Difficulties Faced By Students in Rural Areas
The biggest challenge faced bystudents in rural areas is the lack of proper infrastructure and the requiredresources. And, when it comes to providing online education in the schools ofrural areas, it seems a far ahead task to do. As our villages are yet notcompletely equipped with modern-day technology like fast internet, electronicdevices, and continuous power supply.
India has 1652 languages, but only 22are officially recognized. And although the Constitution obliges localauthorities to provide mother tongue education in schools (Article 350A of theIndian Constitution), only 43 languages are used at the national level as ateaching aid. The difficulty of deciding which language should be the languageof instruction has also been problematic for ensuring quality education inIndia.
Today, even in rural areas, peopleare aware of the importance of English in the modern world. But the inabilityof public schools to respond effectively to the aspirations of parents andstudents has given private schools the opportunity to thrive. Although many English-medium schools follow a specific directive to teach a student in a ruralarea, the problem is one that teaches Hindi also teaches mathematics becausethe position of mathematics teacher is vacant. So, first, we need to improvethis scenario.
In small villages, teachers have only a working knowledge of English. As a result, “Studentssuffer academically because some teachers only have grade 10 or 12qualifications," explains Vinod from Kolkata. Teachers must have at leasta degree in education for teaching the lower classes and a bachelor's degree ineducation for the upper classes.
The majority of teachers receive onlyRs 5,000 per month as a salary in rural private schools, which makes itextremely difficult to attract reasonably skilled talent. The difficultlanguage used in textbooks poses the problem of recruiting quality teachers.Textbooks in English were written keeping in mind English medium schools inurban areas. These books are not suitable for students or teachers in ruralareas. These factors lower teaching standards in English-medium schools inrural areas, resulting in student’s low academic performance (below theirpotential).
The challenges faced by middle-levelEnglish-medium students in rural areas go beyond the quality of teachers.Another major problem faced by rural student who wishes to study in English isthe lack of English language schools beyond the elementary level in theirareas. As a result, after receiving English language education up to grade 8,most students are forced to opt for the vernacular medium.
The language used in vernaculartextbooks does not help students in higher education or in the job market.These books were written on the assumption that students will pursue theirhigher studies in their vernacular medium. In the current semester system thatprevails at the university level, students are compelled to take their exams inEnglish within two months of their admission to college. This poses impossiblechallenges for unprepared students, which affects their job prospects -especially in the social sciences, which rely heavily on the command of thelanguage used for the expression of thoughts.
The Bottomline
Due to the lack of quality teachingfacility and other necessary resources in rural areas, students find it verydifficult to understand the subtleties of the subject and to write theiranswers meaningfully in English. Poor performance in higher education or in thejob market gives impetus to the idea that school education should be in theEnglish language.
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