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From: "Basilio G Monteiro" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Goanet] The Question of Schooling/Education and the Problem
of Generalization
I followed with some interest the discussion about schooling and
education in Goa. My comments below are general in nature. Almost every country
debates this issue internally; and it is a perennial discussion. The
nature of the subject itself demands a public debate because education since
the days of industrialization has been tied to "professionalization" of the
work place; every age calls for new sets of professional know-how. Among
other drivers, economic development is tied to ever-evolving technology. A
robust, thoughtful, and well-informed debate in a free society is necessary to
keep the educational process ever renewed, and relevant.
COMMENT: We often confuse 'schooling' with 'education'. Mark Twain had some
very strong comments to make about school boards and is on record stating. "I
never let my schooling interfere with my education."
Schooling/Education in Goa is a complex problem (and it is not
different in other countries). There are political, societal, historical as
well as
attitudinal layers. India as a country has a problem of language; with
every State establishing it political sovereignty via the language, it
has enormous consequences for education. In what language does one educate its
citizens? The problem of language in Goa is much more ticklish.
COMMENT; Perhaps it is better to restrict the debate to schooling/teaching.
there are more 'educated' persons outside the school system than within it. I
have seen pregnant teachers stand in an University bus full of Professors and
Doctoral students...and have observed that Std. VIII pass peons offer them a
seat. That's education!
The significance of language issue in India cannot be underestimated.
Through language, one forges his or her own identity. India with many
languages with phenomenally rich literature is confronting a new
economic world driven by English. The situation of Goa is further complicated
because of its peculiar history, and the social attitudes of Goans.
COMMENT" Language is an emotive issue, specailly one's "Mother Tongue". The
scool system need not teach one's mother tongue. that is something we best
learn at home. In the Goa context, English is the best medium of instruction.
Schools are places where one understands, and penetrates into his/her
own culture, history, etc., masters the language, and contributes to the
social, cultural, historical capital/wealth of one's society; at the same time
develop necessary professional skills to function in the prevailing
economy. On this count in Goa, we have a difficult problem.
COMMENT: THAT IS HARDLY THE CASE WITH THE PRESENT DAY SYLLABUS. Even history
is re-written, depending on the party in power. The 'bootleg' dances on the
Cruise boats in the Mandovi River are perhaps more authentic that our history &
civics books.
In Goa, we do not have any systematic data on the issues of education
and schooling. And whatever little is available is terribly unreliable.
Almost everyone deliberates this complex issue solely based on anecdotes, and
experiences in their respective immediate circles.
COMMENT: It may surprise one to find out the extensive data that is available
with the Directorate of Education in Goa. It is another matter that those who
discuss neither obtain the data , nor use it when abailable. All data is made
available for Rs.10/- in 30 days under RTI [Right to Information Act.]. Any
specific data can also be asked as a Question in the Legislative Assembly by
any MLA.
There are some individuals currently, just out of their own interest,
are studying the problem of the drop-out in the southern coast of Goa. I
have been part of this conversation for some time with some folks in Goa.
The work of collecting data continues; however, it has been too slow, and
not well organized, for lack of committed individuals and necessary funds
to do this extensive work.
COMMENT: Why are you folks duplicating a government effort? The "drop out"
data is available with the Directorate of Education. It is now studying the
CAUSES of the drop out.
In a discussion on education in Goa we have to keep in mind that the
curriculum is centralized, and in fact, local schools do not have
leeway to do much on their own. All students in Goa have to pass centralized
exams - X, XII standards. One can debate the merits or demerits of a
centralized curriculum. The teachers are well protected by the local law, and
thus the management of the schools has only persuasion techniques, and
goodwill, at their disposal. There are some wonderful teachers, and equally
there are some, who are treacherous.
COMMENT: Goa is a very small state, and hence there should be no difficulty
in schooling being CENTRALIZED for the purpose of curriculum and examination.
That the Goa Board of Education adopts the National NCERT syllabus for
convenience is a different issue. If we have spineless teachers to represent
the various subjects in the Board of Studies, their convenor will also be
spineless. Spineless Convenors thus make up the ACADEMIC COUNCIL which advises
the Board on the Curriculum and examination pattern. Since the time of Charles
Darwin it is an accepted fact that LIKE BEGETS LIKE....unless it EVOLVES.
Education has not evolved in Goa. It is still basic, inappropriate teaching in
schools.
The Catholic/private schools in Goa, do not have any autonomy of
curriculum, and the management is heavily circumscribed by the regulations of
the Ed. Dept. They have to comply with strict and overbearing guidelines of the
Education Department. A few years ago, the primary education was
shifted to Konkani by a clever Governmental device: you either shift the primary
education to Konkani or lose Government subsidy, which includes salaries to
the teachers. This applied also to the Catholic/Private schools.
COMMENT: This is wholly untrue. Thank God for the rules of the Education Dept
and the Goa Government or the DSE and ABE schools. these two societies are so
badly managed by the 'Church' that they do not even have the Seniority Lists of
the teachers in place, they do not know where and how the vacancies arise and
are to be filled, they need to be pressurized through the Directorate of
Education to give the facilities that are ensured by law. ETHICS AND MORALITY
are conspicuous by their absence. I still have two of my sisters and my wife
working for the DSE. I know exactly how the DSE behaves. The basic problem in
DSE is that it employs many of its clerical and teaching staff based on
'charity' for poor, unemployed, widowed or orphaned persons in need of a job or
relatives of priests and nuns. Efficiency suffers, teaching conditions suffer,
teaching suffers. It is another matter that some teachers work for the sake of
their students, not because of their salaries. One of my
sisters did not get her salary for 14 months on promotion because the
paperwork was not completed before the promotion was made. My wife and six of
her colleagues did not get their TIME BOUND PROMOTIONAL SCALE till they
completed 16 to 19 years of service...although the TBPS was due on completion
of 12 years. This is the level of inefficiency of the clerical staff of the
DSE. Thank God for the Government rules and regulations. Otherwise the DSE
teachers may have been paid with Plenary Indulgencies and a better seat in
Paradise! The DSE has learn to be more Christian and more caring...a tall order
when few intelligent persons actually join priesthood and convents.....and rthe
Society is not open to Lay persons leading it efficiently. If the DSE became
Christ, it would not have multiplied the loaves and fishes...because someone
else..a layperson... had brought them to the mount!
All said and done, as some Goanetters stated, ultimately it is the
family interest in the education of their children, which makes the
difference. It is not necessarily the money or other resources, or the location
of the school by itself (in Goa the given is: city schools are good); in many
cases the teachers make the difference.
COMMENT: Shiksha Niketan in Sangolda, Chubby Cheeks/Green Valley HS in
Pilerne, Holy Family HS on Socorro, Mater Dei HS in Saligao, St. Anthony's in
Monte de Guirim are considered good schools. All of them are in the VILLAGES.
It is trues tha THE TEACHERS DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
If our students in Goa speak bad English, it is not because they are taught
bad English in school, but because these children come to school ALREADY with
badly spoken English from their homes. This is a mind-boggling problem
particularly with the Catholics in Goa. The parents speak bad English with
their children from day one of their lives, and thus ruin their literary lives
forever. Once these children come to school, it is extremely difficult, if not
impossible, to correct their English; as the old saying goes: sun'neachi
xempddi novllen ghatlear legun, kednanch nitt zaina. So, it is with their bad
English.
COMMENT: It is a chicken and egg story, WHICH COMES FIRST the bad English
teacher or the bad English speaking parent. Of course, there is ample
opportunity to correct. We do have Goan students getting selected through
campus interviews for CALL CENTRES in English BPOs. I do language editing for
multi-lateral international donor agencies. All of us are 'educated' in English
in Goa.
"ENTHUSIASM IS THE BOTTOM LINE OF SUCCESS, All the others ar Alibi."
Interestingly, sometime ago, there was a report from people who conduct the
TOEFL exams indicating that students from India have systematically done well
in TOEFL exams compared to students from around the world. I think, we are
confronting a very interesting problem at this time: do we conduct our
education in the language of the country or of the State, or in the
language of the economy? (I think Karnataka was faced with this problem). I
deal with students from all over the world who studied in the language of their
respective country, and now they do their Graduate (Master's) in English
without much difficulty. What is the function of the language in the
formation of the citizen? Should education be assessed only in economic
advantage? Recently, I dealt with four students who did their BA in
Malayalam (Kerala) medium, with very little English at their disposal;
now, within one semester, they are not lagging behind in the class.
COMMENT: That is exactly what I said. Enthusiam, not excuses.
To some extent, our students from various village schools in Goa, have
done well for themselves. Those who do well educationally, move out quietly
or are not involved in the life of the village. This is an interesting
study by itself.
After all, education thrives in a concerted triangle: family, school,
and society. All three have to cooperate and synergize for the good of the
student/child.
COMMENT: One can take the horse to the water, but cannot make it drink.
Today, education has to be STUDENT CENTRIC. The child should be the centre of
the process, not the school ....and not the teachers' job protection. The
student needs a teacher who will motivate it and guide it. the curriculum
should let ythe student explore, not learn by rote. The current system is
blinkered and the jockeys are in the job for want of other professional
avenues. Those who ca, do; those who cannot do , teach. It is the same thing
even in professional colleges. The fustrated persons are often [thankfully, not
Always!] the teachers of the next ten generations of students.
By my own count, which is not final at this point, there
is a preponderance of the drop out of male students (in Catholic population)
in schools in Goa. Among many reasons, one could attribute to the societal
attitude in certain villages. The preponderance of professional/employment
role models, who are seen as "successful," in some villages are of
those "employed in the Gulf or on the ship." Also, given some of our cultural
characteristics in Goa, there is an expectation that man will be the
breadwinners and run the household; therefore a scintillating promise
is awaiting them- Bhotir/Gulfak vodttam mhunnon sanglam. Since this may
happen at any time, and have to be ready to go "tomorrow," these young men
drop out from school with a hope in their chest - may be heart, and wait.many
of them they are waiting for Godot..
Our primary interest as human being is economic "survival." One can
understand why many of these young men do not see that investment in
education does not necessarily translate into good income and seen as
"successful." As long as they remain bitten by the bug of remittance
economy
(where dollar, pound, euro, dirham, dinar translate into many rupees)
they
may have a hard time seeing that investing in one's education is a
worthwhile endeavor.
>From my point of view the education system in Goa, (I say this as
someone who is very knowledgeable of the whole system), is badly politicized,
and has become a battleground for political ideologies, instead of
knowledge. There are some good people running the system, but the
ministers-in-charge of the education portfolio, who come and go, are the least
knowledgeable, and sometimes least interested.
COMMENT: I am not very knowedgeable and know very little of politics.
However, I must say that Luizinho Faleiro's insistence on re-introduction of
English in Std. I in Goa, irrespective of the medium of instruction is
something that five Directors of Education and twice as many Secretaruies of
Education and any number of self appointed educationists caould not achieve
since 1992. Even the Bishop, as head of ABE and Fr. Antimo as head of DSE or
any heads of the Saraswat ant Hindu or Muslim run schools did not even ask for
it...and were very backward to come forward to praise the decision even after
it was delivered. this is a problem of genrealisation. Of course, I am not an
authority on this.
I think, there must be a relentless public discourse on this important
topic of education, in order to keep education and academic formation of our
young people relevant and excellent. However, we need people who are
thoughtful, well informed, and with open mind. After all, no one person has a
solution, as there is no one single solution to the question/problem of
education.
COMMENT:
The former PM of UK, BENJAMIN DISRAELI, once said "T CONCEIVE, I CONCIEVE
AND I CONCEIVE...BUT I BRING FORTH NOTHING." That is what ails discourse in Goa
too. We need action. CHANGE.
Worldwide there is angst about the quality of education. On one side,
the debate is of the value of humanities focusing on critical thinking, and
on the other side on the importance of professional education driven by
specific skills suitable for current economy. Economic transitions put
focus and pressure on educational systems. Education has never ceased to be
apolitical. It is the nature of the beast. However, alert and involved
citizens can tame the political animal in education.
Are there any volunteers to join me to undertake a comprehensive study
of the education outcomes in Goa. Those interested may e-mail me
privately.
Basilio Monteiro ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
COMMENT; There is no need to re-invent the wheel. We need to study how the
wheel works...and make it work for us. If you want to do that, I am with you. A
group of us are already working on lullabys and stories for children in
Konkani...instead of just fueling the script debate in Konkani. An action is
better than a thousan debates.
Mog asundi.
Miguel
Mog asundi,
MIGUEL BRAGANZA, Mhapsa
Horticulturist/Editor/Columnist
Botanical Society of Goa
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