Rajib Roy finds out why students in Meghalaya dread mathematics
FOR MOST students in Meghalaya, mathematics is a moster. And with the SSLC (Secondary School Leaving Certificate), HSSLC (Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate) and degree level examinations commencing this quarter, the fear for mathematics is telling more on the students’ faces.
Educationists and professions have blamed poor selection of textbooks by the state education department and dearth of good mathematics teachers as the key problems. The tendency of students to memorize the mathematical theorems and formulae instead of comprehending them add to the problem.
Pratap Shrivastava, a professor of business administration of a private university said the damage is done at the school level. “Schoolteachers are instilling fear in the young minds by offering long drawn up proofs instead of simplifying them. They virtually force the students to learn by heart without explaining properly how the answer has been arrived at,” he said.
“Mathematics is a very logical subject based on formulae and theories,” Shrivastava said. “Teachers should invest their time to apprise their students of the basics in mathematics necessary for any career option. A computer specialist has to have sound knowledge of mathematics so does an engineer of any stream. The solution to the fear of mathematics does not lie in running away from the subject but in mastered it in the way a student learns art. Not all students are artists, though there are some who are born with such abilities, but they can master it by learning the technicalities of art. Same is the case with mathematics.”
Availability of several help books in the market claiming to provide easy and logical solutions to mathematics is also contributing to student’s irritation for the subject. Such help or guide books are doing no good as more and more students opt for non-mathematics subject combination when they reach 10+2 or degree level. Pynhunlang Lamare, an admission coordinator from a city-based college said very few students opt for mathematics as an honors subject in the degree level. “Thus we have many students in arts stream. Though commerce and science combinations come with mathematics as one of the subjects, these are largely opted for by those who are well versed with mathematics,” he said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during the closing ceremony of National Year of Mathematics to commemorate 125th birth anniversary of legendary mathematician Srinivasan Ramanujan last December, rued the lack of competent mathematicians in India. He also resented the fact that many students do not pursue mathematics in their higher studies despite a natural aptitude for the subject.
“The PM is spot on and Meghalaya is a prime example of mathematical void. I think the government and various IT-centric education fairs should highlight the career opportunities related to mathematics,” said Manoj Kanti Bhattacharjee, whose son is appearing in the upcoming HSSLC examination.
Krishna Mohan Dutta, a retired school headmaster said the tendency of teachers to finish the course anyhow was affecting the students’ ability to comprehend mathematics as well as other subjects. “There are no assignments in classes now like before as teachers are only bothered about finishing the course,” he said.
Witnis Nongspung, guardian of an SSLC candidate, said incompetence in school has been forcing parents to send their wards to private tutors. Madhuri Saha, a private tutor advised understanding of mathematics instead of viewing it as a scoring subject only. “An aspirant of MBA who wants to clear CAT has to know mathematics to take admission into IIMs. It is important to get a hold of the basics,” she said.