discussion......it follows that the corollary is that a Zero weight school Bag and no cranial activity would create a "6+ foot barometer".

Gender based policies can be used for just course correction, but like all policies, such need to be "TIME BOUND". A court order may become the law of the land for time to come, and the very winners may one day rue such a permanent policy shift.

Practical Safety Skills such as how to safely cross the road, how to deal with strangers that offer you candy, a ride home from school, basic minimal self defence tricks and tips, and counselling for children and their parents living in undesirable conditions is absolutely required.

Obvious reaction and recommended counselling for behaviour that is considered an "outlier" by civic society is to be expected of the model educator and parent alike.

Clearly, there cannot be a common yardstick for Rural, Urban and Urbane populations.

1. Do apparently useless projects that fill in the students time serve as a preparation for typical modern professional employment where the norm is "Work must expand to fill in the available time."
2. Can "extra classes" compensate for everything that should have been covered in a day school? or do they serve as an overtime creche giving the Parent(s) more time to go gallivanting around town without the kid(s) in tow? Should the child have at most 3, perhaps 5 class sessions outside the school for extra-curricular activities not covered in school?
3. Do the overprotective parents always tend to ruin their children, or is some such protection necessary to guard the sensitive child from potentially destructive trauma at the hands of excessively trained competitive parents and peers of the child?
4. Strange and concerning advanced psychology theories (BIZZARE) are propagated by some members of the board (e.g. Trauma evolves the Child's psyche) (sub 4th grade?) Makes one wonder if someone is covering their tracks or projecting their guilt on an experimental research paper.
5. Are the teachers truly compensated for their efforts to be motivated professionals?
6. Should a parent(s) be deprived of insights into the Child's progress so that an educator's competence, or lack thereof is kept under wraps?
7. Lastly should a parent who wishes to educate his child out of such a system that encourages study of question/answer banks, leaked question scrips and manipulated results (sometimes even swapped results with other students) be discouraged and put in a concerning position to the point of losing guardianship of the child ?