Prutha Goa

Education has become the means of producing inept, unhappy, unimaginative and directionless individuals. This statement would be very true of the present educational system in Goa and India at large. Albert Einstein said: ‘Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.’ So just what is our educational system doing for our young people besides undermining and suppressing any category of intelligence and skills it does not include in its quota of valid abilities and intellect? Mr Manguirish Pai Raiker, who is a prominent businessman and the former president of Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has much to say about the educational system in its current avatar of leniency in examination corrections and promotion to higher classes. It is evident by the quality of students that pass out of university every year that all they ever do is learn enough by rote to pass exams. Since they lack the understa

By Maya Lin Noronha (Counsellor) Children spend a considerable amount of time (about 14 years) of their young lives in school. Therefore, it is important to understand the environment in which they learn. The school system includes children, parents, teachers, community and school administration of which teachers and students are the two major players. A school environment conducive to learning, helping a child make a smooth adjustment to the system and bringing about the all-round personality and mental development of the child, is the need of the hour in this time and age. Young adolescents need a nurturing and secure environment at school, accompanied by adult guidance. If problems are not prevented in these years, there may be significant social consequences. As they move into middle-grade, students experience school competition, social comparison, and self-assessment. The school emphasis on discipline and teacher control, and its limited opportunities for student decision making,