The use of Guide Books opened another shortcut leading to a plunge in the quality of education.
The advent of modern schools was
welcomed by the isolated kingdom of Bhutan. The long journey of education has
brought about remarkable changes to the nation. However, in the midst of all
these fine words, Bhutan talks of a deteriorating quality of education.
Stakeholders point fingers at each other. Teachers have become the most used scapegoats
and curriculum too is considered a reason.
Who is actually responsible? Guide books lay hidden within the students
and some teachers but the use of guide books is also responsible for the
decline in the quality.
As an educator, I am of the view that
everyone is responsible. Be it an engineer or a farmer, we are all equally responsible.
Teachers along with educational offices, is equally responsible, and students
too. The society is answerable. An
engineer does not go to a classroom to teach but he can be a parent of a
student and he has a duty for his child’s education. A teacher’s duty is the
clearest of all. Moreover, policy makers are also directly associated with the
system. There are curriculum changes that affect the quality of education and
so does the system hold some liability. Coming to the agent alias affected
side-the students: they hold great answers within themselves. They know the
most correct answer and they even possess the magic potion to rectify
the problem.
In addition to these, the use of Guide Books opened another shortcut leading
to a plunge in the quality of education. Guide books have taken their own
journey from solved common examination papers in the early days to summary of a
novel or subject- wise guides. Some guide books are written like text books but
with inadequate answers. I am of no value to comment on the
actualities of using guide books but as far as a teacher is concerned, the
guides are pure symbols of destruction- of students’ genuine learning. Guide books offer many disadvantages in the learning
cycle. One reason is proven through various researches whereby it is found out
that the use of guide books lower the student’s usage of his/her own effort in
learning. Another basis is that guide books are filled with solved questions
which bar the student’s exploring stage and students know the answer but in
short of their own thoughts. The other reason, for guide books to be useless,
is that guide books are very poor in terms of content as well as language
usage.
Although guide books are totally
discouraged in Bhutanese schools, we see our students owning various cheap, obsolete and error- rich guide
books. Guide books are rarely blamed for
their content and they are not seen as an ineffectual stuff by parents and
students thereby making it flourish alongside the standard school text
books. The use of guide books in Bhutan
usually hits the highest bar amongst Class X and XII students. Science and Geography guide books are the
most used guides by Bhutanese students. Further, the availability and abundance
of guide books make it easier for students to grab their copy.
Writing
of guide books has become an easy way to mint money. Writers do great as
students worship guide books more than their text books. Every person with
little knowledge on the subject has become a writer and the most comical thing
is that all guide books are registered with an ISBN (International Standard
Book Number). I wonder how the system of
ISBN is worked out but I am pretty sure that a minimum standard should be
maintained in order to achieve one. Some guide books are so poor that even the
simplest of grammar is not correct. The content is also full of errors. The
answers in these books limit the student’s intelligence to look beyond. It is true
that guides work out as an easy way for students to score in their exams though
they have learnt very less for their life.
As a teacher, we discourage students
from using a guide book but we fight a losing battle here. The reason is
simple-students love direct readymade
answers and writers with publishers find it irresistible to make money through
guide books. This is a juncture where everyone should intervene- a parent
should not let his child go for guide books; a teacher must make a policy No Guide books; Concerned offices should
check the publication and sale of guide books; Students must try to learn for
life and not merely for exams; and of all, Writers and publishers must think
twice before bringing out a colorful yet futile book which will have more
drawbacks than rewards.
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