Education : Seeking Sacred Cows
The term ‘sacred cow’ is one that could be used to describe people’s dearly held beliefs about the ‘right way’, the most ‘effective way’, the ‘only way’ something can be done. This is especially true for education. But the reality is that when we look at the myriad of approaches in a global context (and hold some of them up as the ideal) we cannot fail to recognise that most systems are really nothing more than versions of traditional western approaches which are generally based in the 18th centuries’ industrial revolution. Even in the ones that politicians love to hold up as beacons of excellence are really no more than models that reflect the society they have come to serve or sustain.
In the UK, education has long been the metaphorical football of politicians, keen to claim votes and to reassure the public that they know what is best for us and what is needed to ensure a financially stable and bountiful economy. But we also know that these opinions have been challenged by the very organisations they are supposed to serve, with many umbrella organisations (such as the CBI) arguing that we continue to fail to deliver the key elements a successful and modern developing economy needs.
So what is the ‘right’ approach ? Is it a narrowly focused curriculum that tries to deliver basic skills to a high standard ? Is it a system that delivers a broad based education ? Is it one that focuses on delivery or one that focuses on content ? Is it about skills or about knowledge ? If we in the west think that we have a conundrum, imagine the challenge that many developing and aspiring countries have. What do they need to ensure continued economic growth? How can they achieve this with limited resources and a social structure that does not lend itself easily to change being delivered in a fast and responsive manner ?
One country that is working its’ way through that very dilemma is India. As one of the world’s fastest growing economies it needs to ensure that the growth can continue. But as we know, many developing countries are challenged, even hindered by their colonial pasts. In the case of India, illiteracy amongst adults remains high. Yet international evidence shows us that parental support and involvement in children’s education is one of the so-called ‘success factors’. Additionally, resources remain in short supply. The government has pledged to spend 6% of GDP on education and yet it would appear that it only spends 3.7% at present(i).
Furthermore, it is challenged by a continually growing population and the challenges of poverty both in city areas as well as rural ones. And what of global environmental changes ? Statistics (ii) show us that as the climate changes globally it is usually the poorest who are impacted most. An example of this is in Maharastra state where rainfall has dropped significantly in the last few years, where the monsoons comes later, last for a shorter period and deliver less.
Given that the vast majority of families rely on subsistence farming to survive they are being disproportionately affected as they need their children to walk the three miles to the nearest water supply. Children who are then unable to attend school regularly. This, combined with the fact that schools cost money to attend (even if just for uniforms or books) means that many families are being impacted for a second time. Such issues do not help the country address the need it has to skill its’ people for the future.
For children such as these, education needs to be both intrinsically and extrinsically valuable and relevant. When you can’t eat and your family needs money for medicines or even a dowry, then education comes at best second in the pecking order. The idea of education being the factor that changes lives and prospects later on is of no benefit now. There may be a pay off, but that is too far away to be relevant in the here and now. In the UK there is far too much of an ‘entitlement’ view of education and not a ‘value’ one. Too many of our children and young people need to be pushed into valuing education. But what we need to find is what Charles Leadbetter (iii) calls the ‘pull’ of education — where young people see education as something they need, they desire and want, not something they just get on their life journey.
But what India has in abundance is the desire to find the right solutions, to keep trying and evaluating. One example of this is in Nanded, Maharastra where the local education department spearheaded by Dileep Bansorde (Education Officer, Nanded Waghala City Municipal Corporation) is trying to find what works for them. This large and relatively isolated city has the same challenges as many others elsewhere in the country, with often entrenched views about education and it’s value, about social status and restrictive views about the potential and capacity of children and young people in that community — not to mention the fact that there are at least five dominant ‘first’ languages being spoken there.
One approach they are investing in is the constructivist approach. To be fair, for a long time criticism have been placed at their feet for relying on a ‘rote learning’ methodology, whereupon large classes of children are taught in poorly resourced classrooms by teachers who have limited skills and whose focus may not always be on the issues to hand.
For many, the constructivist has become the ‘sacred cow’ — a phrase more suited to Indian education than our own. At the heart of this ideology is the belief that knowledge cannot be transferred from one mind to another — it needs to be created by the personal efforts of learners and, that it is teachers who have to create the opportunities for that to happen.
Ernst von Glaserfield (iv) describes this approach as being founded on a number of key principles, these being :
- Teaching should involve activities that trigger students own learning
- Teachers need to be able to spark interests in such a way that key aspects of learning can spark natural interests
- Teachers realise that mistakes are not wrong, but are predictable solutions on the way to mode adequate conceptualisations
- That words and concepts may have different meanings or constructs for students depending on their background and social situation and that teachers need to be familiar with these
- That the formation of concepts requires reflection and that is accomplished by conversations amongst students and with the teacher.
Now, it is true that many educational professionals, practitioners and academics would find it hard to disagree with these principles. But their concerns lie in the fact that :
- There is a real potential for knowledge to be wrong (and evidence shows it often is)
- An inherent danger exists in children not being given guidance and not being prompted to question their own conclusions. Intentional education without it is impossible.
- There are some inherent things that simply need to be taught : social justice, equality and democracy for example — without it, societies are in danger of losing their moral and ethical compass.
Whilst there is clearly merit in such an approach, there is also a need for well trained and qualified staff who are able to effectively frame questions and ensure students reach sound conclusions and gain knowledge that is both valuable and relevant — and more importantly accurate. The question is whether or not these conditions exist for this method to be as effective as it pro-ports to be.
The Government of India has long recognised the significant impact of technology in schools. The prime minister (v) in 2015 challenged every community to raise enough money to pay for the installation of one digital classroom in their local school. On average, this equates to R60,000 per community, a fee which covers the cost of the purchase and installation of a projector and a linked pc.
One community just outside of Nanded — Sangvi — has managed to raise the necessary amount and has had their equipment fitted. This is an incredible achievement for a poor community, one which they are justifiably proud of. So, what made this community want to donate such a challenging amount. Simply — pride, value and leadership. Pride in their collective achievement. A recognition of the value of education and some outstanding leadership by the Headteacher — Mr Parekh.
Mr Parekh has achieved some amazing things since he has been in post. He has been able to rally the community behind his mission to put education first, to help them see the school as not just a part of, but at the core of their community.
The installation of such technology in such impoverished circumstances is truly impressive, but the questions that remain with me are the ‘why’ and the ‘how’. Firstly, why do they believe that such a moderate set-up will raise standards and help improve outcomes for pupils there and secondly, how will they get real value and impact out of it with little to no training and support in how to achieve effective educational outcomes through that medium.
The world’s press and educational community have often pondered the challenge and relevance of deeply held religious views and the often linked views about the purpose of education. This has two stems of thought : firstly, the views held in some Muslim communities that faith based education is all that is needed for life’s journey in that it provides an ethical and practical basis upon which life can be lived as well as a judicial and marital framework in some cases; secondly, the view that the education of a girl is of secondary importance to that of boys. Dileep Bansorde recognises both these challenges in some of the communities in his city. But again what he has done is to try and address the concerns through his constructivist approach and by establishing more flexible school provision where learning is student-directed and in most cases facilitated by women from the community — all of whom are learning at the same time.
Although it is still early days for his interventions to be evidently successful, the signs are good. Attendance is higher than previously and those choosing to attend look excited and keen to learn — they have intrinsically latched onto the value of learning and have impacted externally by helping their mothers, sisters and nieces to challenge their illiteracy.
There are those that believe that a clear, radical and national educational strategy would work and more importantly is the only way to ensure that the workforce of the future is as skilled and adaptable as it needs to be. However, if there is anything that we have learnt in the last thirty years in education it is that what really causes success is not always apparent. In fact, evidence tells us that difference — local flexibility and recognition of that communities ‘uniqueness’ — a clarity of purpose and effective leadership — are the real winners. There is, and there never was, a magic formula for educational success. What we do know is that we need a real educational revolution — not simply different tests or a different curriculum — we need a chance to find out what works for us in our communities.
After many years of working in education in the UK and being subject to the whims of politicians and those others ‘who know better’, as well as having experienced education in many parts of the globe, I believe we need a framework of educational entitlement — one which is both adaptive and responsive. It needs to recognise the needs of both local and national communities, as well as recognising the long term goals and wishes for that society. BUT it must also have at it’s heart a recognition that success may be differently defined and a view that there must be an intrinsic ‘pull’ for the participant.
This model outlines my thinking ….
At the very heart of any educational system must be the need for those core human values to be established in us all. It is only when we understand and recognise the value of principles such as equality, democracy, tolerance that we can view our relationships and knowledge in a tangible way.
But secondly, comes the importance of the community core requirements and the aspects of functional necessity. This is where we identify the needs of the community and ensure that these are identified and valued. For example, in a small village in Cumbria there may always be a need for dry-wall stone builders, in a large North American city a need for English teaching so as to support the arrival of Mexican immigrants and in a Brazilian favela the need for structural engineering knowledge to enable individuals to build homes in a safe manner. These core community requirements will vary — they may support traditions that are important to their culture or may help the community to achieve it’s collective goals for change. The aspect of functional necessity is one that recognises that there are some things that people need to simply be able to function as effective citizens within their own society. This may be as singular as learning about internet usage for the elderly in a rural Scottish community or how to use a mobile phone in a Kenyan village. It also recognises that skills such as literacy and numeracy are also key in ensuring that communities are able to engage and benefit from those ‘outside’ of it.
I also identify four additional dimensions : curiosity, challenge, adaptivity and immediacy. These are classified as being the bits that bring the other core aspects to life, that give the drive and purpose to what we need. These are characterised as being :
Curiosity : to find value in simply learning about things that have little or no perceived value or importance to us as individuals but which add that ‘extra’ something to our lives. This may be as simple as developing a hobby or interest or may be the desire to learn about things that simple ‘take our fancy’ and ‘excite us’.
Challenge : humans do not often look for the ‘hardest path’ — we are too often satisfied with a ‘that’ll do’ approach. And yet, it often in the most difficult of circumstances and challenges that we find our real skills and abilities. We all need to be challenged to go further and to think about things from a different perspective.
Adaptivity : as people journey through life, their expectations, their needs and their curiosity will change. Additionally, so will the way in which we can find out or access that information or develop those skills. Who would have believed only twenty years ago that we would now routinely go online to manage many aspects of our life — from booking holidays to messaging friends all over the world to learning how to tie a bow tie. As time progresses those responsible for planning educational delivery need to recognise these changes and be able to respond to them.
Immediacy : education is often seen as ‘do now, benefit later in life’ process. We often tell young people that education will get you a better job later on or that it will prepare you for adulthood. Whilst these ideals are not necessarily untrue, they do not recognise the fact that in many communities pressures exist now and the decision as to whether or not to attend school is happening today. The choice of helping your family feed itself now or going to school, whose benefit is not immediately tangible, is an easy choice. Education needs to be more flexible in terms of when, where and how. It also needs to have a benefit NOW.
An example may be that you learn the skills of woodwork — which can be used now and brings an immediate financial benefit — as well as learning numeracy and literacy skills alongside. The functional essentials are taught through the methodology.
What I have outlined here is not at all new, but it hopes to identify the basis upon which educational provision could be planned and measured. It does not seek to suggest a methodology or a structure — these need to be tailored to individual communities and societies, taking account of their infrastructures, their cultural strengths and their own unique circumstances and opportunities.
What we see in Nanded is a real desire to make a difference, to identify the blockers and to find ways to knock them down. Whether or not this is the ‘sacred cow’ and has the impact it intends is not necessarily so important. What really matters is the commitment to finding an approach that works and ensuring that the potential of human kind is more likely to be realised.
