ISCE bid to reform education

Fanthome says forcing students to take up subjects for which they have no aptitude has been one of the main drawbacks of the Indian education system.Another area in which the Council has taken a bold step is in empowerment of the teacher. Over the years, the teacher has been relegated to the backseat not only in terms of emoluments but also in decision-making in education, Fanthome says.

All the decision-making is done by the educational bureaucracy and the teacher is supposed to take everything lying down, resulting in all-round demoralisation of the teaching community, he says.

“The present-day teacher has very little say in the matter of curriculum development, pattern of examination and evaluation.”

The Council has from this academic year decided to accord a major role to the teacher in the certification process, he adds. Twenty per cent of the marks in each subject will be awarded by teachers as internal assessment.

This, Fanthome argues, will considerably enhance the social position and authority of the teacher.

The Council has also set up a Research and Development and Consultancy Division for continuous training and updating of skills of teachers and principals of schools affiliated to it, so as to make education relevant to the needs of the nation.