Not only teachers, onus lies on Admn & students too

At present, a teacher is just a tool to implement government policies. Government teachers across the city have been given non-academic works. They hardly get time to prepare teaching strategies or hold  special classes. Moreover, government policies have sown the seed of disrespect for teachers among students. Education policies are on paper only.

Upasana Bhargava

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Employ regular teachers

Temporary postings in the education sector are slowly consuming the spirit to deliver. The government must employ regular teachers. At this moment, frustration in teachers is being transferred in poor results. The next step should be holding regular motivational seminars for teachers. They should be motivated to give their best in the classroom.

Neelima Talwar

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Poor amenities to blame

The miserable pass percentage of government schools throws light on the quality of education being imparted to young children, who are the future of our country. Dilapidated buildings, poor basic amenities and the lack of a proper environment for studies are some of the reasons behind this debacle. Teachers as well as school heads must be held accountable to improve the education system at the primary level. The defect of the present-day education is that it has no definite goal to pursue. The education system at the grassroots level is calling fora  major shift in teaching practices.

Bharat, Chandigarh

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Motivate students for better results

First of all, students should be motivated for better results. They need to be trained as to how to attempt board exams. Secondly, teachers at government schools need to make their teaching ways more efficient and interesting for students. Moreover, the government should provide more smart classrooms so that students feel comfortable and give their best in the examinations.

Khushman

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Need dedicated teachers

Poor performance by government schools is the result of disinterested students and the indifferent attitude of teachers and parents. A majority of students at government schools cannot afford tuitions and the atmosphere at their homes is also not congenial for studies. Providing quality education and guidance to students by dedicated teachers, recruited on merit, is bound to be a significant step in improving the  results. The authorities must not overlook the importance of the board exams in Classes V, VIII and X.

DR Kapoor, Panchkula

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Tackle absenteeism 

The dismal performance by government schools of Chandigarh in Class X is unfortunate. The blame for the poor result cannot be placed squarely on teachers. As the saying goes, “It takes two to make a quarrel”. Students, parents and the higher authorities are equally responsible. Absenteeism is a major problem in schools. The matter needs to be looked into seriously and discipline be maintained strictly at all costs to achieve better results.

RPS Chopra, Mani Majra

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Poor show a fallout of no-detention policy

Poor performance by government schools is due to the no-detention policy. Students are promoted to the next class even when they perform poorly. They keep moving up the ladder till they appear for the board exams, where they fail. Schools do not have the ideal pupil-teacher ratio. School principals lack powers to deal with disgruntled teachers. There is no hire and fire policy in the schools.

JS Bhalla, Chandigarh

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Design question banks

The standard of government schools can be improved by designing question banks in every subject in such a way that the dependence on help books could be minimised. Multiple question papers with an emphasis on objective type questions can be prepared. Rather, teachers should inculcate the value of education among students so that they do well in their examinations.

Priya Darsh Growar, Mohali

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Tackle poor work culture

Due to non-accountability and poor work culture, the quality of education has gone down in government schools. This has led to the mushrooming of private schools. To increase the pass percentage, the pay of teachers should be linked to their performance. Their first contract should be for five years, which should be renewed after every three years, depending upon their performance. Mere issuance of press statements against poor results by the higher authorities will not yield any tangible gain.

KC Rana, Chandigarh

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Improve supervision

The no-detention policy has proved to be the main culprit. Lack of sincerity and discipline among students, teachers and poor supervision by the authorities are other reasons. Due to the absence of basic facilities, bright students stay away from government schools. Vacant slots of school principal should be filled to improve supervision and administrative work. Discipline in students and their attendance should be ensured.

Bharat Bhushan Sharma

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Identify subjects in which students failed

There is a wide disparity in the pass percentage of government and private schools. It is a matter of concern for teachers as well as parents. This year, the worst performers were government schools of Sector 38 (West) and 22-C. Principals of these schools must identify the subjects in which students failed. Teachers concerned should be directed to take extra classes after school hours and during vacations. The CBSE should redraw the syllabus, which can be completed easily.

Harish Kapur, Chandigarh

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Take teachers to task

The IQ of every student varies. Some children are brilliant while others are average. Here comes the role of teachers. They should evaluate their caliber and act accordingly. For poor results in Class X, teachers should be made accountable. A thorough probe is needed and action should be taken against those found wanting in performance.

SS Arora, Mohali

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Apathy of teachers

The poor pass percentage of students in Class X shows the apathy of teachers. It reflects their performance too. They fail to perform as they have secure jobs and handsome income. They have no fear of losing it, even if students fail to perform.

Rashi Srivastava, Chandigarh

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Infrastructure woes

Government schools lack infrastructure, which is responsible for the poor results. It has also been observed that the children, who go to these schools, belong to the middle and lower-middle class families as their parents cannot afford the expenditure of private schools. Teachers should be held accountable if students fail to perform.

Tarlok Singh, Mani Majra

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Administration’s fault

Everyone blames teachers for the poor show. But the Chandigarh Administration is totally responsible for the poor performance. All vacant posts of teachers as well school heads should be filled without any delay. The admission policy should be improved at the earliest. All type of students (rich/poor/ rural/urban) should be equally distributed in each school.

Sumesh Kunar Badhwar, Mohali

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Only qualified teachers can stem the rot

Extremely poor results of government schools throughout the city speak volumes about the inefficiency of the system from the District Education Officer to teachers. Only well-qualified and dedicated teachers can stem the rot as children of these schools come from weaker sections of society. Even their parents are not able to monitor the day-to-day performance of their wards.

Subhash Luthra

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Withdraw concessions to children

Mostly, children belonging to economically weaker sections take admission in government schools, located near their colonies, just to avail the mid-day meal scheme and other concessions/facilities provided by the government. To improve the results, abolish the no-detention policy because weak students promoted to Class X with grace marks perform poorly in the CBSE Class X exams. Concessions awarded to such students be withdrawn.

AS Ahuja, Chandigarh

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Improve student-teacher ratio in govt schools

A teacher is the only person after parents who wants his/her student succeed but in this case, teachers failed to take responsibility. They should be made answerable. There is a need to improve teacher-student ratio. Taking note of the poor result. ACRs of teachers and principals should be linked with it. This is a blot on the face of the UT Education Department as people are losing faith in it

Vidya Sagar Garg, Panchkula

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Hold surprise checks

The poor result of government schools clearly reflects that the administrative mechanism is not working for the cause of education. The concentration of the Education Department is not on academics but on pleasing someone else. To improve the standard of government schools, there is a need to hold surprise check, proper audit of performance and fair assessment of teachers. Teachers should be fired if they fail to perform satisfactorily.

PK Patpatia, Ambala

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Provide basic amenities, fill vacant positions

Government schools in the tricity are in poor condition as the authorities don’t bother about these anymore. Teachers get a handsome pay without much accountability. Government officials too have turned a blind eye to the problem and have reconciled to the poor standard of education at government schools. Foremost, the basic infrastructure and classroom facilities need to be provided at government schools. Vacant posts should be filled at the earliest besides ensuring their regular attendance. Private coaching by teachers, after school hours, must be stopped.

RD Singh, Ambala Cantt   

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Don’t give non-academic work to schoolteachers

There is no shortcut for improving the result of government schools as the no-detention policy still exists and more than 2,500 government schoolteachers are involved in clerical work on a daily basis. Teachers should not be assigned any non-academic work. School heads should be directed to concentrate on classroom teaching. Grace marks should not be given to students in Class IX.

Arvind Rana, president, Government Schoolteachers’ Association, Chandigarh

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Will supervise teachers’ work

We will increase supervision of schools and teachers. We will call a meeting of school heads after vacations. They will have to supervise teachers’ work. Poor results have always reflected in ACRs. We are telling non-performing teachers to hold remedial classes.

Anujit Kaur, District Education Officer, Chandigarh

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Time wasted in tours, seminars

The no-detention policy and the grace marks given to students in Class IX should be blamed. The Education Department has been wrongly issuing notices to teachers. We have been made to do non-academic works. Last year, our time was wasted in tours and seminars. We have been told to take remedial classes but students hardly come.

Swarn Singh Kamboj, president, UT Cadre Employees Union, Chandigarh

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No-detention policy to blame

Due to the no-detention policy, students don’t focus on studies. Teachers too are told to perform non-academic duties. Rigorous refresher courses should be carried out for teachers. Evaluation of training should also be carried out. The concept of continuous comprehensive evaluation has been borrowed from the west. It won’t work if classrooms are crowded.

Jatinder Grover, Associate Professor, Department of Education, Panjab University

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Lay proper foundation from beginning

Proper foundation has not be laid for students over the years. It is extremely important that teachers work with children, right from the beginning, to strengthen their concepts and reinforce these through a consistent practice by using innovative and interesting methods. Children should be consistently told about the importance of studying. There is a need for a thorough planning of the entire syllabus. Children should be counselled to stay focused.

Ritu Bali, principal, AKSIPS-41, Chandigarh

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Thorough planning needed

Parents of students can be involved to ensure better results. At the same time, students should be assessed and guided about their learning levels and styles. Pairing children with a special educator would be a great help. Students may be paired using the buddy system, in which a weak student is tied with an academically strong student. Special subject-wise classes may be held. Frequent formative and class tests should be held. Question banks can be exchanged between different schools.

Shelley Chugh, principal, St. Teresa Convent School, Panchkula

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Be result-oriented

Are we, as facilitators and school heads, counselling parents? The answer to why private schools perform better in Class X exams simply lies in the fact their approach is result-orientated. We have highly educated facilitators in government schools. Though a number of them are doing a wonderful job, the need of the hour is that they change their working style and mindset. Every dedicated teacher’s healthy and loving relation with children makes teaching easy.

Anu Sharma, principal, Edustar Adarsh School, Kalewal

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Rope in educationists

Class X results of government schools are worsening year by year, whereas private schools, even the smallest ones, have the pass percentage of 95. It is apparent that the Department of Education has failed completely in its responsibility. No DPI will take the onus of this failure. It is time to outsource this responsibility or bring educationists to head the department and fix their targets. They should be made accountable. While the government is busy spending taxpayers’ money on building new schools on scarce land resources, the existing schools have failed to perform. Meanwhile, no new private school has come up since 2003. 

HS Mamik, president, Independent Schools’ Association, Chandigarh

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Bring private sector into play

We have seen the initiative like Teach for India doing very well as it bridged the gap between private and government schools with quality teaching faculty trained to use creative teaching aids that make a huge difference in the classroom. The key aspect here is to understand constraints of a typical government classroom, which has 40 to 60 students with just one teacher. There has to be greater investment, not just by the Education Department but also the private sector. Bringing all students on a level playing field is essential. So, we need more hands in the classrooms. The issue should not be seen solely from the point of view of grades and pass percentage but in terms of real learning and employability.

Atul Khanna, director, Strawberry Fields High School, Chandigarh