From recent statements of former college teachers of Physics it would appear that the MBOSE Science text books for Classes IX–XII are replete with incoherent explanations of principles of Physics. This calls for serious reflection on the part of the State Education Department, instead of burying their ostrich like heads in the sand because they always know better. The least that those manning the Education Department should be doing is to call a meeting of Science teachers from the schools of the city to seek their inputs. Above all, what should concern the Education Department is whether the students who ultimately have to compete for the Joint Entrance Exams (JEE) to the IITs and National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) for medical institutes are competent enough to sit for the excruciatingly demanding all-India exams with the kind of text books that MBOSE is promoting. Why is there a resistance to withdraw the books even when the anomalies are pointed out? Why is Meghalaya hell bent on acquiring books from certain publishers? Why not just adopt the NCERT prescribed books? There has to be a robust social audit on this by the students’ bodies of the state. In fact it is surprising that they are quiet on this issue even while raising several issues that are unrelated to the welfare of our students.
Since music come naturally to tribal students it is time that teachers are exposed to new pedagogies of teaching that use music to enhance the learning capacities of students. According to Howard Gardner, American cognitive psychologist and author, best known for his theory of multiple intelligences, some students learn best through music. So in a regular educational classroom, there are some students who will get a better understanding of their work when music is applied. Early childhood teachers use songs and nursery rhymes to teach reading in their classrooms. Some students are able to remember songs better than spoken words. Using songs and different music components can also help teach mathematics because of the high correlation between music and spatial-temporal reasoning skills. There is a high correlation between learning music and spatial temporal reasoning, which is primarily used for Mathematical skills. Music and Mathematics are closely related because they use identical concepts and skills. Merging the subjects might create a greater connection to help students who are experiencing difficulty in Mathematics.
In the light of the above findings is it not time to make good use of music not just for entertainment but to improve the cognitive abilities of students? This however requires a dynamic ecosystem that is open to change and abhors the status quo. Unfortunately Education too is in the grip of a change-resistant bureaucracy.
