‘Schools should do away with rote learning’

Hyderabad: Educationist and former Vice Chancellor of the Osmania University (OU), Prof T Tirupati Rao, described the ‘Mana Ooru-Mana Badi’ programme initiated by the State government as a ‘good concept’ and stressed on the need for revamping of infrastructure in the government schools. He added that schools should do away with rote-learning methods.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Prof. Rao, who is presently Chancellor of Manipur University (Central University), said the schools, wherever necessary, should be provided additional classrooms with dual desk benches as some schools were taking classes in the open spaces. Recommending compound walls to all schools, he emphasised on providing toilet facilities with running water besides ensuring maintenance for them.

Stressing on the need for a library at every government school, Prof Rao said the schools should ensure a library period in their daily time-table. This helps to inculcate reading habit among students.

In order to improve infrastructure and quality of education in government schools, the State has announced ‘Mana Ooru-Mana Badi’ programme with a budget of Rs 7,289.54 crore, which will be taken up in three phases over a period of three years. A total 19.84 lakh students in 26,065 government schools will benefit from the programme, where it will be launched in 9,123 of total schools covering around 13 lakh of students in the first phase during the current academic year of 2021-22.

While the State government has been providing free mid-day meals to all students in the government schools, Prof. Rao stressed the need to introduce breakfast scheme for children of the primary schools. Due to lack of nutritious food, several children in the primary schools were malnourished while girls were anaemic, he pointed out.

To improve the teaching-learning process, the former V-C of Osmania University pitched for equipping classrooms with the digital equipment if not overhead projectors. Schools should do away with rote-learning methods and ensure subject learning through activities and group discussions, he said.

Stressing on the need for holistic development of students, Prof. Rao said emphasis should also be laid on the health and extra-curricular activities. “Teachers should identify the innate potential of the students and nurture them. The schools should maintain a student profile which should cover academics, health and extra-curricular activities,” he said.

While welcoming the government’s decision to introduce English medium in the government schools, Prof. Rao said students should not be left out of their mother language.

“At least one slot should be provided to students where they can learn the mother language which gives a homely feeling,” he said, adding that until students get command over English language, the government should ensure teaching in bilingual i.e. English and Telugu. For effective implementation of English medium of instructions, the educationist stressed the need for training teachers who were from Telugu medium background.
“Teachers should be trained in English language skills via crash course besides exams should be conducted. In the fresh recruitments, candidates who have command over both English and Telugu should be taken,” Prof. Rao said.

Stressing on the need for performance evaluation of the teachers, he added, “a separate body has to be established to evaluate the performance of the teachers. This can be done by way of conducting exams for students and by taking feedback from students and parents.”