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If the 83-year-old educationalist bewailed of the present-day educational scenario last time, this time he had certain suggestions to improve the quality of education, especially in government primary schools. “I told you last time that the quality of education in government schools is very poor and so even poor parents withdraw their children from these schools and take them to fee-paid schools. I have certain suggestions to change this situation,” said Titus. “Once, when I went to a school for inspection, I asked a boy, ‘Thambi, whose school is this’. He replied, ‘Government’s’. But I wanted the boy to reply, ‘This is our school’. The feeling of ‘our school’ among pupils and parents will go a long way to improve the conditions of our schools,” Titus says.
Titus says there should not be a rigid curriculum. A rigid curriculum together with bad teaching habits will keep a number of students away from the schools. “Pupils, forced and enticed (by mid-day meals scheme, etc.) into primary schools, soon realise that the curriculum is not suited for them and they want to escape from it.” What Titus wants is a flexible syllabus which covers what is to be taught in a particular region. Thus, the syllabus for Thanjavur, which has an agricultural background, should be different from that for metropolitan Chennai. In the same way, there should not be a uniform syllabus for all students. Each student is different in talent, aptitude, speed of learning, memory power, family background, etc. “It will be a foolish exercise if we try to make all students equal or equally learned.” “ “Classes should be more lively. Children should be allowed to discuss what happens around. For example, a boy, say Raju, is absent in the class. Another boy should be sent to Raju’s house to find out why Raju is absent. Suppose Raju is suffering from chicken pox. The boy, who is sent to Raju’s house comes back and informs the teacher and the class that Raju is suffering from chicken pox. Then there should be a discussion in the class on chicken pox - its cause, remedies, etc. Children should take down notes and question papers can be set solely based on these notes. A child will remember forever all what it has learned in this way. For all these, we need talented and well-trained teachers.” “We should weed out ‘problem teachers’ - teachers who have become corrupt and set bad examples to pupils. We must rehabilitate them in other walks of life less harmful to the future generation.” Titus Let us pay heed to the suggestions of Prof V T Titus, a Malayalee who dedicated his life to the education scenario of Tamil Nadu, both as a teacher and an administrator. Salil Jose Readers' response/inputs can be e-mailed to salil@chennaionline.com.
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One more afternoon with Prof
“Teachers in our schools should not be allowed to go scot-free. There should be somebody to see to it that they teach. It requires more parental role; I mean the need for a supervisory body of parents and other concerned persons,” he says.
A rich man can afford to give tuition to his child while a poor man can’t. The poor man’s son will naturally fail to learn if all children are given the same tough syllabus. So what is needed is this: We should understand the child - its talents, skills intelligence, etc. It will help us give him the attention and schooling most suited for him. And the child will be successful in life,” Titus says.
suggests creation of groups of 10 to 20 neighbouring schools. “There may be excellent teachers in one or two schools. Linking of schools with one another will help the pupils in all the schools utilise these teachers.”
