By Heirtami Paswet
I recently had the pleasure of interacting with science students at a local government higher secondary school in my town. My first interaction was with the Class 11 students, and I was elated to see the hunger in their eyes for knowledge and their hopes for a bright future. As a Physicist, I encouraged them to maintain this spirit as it would help them do well in their future studies in science and technology. I was also delighted to see them answer my questions with excitement―their enthusiasm was contagious.
This “visit” happened to coincide with the commencement of the academic session for the fresh Class 11 batch, which explains the enthusiasm among these students. I then paid another visit to their Class 12 counterparts. These students had been there for over a year, so I naturally expected their enthusiasm to be even more contagious, as science is an interesting subject. But I was utterly shocked by the unresponsiveness and lack of interest in the classroom. It was as if the whole class was mute. Their eyes did not have the sparkle that was palpable in their Class 11 counterparts. They were also unable to answer the most basic of questions, which they should have mastered by now. I continued interacting although most students were not interested at all.
I then had a conversation with the faculty members and was appalled to learn about the examination performance of science students. I was shown the answer scripts of previous Physics examinations and lost count of the number of zeros and single digit scores that appeared. This revelation has left me feeling uneasy. I fear for the future of our students. My mind then flashed back to those joyful Class 11 students. It became apparent that they too might share the fate of their Class 12 counterparts. Within a few months or weeks, they too will lose interest, making their future in science uncertain. I do not want to generalize, but I assume that this is prevalent throughout the state (sans a few good private schools), judging from the recent PGI score for Meghalaya.
So then, what is the cause behind this abysmal performance of science students? During my education at IIT Bombay, I scored A’s, B’s, published a scientific paper and even received C’s and D’s. Like Schrödinger’s cat, I simultaneously know what it feels like to do well and what it feels like not to do well. After seeing the enthusiasm among the freshers, I personally absolve all the students―so, the blame lies elsewhere. I do not want to make assumptions, so I tried to talk to some students and faculty members including the headmaster. From these conversations, I came up with a hypothesis.
As we know that the hard sciences and mathematics are built on axioms and postulates to create models, hypotheses and theorems. Each theorem or model is built on the last and hence it becomes vital to learn basic models, theorems and hypotheses before moving to complex ones. If one desires to understand the chapter, it is essential to understand the chapter just before it, i.e., the chapter. To my shock, lessons are taught randomly. But why? Well, the syllabus is distributed among two or three teachers and each teaches random chapters of their own choosing. This practice undermines students’ ability to understand and can confuse even the brightest among them. Surely, teachers are accomplished individuals who recognize that this practice does not produce positive learning outcomes. So, then why does this practice persist?
The reason behind this may be bad administrative policies. The government assigns multiple teachers to the same subject, possibly to ease individual burdens and to create more jobs for its citizens. Additionally, teachers in different categories are paid differently. This salary disparity among equally qualified peers can foster resentment and prevent any meaningful cooperation, ultimately harming learning outcomes.
In the end, while teachers complete the syllabus and pat themselves on the back, it is the students and their parents who bear the real consequences. To add to this, most of the students I talked to come from poor backgrounds and cannot afford additional help from private tutors. Having been a student myself, I can sympathize with students who have to go through this. These are only a few reasons that I have identified. There could be more. So, it is clear that someone in authority must step forward and fix this most basic of all issues. Once again, as with any hypothesis, I could very well be wrong. One thing, however, is indisputable: Bad performance among science students (at least in my region) is a reality, and an evaluation is necessary. We must hold someone accountable for this bad performance which has persisted for years.
At this point, it is clear that Science and Technology are the future (always have been) and if we want our state to have a share in this economic pie, we must develop a skilled workforce. This will not happen if we have students who lack basic skills in Science and Technology. It is not an exaggeration to say that Meghalaya needs a huge kick to realize its potential. A lot of work needs to be put in to overhaul our education system. This is a hard problem and a recent article by Avner Pariat (“The Difficult Choices Meghalaya Must Make to Reform its Schools”, ST 20-6-25) highlighted the difficult reforms our policy makers must take to revamp our education department.