Nagaland has witnessed another great score of passed percentage of the recently declared HSLC and HSSLC examinations. Quantity has increased. The vicious cycle of securing high marks has become more competitive yet quality is still settled to mediocrity. A question to some students on their next plans of higher education. Most know only the basics as arts, science and commerce stream. When education system is only about listening, writing and grading instead of understanding and applying, then education has failed its mission in creating a niche for skilled and employable future. More than 80% of the passed out students are without knowledge of the course to pursue and ignorant of the needful information outside their academic curriculum.
A similarity in their responses gathered, most students have zero knowledge about digital technology, accounts, e-books, e-paper, Google info or online application. Classroom teaching, assignments has settled to traditional use of pen and paper. One student said, “I use all the social networking sites, apps and games but use only the textbook for notes and assignments. Teachers usually do not encourage”. “On special occasions some resource persons use PPT in the hall,” another said. Further it is not difficult for them to copy assignments or projects from the textbook itself as topics are simple and related. Many schools do not have a library or hardly use the library. A student said, “We are not allowed to freely access the library, or the computer on any common day.”
Most of the HSSLC students choosing the arts stream chose their honour paper from the highest marks secured as it will be less baggage in their graduation course. The obsession for science stream is also no better, aiming to become engineers and doctors. A student securing two distinctions in the HSSLC exams said, he wants to pursue an engineering degree but had no idea what specializations are.
Career guidance is important to nurture students at a young age. The absence of effective career guidance in everyday learning by teachers, parents and elders is observed. Only one among ten teachers sensitize students of the outside knowledge and career opportunities in and outside the state. One student complained of teachers giving more attention to bright students in the class. From time to time, career guidance programmes are held in the school campus but has proved ineffective as in time there is no actual guidance taken place. One student has lauded the YouthNet for the career guidance programme that he indirectly sought direction for a professional course.
One trend in the society is doing what everybody does. “The overload of one stream becomes the shortage of another,” Taking the opportunity, a broadminded student said he wanted to pursue a course in Business and e-commerce outside Nagaland more developed but shares a place of similarity as Nagaland has the potential of building its market in the national and global platform. Un-employability is a bigger issue than unemployment which students of this batch does not feel pressured or are unaware. The ignorance of the students has given them a feeling that government and corruption alone is the cause.
It is imperative that students have knowledge of practical aspects of the subjects taught. We cannot blame the education system solely for such acute problems. Tapping the grassroot activities of teaching, a teacher plays an instrumental role in building an individual. One school teacher who is in the teaching profession for more than 15 years shared that the present complexities of education system is unable to cope up with a huge number of class. For equipping quality education, her ability is confined to 10 students per class for which government schools have the upper hand currently if they are sincere enough on their part.
