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St. Philomena Convent High School is situated at Nashik Road. The school is managed by the congregation of the Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. The school building faces a national highway. One may comment that the site is aptly situated. The school has a huge play ground just in front of the school building. It is a three floor building and sufficiently spacey for the students to move about during the recesses. The school too has watch men who help control the coming in and going out of the students. On a whole one gets a positive feeling on visiting the school campus. There are also lot of trees and greenery around the school campus. The paper that I have undertaken to write is basically a study on, whether the curriculum of the school offers is beneficial to the students in achieving their goals aims in life. My analyses will be based on the data I collected from the School.
The method we used in trying to study the status quo of the school was by interviewing the principal as well as the students. The interview with the principal went on very well. In fact, the principal was happy to meet us and speak to us about the school. We spoke to the principal for about an hour and learnt many things about the school and also about the events they organize for the students. It was an informative experience to hear from the principal herself that they were taking lot of initiatives to make sure that students benefit much from the school.
After having interviewed the principal we distributed a questionnaire to fifteen students belonging to seventh and eighth standard. The students were selected randomly. The interaction with the students too went on very well. The students expressed their own opinions to the different questions that were given to them. Most students had positive response to the questionnaire.
In the first chapter of my paper I will try to define what education is all about and what its functions are. Basing myself on the definition, meaning and the function of education I will critically look at the data I collected about the school in the third chapter. The second chapter is basically a description of the data gathered in the course of the interview. The third chapter is a comparative study on the first chapter and the second chapter.
Chapter 1: The Meaning, Function and Aims of Education
Chapter 1: The Meaning, Function and Aims of Education
Education as we understand today has very broad application. In fact education is supposed to help the educant in achieving all round development. “The word education has its origin in the latin word ‘educatum’ composed of two terms ‘E’ and ‘Duco’. ‘E’ implies a progress from inward to outward while ‘Duco’ means developing or progressing.”[1] We might thus conclude that education is “becoming developed or progression from inside to outside.”[2] Education should help develop the inner powers of the individual. Education also implies some kind of change for the better in a person.
1.1 Meaning of Education in the West
The meaning of education was discussed first by the ancient Greek thinkers. The meaning of education is very well described in the works of Plato. According to Plato, education is a “life-long process starting from the first years of childhood and lasting the very end of the life”[3] for Plato education had a very wide use, it included almost all the activities of a person. He spoke of education as something which teaches people to be good citizens and how to be good rulers and also how to obey.[4] Even today we have similar understanding of education. For Plato teaching of values was very important in the field of education, it is not merely gathering of knowledge and skills but also learning right habits etc., in Republic Plato mentions that, “true education, whatever that may be, will have the greatest tendency to civilize and humanize them in their relation to one another and to those who are under their protection.”[5] By and large most people in the west accept Plato’ definition of education of course with slight modifications. Some of the modern educationists have defined education as follows:
According Robert R. Rusk, “we may accept that the aim of education is the enhancement or enrichment of personality, the differentiating feature of which is the embodiment of universal values.”[6] According to A.G. Hughes, “The essence of discipline is, thus not forced subordination to the will of the hated tyrants, but submission to the example of admired superiors.”[7] As we read in the history of education in the Middle Ages importance was given to religion and morality. Thus Comenius declared that education help develop qualities related to religion, morality and knowledge.[8] For Froebel, “the fundamental principle of education is that instruction and teaching should be passive and protective not directive and interfering.”[9] For some modern philosophers like Rousseau, the principle of liberty is very important in education of the child. According to Aldous Huxley, “the perfect education is one which trains up every human being to fit into the place he or she is to occupy in the social hierarchy, but without, in the process destroying his or her individuality.”[10]
Looking at the above given definitions we may conclude that education is nothing but a process of development. This process of development helps the individual to grow intellectually as well as physically. Education should help the child to acquire basic knowledge of day to day living. Education as Plato says is a lifelong process one begins to learn from the time of birth and never ceases to learn till one dies.
1.2 Meaning of Education in India
The meaning of education in the Indian context is always colored with spiritual elements. Thus teaching about religious values was always part of Indian educational system. According to Yajnavalkya, “only that is education, which gives a sterling character to an individual and renders him useful for the world.”[11] Shankaracharya one of the great Indian philosopher, theologian and a mystic says, that “education is that which leads to salvation.”[12] Even today Indians have the tendency to speak of education as something spiritual. In the words of A.S. Altekar, “Education has always been regarded in India as a source of illumination and power which transforms and ennobles our nature by the progressive and harmonious development of our physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual powers and faculties.”[13] Some of the contemporary thinkers too give a very spiritual meaning to education. For instance Vivekananda said, “religion is the inner most core of education.”[14] Even Sri Aurobindo, speaks of education as something spiritual. Mahatma Gandhi said, “by education I mean an all round drawing out of the best in child and man, body, mind and spirit. Literacy is not the end of education not even the beginning. It is one of the means whereby man and woman can be educated. Literacy in itself is no education.”[15]
1.3 A General Definition of the Term Education
The term education has been defined differently by different thinkers. There is a vast difference between the western and Indian understanding of the term education. However in all the above mentioned definitions we find some common characteristics. After having discussed the various definitions in the west and Indian context, we may conclude that a sound education has following characteristics:
1.3.1 A life-long Process
Looking through all the definitions from the ancient times to the present time we find that most philosophers and great educational thinkers seems to agree, education has to be a life-long process. Plato too emphasized on this point. “Education according to most of the philosophers continues from birth to death.”[16]
1.3.2 Gradual Unfolding
Education is not a once and for all business. Most educationists and philosophers hold that education is characterized by the gradual unfolding of knowledge. In the allegory of the cave, “Plato observed that, the power and capacity of learning exists in the soul already, and just as the eye was unable to turn from darkness to light, without the whole body, so too, the instrument of knowledge can only, by the movement of the whole soul, be turned from the world of the becoming into that of being and learn by degrees to endure that sight of being and of the brightest and best of being or in other words of the good.”[17]
1.3.3 Based on Child Psychology
Most educationists agree that the curriculum of the school should be based keeping in mind the child’s psychology. It is said that, “western thinkers unanimously agree that true education should be based on child psychology.”[18] Indian thinkers like Aurobindo points out that, “the true basis of education is the study of the human mind, infant, adolescent and adult.”[19]
1.3.4 Individual as well as Social
It is said that, “true education is individual as well as social.”[20] One of the important aims of education is that the individual is able to take an active part in the society and able to behave ethically. But to be ethically sound the person has to undergo a lot of personal reflection and effort.
1.3.5 Total Development
One of the most important things to be kept in mind in the field of education is that is should cater to the all round development of the individual. From the ancient days educationists have been stressing on the importance of education being all round. Thus and educational system to be a sound one it has to look into “the development of physical, mental, spiritual as well as social.”[21]
1.4 Functions of Education in Human Life
Education has a very important role to play in one’s life. In the modern world of today it is gaining more and more prominence. In fact we like or not “whatever is acquired in human life is the result of formal or informal education.”[22] All that a person is, is due to education. A person acquires knowledge, skills and habits through education. It may be so, that different people acquire different skills and knowledge through different types of education. For instance some may acquire skills from informal education, some may learn even by observation. In fact, we realize that most people learn by observation. We see this phenomenon in the case of children. Some of the most prominent and the most important functions of education in human life are as follows:
1.4.1 Development of Natural Abilities
The child is born with lot of potentials. As the child grows he/she realizes one’s potentialities and begins to develop them. In this very crucial time education plays an important role in the development of the child. It is due to the education that child grows up to be what one is in one’s life. The parental education at home is also very important.
1.4.2 Character Building
A child’s character is built in the “first few years of his life.”[23] Character building is mostly the result of informal education. Thus the example of parents and relatives of the child matters a lot in the character building of the child. Most of the things a child learns are through examples of the parents more than the lectures in the class.[24] Socialization is also one of the important parts of a child’s journey towards character building.
1.4.3 Preparation for Adult Life
One of the main functions of education is supposed to be preparation of a child for adult life. It is said that livelihood is the aim of education. If we look at our own situation we realize how difficult it is to manage in today’s world without proper education.[25] If a person is not well educated it is very difficult for that person to get a good job and manage his life.
1.4.4 Development of Sense of Community
Human beings are basically social beings. But the individual does not automatically act in a social conscious manner all of a sudden; he learns the art of living in society. It is the community feeling that” urges the child to co-operate with his fellows, to make sacrifices if they become necessary, to rise above the consideration of caste and creed and develop a sense of oneness with the nation etc.,”[26]
1.4.5 Increasing Consciousness of the Other Cultures
In most parts of the world people of different castes and creed live in the same area. In such a situation education plays a very vital role in creating awareness among the younger generation the importance of living together in spite of the differences. One of the important task of education is to bring unity among the people, “as long as education cannot create a feeling of cooperation and of mutual love, the ideal of a unified world cannot be realized.”[27]
Chapter 2: The Data Collected in the Course of the Interview
Chapter 2: The Data Collected in the Course of the Interview
2.1 Introduction
This chapter is divided into two parts. The first part contains the information that I gathered from the interview with the principal of the school and the second part consists of the interview with the students. The interview with the principal of St. Philomena Convent High School went on very well because the principal was very cooperative. It was a pleasant experience to meet her and learn much as about the school from her. The interview with the students of St. Philomena School was another enriching experience. For the interview we distributed some questionnaire and the students were invited to answer the questions put to them. The questions were oriented towards whether the subjects and the curriculum of the school help them achieve their goal. The reactions of the students were by and large positive. In this chapter I have put displayed the opinions of the students in charts to get the holistic view on their opinions.
2.2 An Interview with the Principal of St. Philomena Convent High School
The school principal spoke to us on the several aspects of the school she began by speaking to us about the history of the school and its role in the society. She also spoke to us about some of the events in the school. She also spoke about some of the significant opportunities that the school offers. With regard to the question, whether the school was trying to provide facilities to make the school subjects Carrier oriented. The principal expressed concerns because the school follows Maharashtra Educational Board and not national syllabus. The principal is of the opinion that The C.B.S.E courses would have facilitated in making the subjects more carrier oriented and professional in nature.
2.2.1 Sports
There has been introduction of some new games in the school. The Martial arts classes too are introduced in the school. The school feels that martial arts help concentration and keep the student physically fit. Moreover, it provides confidence to the girls and is a big boost for self defence. The school encourages the students especially the small children to take part in the games like basket ball and football. The school provides competent coaches to train the children. The school was also fortunate to have a basket ball coach from Scotland visit them during the current academic year.
2.2.2 Extra Curricular Activities
Apart from sports and athletics, the school was fortunate to have the robotic engineering company from Japan visiting them to inform and enlighten on robotics. This created interest in the students and enriched them by way of information. Students are given opportunities to attend some workshops like basics aviation workshops, Science exhibition etc., whenever possible. The school holds Inter-course competitions regularly. For instance they have, Elocution, drawing, story telling etc., Sometimes students visit some places like the Mother Theresa’s house and the school of the blind. This is done with the view to create awareness among the students. The students also have group sharing and discussion on those visits.
2.2.3 Carrier Guidance
With regard to carrier guidance, the school organizes carrier counseling seminar for the students every year. Aptitude test is also organized for the students every year in the month of February. Different speakers are called to talk to the students on different topics like science, sports, art, music etc., to ensure that students learn some values for their lives the school has Value education class thrice a week.
2.2.4 Health care
To be of some medical help to the students the school calls a professional doctor every year to cater to the health issues of the students. The doctor is also called to give practical tips on health issues especially with regard to obesity and other minor ailments the students of today are prone to.
2.2.5 Peculiarities of the School
The school program is well planned and it is provided to all the students in the school calendar. One of the things that the school does to help students become good public speakers is that they give opportunity to the Students to deliver a talk during the assembly daily on the topics the school has fixed. The school has also student’s council which take active part in the empowerment of the students and express their opinions whenever required. The school has some special subject’s like- art, music, drawing, drama, work experience, computer classes, health education, Physical training, yoga etc.,
2.2.6 Parents and Teachers
The principal is of the opinion that Parents are by and large happy with the functioning of the school and there have been no major problems of late. Parents Teachers Meet is organized once in two months to ensure that parents are informed about the happenings in the school. The Principal encourages the parents and speaks to them on some important issues like, care of the children, the study habits, food habits etc., Parents meet at the beginning of the year to give suggestions and express their opinions about the school.
2.2.7 Achievements of the School
The school has made numerous achievements in various fields. For instance the school is proud of a student who plays in the Girls National Basketball Team. A boy was selected for the national cricket team as well. Some students merited district scholarship in the primary as well as secondary sections because of the good performance in their studies. One of the signs of achievements is also the 100% result in the Xth Std. this year (2011). The School also participated and performed well in the district level matches. The school participated in “Nine is mine” campaign, it is actually a scheme wherein the government allot 9% of the G.D.P. to the poor in collaboration with the “caritas”. The school joined in signature campaign for the same and sent it to Delhi. In fact the school was the only school in the diocese to participate in this program.
2.3 An Interview with the Students of St. Philomena Convent High School
Our interaction with the students consisted of five questionnaire which they had to answer. The students belonged to Std. VIII and it was a mixed group about seven boys and eight girls.
Chapter 3: A Comparative Study: An Analysis on the Gathered Data from the School
Chapter 3: A Comparative Study: An Analysis on the Gathered Data from the School
3.1 Introduction
This chapter of my paper will consist of a comparative study between the definition or ideals of a good educational system and the opportunities that the school offers to the students. This chapter will be divided into two parts. The first part will consist of the comparison between the definition of education or ideals proposed and the data collected during the interview with the principal of the school. In the second part of this chapter I will analyze the whether the opportunities that school offers are of help to the students as far as their goals are concerned.
3.2 Critical Study on Whether the School’s Curriculum Is In Keeping With the Definition and Function of Education
In the first chapter I have attempted to define what education is. In that chapter I have also tried to put down some of the important characteristics of a good educational system. In this section I will analyze the data point-wise. In the first chapter we saw that there is a slight difference in the understanding of education in the west and in India. However, we see that there are some common characteristics that run through in both cultures my analysis will be based on some of those common characteristics.
3.2.1 Education is a Life-long Process
As it was discussed in the first chapter education is a life long process. Thus school is not the only place where students learn and can learn; in fact much of life’s learning may be done outside the school. However, it is only in the school set up that we can really influence the mind of the students in building their future and taking a responsibility for their life in this life long process of education. In this regard some of the subjects like value education and good manners are of extreme importance. Thus school ought to give lot of importance to that, otherwise the purpose of the school is defeated. During the interview I was informed that the school has value education regularly, which is a good sign. This is surely a boost towards contributing to the life long-process of educating oneself. I feel the school is doing its best with regard to providing good values for their lives.
3.2.2 A Good Education Should be Based on Child Psychology
One of the important things to be kept in mind in an educational system is that, the opportunities that school offers should be based on the interest of the students. Students will do things best when they like it. For instance they will excel in sports if they are interested in it. Hence, it is extremely important that we provide what the students like and what is best for them. One of the ways of being of greater help to the students in this regard is to introduce teachers to child psychology, so that they can be of greater help to the students. During the interview, we did not discuss on this issue. However it would be good if the school pays attention to making the educational system based on child psychology.
3.2.3 Education Should Lead to Total Development of an Educant
The main goal of any educational system is ultimately the total development of the student. One sided education is of no use because it does not really help a person. In our interview we did not explicitly discuss about the issue of total development. However, our discussions went along the similar lines; because our discussion dwelt on some subjects, other than the normal academic subjects, for instance value education, sports, martial arts and the co-curricular activities. Actually all these subjects or disciplines help the students develop holistically. Thus it is quite obvious that school is moving towards holistic development. However the school can always be innovative in providing opportunities so that the total development of the student is taken care of.
3.2.4 Education Should Develop of a Sense of Community in the Educant
In a country where people of diverse cultures live, creating a sense of community oneness and unity among the students is one of the important things to be aimed at. If the students do not learn to love and respect the classmates of other culture and religion the education is not healthy. Though such topics are dealt with in value education the school could encourage the students to learn to respect other cultures through occasional talks and through cultural programs during some important occasions of the school.
3.2.5 Education Should lead to Individual as well as Social Consciousness
We human beings are social beings and we live in societies and communities. Education is not a mere one man’s concern rather it is of a social importance. Our educational system should help the students become good citizens especially people who are concerned about the social problems in our country. Thus our education should be geared towards making the students more “Society Conscious” or “Other Conscious.” In our interview we did not deals with this issue explicitly. However the school could bring this consciousness though cultural programmes and cultural exhibitions to bring greater appreciation of the social surrounding.
3.2.6 Education Should Build the Character of the Educant
If the school does not cater to the character building of a student the school has failed in its effort of educating the student. From the information I gathered I am of the opinion that the school is trying its level best to build the character of the students. In this connection the value education classes are given utmost importance and this is a good sign. However, the school can always make more creative ways of building the character of the students so that the students go out of the school ethically and morally sound.
3.3 Analysis on whether the Opportunities that School Provides are in Keeping with the Aims and Expectations of the Students
Any institution to be relevant to the existing demands of the society should be offering the expectations of the society. In this second part of my third chapter I would like to analyze whether the opportunities the school offers in keeping the aims of the students. Here I will basically broadly bring out the important issues that came up during our interview and try to comparatively look at what the students expressed and on the other hand what the principal described about the school. It will be and overview of the whole interview as such.
3.3.1 Academic Subjects
The interview with the principal sent us a positive message with regard to the academic subjects. When we asked the students why they come to the school most expressed that they came to gain knowledge and to learn; of course there are some who come because they are happy at school and some because they enjoy the company of friends. From the interview I feel the school pays good attention to the academic subjects and makes sure those students benefit much from those subjects. Apart from the regular subjects, a number of classes are dedicated for value education and moral science classes. This will surely enable students grow up morally. The school not doubt is concerned about the academic performance of the students but since the majority of the students are keen on gaining knowledge the school could think in terms of providing as much knowledge and information as possible so that the students find sense of fulfillment.
3.3.2 Students’ desire to be Doctors and Engineers; School’s Emphasis on Sports
From the statistics we realise that most students want to be Doctors and Engineers. There are some who just want to be a good citizen in whatever they do and small group want to be lecturers and actors. However, one of the interesting facts is that most students enjoy sports, because most students mentioned about it as their likes, but surprisingly, no one expressed their desire to become sports stars; or even among the few who expressed it came only as a secondary option. In fact no one explicitly expressed any desire to be an athlete. I would like to make and observation over here, the school not doubt gives lot of importance to sports or at least the interview with the principal came across to us that way. But we see from the statics that being sports person is only secondary option to most. May be the school should concentrate on offering opportunities that could boost them in becoming good doctors and engineers of course not neglecting the sports part of it. Because sports helps the students keep healthy and strong, it also helps them study better.
The trend of many students wanting to become doctors and engineers could be attached to a hitch. Here one of the problems that I suspect is that, probably, the students are interested in becoming sports stars; but the pressure from their parents forces them to aspire to be doctors and engineers because this is the desire for most parents of today. In this regard the school’s emphasis on sports is of great help to the students because it is only in the school most students get opportunities to participate in sports. In fact on being questioned almost all said that they enjoyed the sports events and the sports day. This shows that students are very interested in sports.
3.3.3 Co-Curricular Activities
The information we gathered from the students shows that students enjoy co-curricular activities. In answer to the questionnaire, most of them have expressed their likes for them. Many students love sports, singing competition, dance competition and science exhibitions. Some students mentioned that they would like to be good citizens. This I feel is the result of some influence from the part of the school, because the school organizes programmes like visiting the sick in Mother Theresa convent. The school is also involved in signature campaign for the poor students and of course the “Nine is Mine Campaign.” The co-curricular activities are of great help and influence to the students and contribute to their growth positively.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
Having ideals, looking up to them and trying to achieve them is part of every school, institution and even individuals. I believe St. Philomena Convent High School too has its ideals to which they look up to and to which they strive to reach. In this little study I have tried to put down some ideals and compare if the activities that the school under my observation in some way resemble those ideals.
One of my main concerns in this venture was to study and find out whether the school curriculum is of help to the students. This I ventured to enquire by analyzing the data collected from the interview with the principal as well as the students. In this study I observed several things. First of all I observed that the school principal tended to emphasize on the sports event and the importance the school gives to sports. However, not many students want to take up sports as their carrier, though almost all the students enjoy sports. Now here I put forth two hypotheses. First, do the students love sports genuinely and would want to be sports start but due to parental pressure prefer striving to take up other carriers like Doctors, Engineers or Lecturers. The other possibility could be they love sports because they are exposed to it in the school. I am really not sure. But this hypothetical situation if taken too seriously could lead to negative results or positive results.
What I seriously feel is the need for a healthy balance of both academic studies and co-curricular activities of course not forgetting that morals and values are imparted to the students. On a whole I feel that school is doing its best to give all round development which is good. But it can always become good to better and better to best. This I think will be achieved if the healthy balance is maintained between academic as well as other activities. This healthy balance will lead to the total development of the student which is the ultimate goal of education.
Bibliography
Chandra Shivendra Soti and Sharma K. Rajendra, Principles of Education, New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers and Distributors, 1996.
[1] Soti Shivendra Chandra and Rajendra K. Sharma, Principles of Education (New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers and Distributors, 1996)1.
[2] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 1.
[3] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 1.
[4] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 1.
[5] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 1.
[6] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 2.
[7] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 2.
[8] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 2.
[9] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 2.
[10] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 2.
[11] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 3.
[12] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 3.
[13] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 3.
[14] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 3.
[15] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 3.
[16] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 4.
[17] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 4.
[18] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 4.
[19] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 4.
[20] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 4.
[21] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 4.
[22] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 11.
[23] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 12.
[24] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 12.
[25] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 13.
[26] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 14.
[27] Chandra and Sharma, Principles of Education, 15.
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