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Learning Achievement and the amendment of RTE Act 2009

Indian Parliament passed an amendment in article 16 of Right to Education

Act 2009, as follows; 16. (1) There shall be a regular examination in the fifth

class and in the eighth class at the end of every academic year. (2) If a child

fails in the examination referred to in sub-section (1), he shall be given

additional instruction and granted opportunity for re-examination within a

period of two months from the date of declaration of the result. During the

presentation of the bill in Rajya Sabha the HRD Minister said this

amendment is necessitated that the education level of the country is

declining and the student who are in class 5 can’t even understand class 3

maths. So yearend examination in class 5th and 8th may do change the

situation and can increase the academic level of the students.

The Right to Education Act 2009 is considered to be a great step in the field

of Indian Education system ,which was passed after the UNESCO -World

Declaration on Education for All (EFA) 1990 , held at Jomtien , Thailand to

ensure free and compulsory education for children all over the world up to

the age of 14 years by 2000.

But with this amendment a great apprehension and anguish is developed

among the educationist that the very spirit of the RTE act 2009, which

ensure free and compulsory education to all up to elementary education (up

to class 8) ,will get topple.

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The amendment states that, in order to improve the learning outcomes in the elementary classes, after a wide deliberations with all the stakeholders, it is proposed to substitute section 16 (1) so as to propose regular examination in the fifth class and in the eighth class at the end of every academic year. But the original provision in section 16 of RTE act 2009, which ensure, ‘no child admitted in a school shall hold back in any class or expelled from school till the completion of elementary education. But the amendment really bring an apprehension among the students whether they should stay back from school till the new re-examination and whether they be out of school if they fail again. It increases the chances of children be a drop out from school especially from that in rural areas . The very pertinent question is that how can a student attain the learning outcome within short period of two months which he/she failed to achieve even after 5/8 years of continuous study. The real scenario of Indian School education system can be understood from some of the well-known studies; the gist of the same are given under: The studies are ; (i) NAS by NCERT says that significant disparities in the achievements levels of students exist among states. For example 80% of students in Karnataka can perform geometry operations, whereas in Chhattisgarh less than 50% of student have similar capabilities. (ii). ASER by PRATHAM says the proportion of students in class V who can read class II level text declined 47.8% in 2016 from 48.1% in 2014. The ability of class VIII students to perform arithmetic operations declined from 44.2% in 2014 to 43.2% in 2016. (iii). PISA by OECD, India ranked second-last among 73 countries when tested on their reading, Maths and Science abilities. 15 years old Indian students lag behind global toppers by 200 points, signifying that an 8th grader Indian equates to a 3rd grader Korean ; this could well be a symptom of the falling standard of Indian education. Hence , it is a fact that our school education system need an urgent revamp as mentioned by the HRD Minister. The billion dollar question here is that through a yearend examination in Classes V & VIII will suffice purpose. It can be seen that this amendment is based on the importance given to output - result rather than for input and process. How does an yearend examination systems in class 5 and class 8 bring

quality in teaching –learning process ?, and thereby improve the education

system of our country. Do we at any point of time the quality of teaching

and the teachers rest assured? . Our Human Resources Development

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Minister himself admitted that about 7 lakh private school teachers lacked

basic qualification. Same is the case of the quality of the pedagogical

approaches followed by these teachers in our classrooms.

National Achievement Survey (NAS) report 2017 reported that 73% 0t

teachers still use homework as tool to assess students. Survey was done

across the country covering Govt and private schools yielding some

shocking results; out of which the very important finding is that only 23%

teachers in India use project based or experiential learning in the classroom.

Which means the classrooms in our country are engaged with traditional

teacher Centered methods , mainly the “Chalk and Talk “method instead of

child Centered pedagogies advocated by our NCF , NEP and RTE Act.

All these findings point towards the fact that our system is not taking the “

input- Process” seriously ,but only the “ result “.

If, input and process of the system is not at all of any quality and how one

can expect a good learning outcome, the result.So it is advised to improve

the quality of teachers and their teaching methodologies first ,rather than

punishing our innocent children by conducting the yearend examinations.

Above all, by conducting yearend examinations in class 5 and 8, how one

can find a solution to this deteriorating levels of school education in the

country. RTE article 4 says where a child above six years of age has not been

admitted in any school or though admitted, could not complete his or her

elementary education, and then he or she shall be admitted in a class

appropriate to his or her age. How does the amendment work here if a

child is admitted in class 5th and compelled to face the yearend

examination? What may be the learning outcome when we measure the

child with those students who have completed five years of study?

Amendment 16 (3) The appropriate Government may allow schools to hold back a child in the fifth class or in the eighth class or in both classes, in such manner and subject to such conditions as may be prescribed, if he fails in the re-examination referred to in sub-section (2) : provided that the

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appropriate Government may decide not to hold back a child in any class till the completion of elementary education. The amendment never tells about the responsibility of conducting examination either is with the board or school. It is assumed it may be with the board. But article 30(1) guarantee no child shall be required to pass any board examination till completion of elementary education. Which means amendment 16(1) is contrary to the Clause 30(1) of the original Act. What this regular examination conducted at the yearend of Class V and

VIII,as mentioned in the amendment , stands for ? How does it may be

evaluated? It is a summative assessment by the board/school for testing the

memory of the students from subjects he/she learned during a period of

time. As countries around the world broaden their goals for education to

include students’ broader range of skills, the new amendment only

assessing the memory or the rote learning abilities which again

contradictory to the provisions in RTE Act 29 (2)h ; Comprehensive and

continuous evaluation (CCE) of child’s understanding of knowledge and his

ability to apply the same and (2) g; ‘making the child free of fear, trauma

and anxiety and helping the child to express views freely. Moreover it was

the continuation of 19th century teacher Centered systems wherein the

exam, ‘one-exam-fits-all’, prevailed.

The new amendment also may encourages the schools (especially CBSE

affiliated ones) or a weapon in the their hand ,that have been contnuing a

sytem of failing the non performers in lower classes to ensure 100% result

in class X board examination; thereby neglecting the very essence of the

RTE Act.

This amendment again made it confirm that the schools in India never

followed the CCE system properly even it was compelled by NCF 2005 and

RTE2009. The UN World Education Form 2000 (Dakar framework for action)

declared it is the right of child to have quality education and the learning

outcome must be assessed on the basis of the input and process, not by

the output alone .

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Our NCF and RTE 2009 strongly advocates for qualified teachers, Child

centred Pedagogy/ constructivist pedagogical approach and CCE in our

education system, if planned executed accordingly we can ensure a quality

education with a good learning achievement. But unfortunately which are

not being followed by majority of the schools in the country.

Also,NCF2005 establishes the need to recognize the child as a natural

learner, and knowledge as the outcome of the child’s own activity.

Students’ experiences, their voices and their active participation are

valued. Focus is given to what students are learning rather than what

the teacher is teaching. Students’ prior knowledge is acknowledged

and valued. During teaching learning process students construct

meanings that fit with their experiences and expectations. This can

lead them to construct meanings different from what was intended

by a teacher.

Students and teachers are interactive in a constructivist classroom

within which emerging ideas can grow. Collaborative teaching, group

discussion, group work and assignment and project work are some of

the essential elements of an interactive classroom that ensure quality

and equity. It is an established fact that an education system built on

the premises of quality and equity is central to sustainable success in

the emerging knowledge economy. Quality education is a powerful

tool for preparing our citizens in the knowledge society which

amalgamate globalization with localization, enabling our children and

youth to become world citizens, with their roots deeply embedded in

Indian culture and traditions.

Over the last thirty years, technology has reorganized how we live,

how we communicate, and how we learn. One of the most

persuasive factors is the shrinking ‘half-life of knowledge’ by

reinstalling annual examination in class 5 and 8. It seems using

outdated information to support decisions has the potential to

create all sorts of problem in the future of a child. The American

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society for Training and Documentation (ASTD) studied the amount

of knowledge in the world has doubled in the past 10 years and is

doubling every 18 months. To combat the shrinking ‘half-life of

knowledge’, educational organizations have been forced to develop

new methods of deploying instruction.

Globalisation has enabled ‘democratisation of knowledge’ to enhance

the 21st century children to know the answers of problems in

sustainable development. As long as it is urgent to embrace the new

opportunities, we need 21st century pedagogy – a paradigm which

reflects a bold and creative commitment to relevance and quality

learning and teaching. Not only, it must be tightly woven together to

ensure that the schooling experience is relevant to the life each

student chooses to pursue and the skills required to live in today’s

world.

In this digital age, the pedagogies that support learners to

communicate and collaborate in a variety of contexts, engage in peer-

to-peer learning and develop as global citizens. Through applying

learner-centred pedagogy, students will gain insights, understanding,

increased capacities and confidence, by grappling with real-world

questions and problems. Hence ,we at our schools have undertaken

the Constructivist Teaching Model 5E and Pedagogical strategies like

Problem Solving Learning(PSL), Inquiry Based Learning(IBL)and

Project-based learning(PBL) along with critical pedagogical

techniques like; 20-20, JIGSAW, FLIPPED classroom etc. for the core

subjects and LSRW skills for languages. This transformation from

teacher-led learning to self-directed learning to self-determined

learning will provide learners with a range of competencies and skills

needed to succeed in modern global societies and will ensure learning

achievement.

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Constructivist pedagogical approaches combined with scaffolding

instruction can ensure learning achievements or meet the learning

objectives without giving any anxiety to the students.

The activities provided in scaffolding instruction are just beyond the

level of what the learner can do alone. An important aspect of

scaffolding instruction is that the scaffolds are temporary. As the

learner’s abilities increase the scaffolding make leaner master the

concepts independently. Therefore the goal of the educator when

using the scaffolding teaching strategy is for the student to become

an independent and self-regulating learner and problem solver.

Students share the responsibility of teaching and learning through

scaffolds that require them to move beyond their current skill and

knowledge levels. Through this interaction, students are able to take

ownership of the learning event.

As our world grows more interconnected, conversations about education

are shifting to focus on identifying and cultivating the complex “21st-

century” skills children will need to succeed amid global competitions and

uncertainty. Unortunately the new amendemnt in RTE again tends to

emphazie summative assessment, which are valuable but do not typically

contribute to the growth of 21st century skilled childern for India.

In India it is necessary and urgent to change the pedagogy and learning

system to create life long learning genertion to fit for global citizenship and

sustainable development. What’s needed is an approach that strives to

understand education for sustainable development, global citizenship and

life long learning to nurture our children and to transfor the teachers how

to adapt their instructional support to help students progress towards

mastering skills rather than concetrate on outcomes in the form of scores

on standardized tests.

What’s more, learning progressions focus on the building blocks that

contribute to mastering new skills; Learning & innovation, Career& life, ICT

and Media; and a developmental approach maps in the teaching learning

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process. To develop any sort of learning progression, one starts by changing

the pedagogy based on constructivism and connectivism where the

teachers and students grow from expert level to novice level in the present

knowledge economy. The different performances anticipated at different

stages of teaching learning should recognize differences in quality and

should form a sequence of lifelong learning behaviour. It encourages the

learner to change learning to ‘deep learning’. It will broaden the goals of

students and equip them with a broader range of skills, the challenge of

translating their aspirations globally. By considering all the above a mere

year end examination never do justice to the young generation for their

future growth.

Assessment should be the systemic process of gathering information about

what a student knows, is able to do, so learning must be reconstituted with

a curriculum based on the 5 pillars of education by UNESCO 2014; learning

to know, learning to do, learning to live together, learning to be and

learning to transform oneself and society to the goal ‘Education for

Sustainable Development’ and the pedagogy –child Centered, for quality

learning achievement.

Dr.G.Manulal V . R .Jayaprasad Managing director Director (Former Advisor(Training) CBSE) (Resource person, COE, CBSE)