Comparative Analysis of Teacher Education in India and Pakistan - Essay Example

?Teaching Styles College Introduction Many schools in both India and Pakistan still use the traditional methods of teaching. This is because of the influences that the religion has on the education systems. These two countries are experiencing the same challenges when it comes to the teaching styles. The traditional teaching styles in which the students are not involved in class discussion are still the major snags. Many schools in these countries are trying to use the modern teaching styles. Others have flourished in changing the modern styles but others are still bound to the traditional styles. Nonetheless, there are differences and similarities between the teaching styles used between India and Pakistan. This paper will focus on these differences and similarities between the teaching styles. Additionally, this paper will argue the endorsements made by the teachers on these teaching styles. Some of the theoretical fields that this paper contemplates include connexion between the teaching styles and the national identity and development theories Analysis Traditional teaching methods are ruining the education system in Pakistan. The country is trying to replace these methods with the modern methods. In the past, Pakistan teaching styles have been focusing on the use children as the raw materials to be processed by the teachers. These teachers are considered to be technical and their main purpose is to fill knowledge to the students who are believed to have empty minds. The teaching styles used are more of teacher-centred and students rarely participate in the class discussion. Teachers speak in the classes without students being involved in the discussions. This makes classes boring since students are just there having no impact on the class discussion. These lectures are very long and dismal since one person, the teacher, is talking. In this teaching, teacher comes to class and asks a student to read a topic in a certain book and that is the end of the class discussion. This is very shallow since there is no discussion on the themes that the topic covered. The students are left to study on their own without any guidance from the teacher. Teachers do not explain anything to the students. This is considered as a wrong method of teaching. Furthermore, the students’ control is poor (Krishna, 2002 pp. 45). This problem of teaching students for the sake of passing exams is similar to the one the Indian teaching style is going through. India’s teaching style is more of exams and marks driven than knowledge gain. Students just study to pass their exams and to get good grades to push them to the other levels. It is not a must that these students gain the right knowledge that they can apply in their daily lives situations. One is considered skilful if he or she passed the exams and got good grades. This makes students to focus on the exams. Students do not read books they know they cannot be tested in the exams. Their minds are narrowed to passing the exams. This results to production of graduates who do not have skills to be used in the real world (Keay & Karve, 2004 pp.78). Teaching styles in Pakistan do not allow students to study for their own. Students are given fixed syllabuses and they cannot deviate from them. Teaching methodologies and timetables are also fixed. Students are required to follow all these rules (Keay & Karve, 2004 pp.78). Failure to adhere to them will make them fail the exams. Students should be allowed to study on their own at times since they will learn to work independently from the teachers. This skill will also enable them learn to work independently in future. This means that this teaching style is exams driven and students are required to follow the syllabus if they want to pass their exams. Indian teaching styles also lack creativity. There are many factors that cause this problem. One of the factors is that these styles lack scientific creativity. These teaching styles are fully theoretical. They lack practical parts. Science subjects are taught just like the others which do not have practical parts. Students are not given room to ask the teacher questions. Teachers lecture in class and they go without being asked questions by the students. This is similar to the Pakistan teaching style where the students are not allowed to ask the teachers questions. This Indian teaching style does not enable students to develop skills required in the outside world (Akhtar, 2007 pp. 270). One of the factors that cause this problem is that teaching also lack skills to use in teaching these students. These problems originate from the teacher education in their colleges. These teachers have low quality teaching skills and they cannot teach students as required. Teachers have made teaching profession a profession of the last resort. They only teach as they look of better jobs outside. Lack of creativity in India teaching styles is similar to the teaching style used in Pakistan where teachers are required to teach in class yet they have no idea of what they are teaching. Teachers are given break up of syllabus by the school administrator. These teachers will follow the syllabus although they have no idea on what they are teaching. They have nothing to add to the syllabus. This method of learning is referred to as rote learning. The teacher manages the class by following the administrator’s guidelines. This precludes the teacher from applying the skills gained during their training (Albalooshi, 2003 pp. 89). Teachers in Pakistan schools believe that competition motivates students to work hard in their studies. Students are not allowed to cooperate with the others. They believe that individual studies will differentiate those who are studying from the lazy ones. This statement is misleading students. This because competition will make students avoid sharing knowledge with others. This reduces the cooperation between them. This competition will affect students’ personalities and they might end up being mean for the rest of their lives. These students compete to ensure that they are ranked the best in their exams. Their main aim is to pass the exams. They will lack skills to apply in the fields of study. This is a major problem experienced in Pakistan where many students would like to be ranked well than others. This competition makes the students stop sharing some knowledge with others for the sake of preventing them from being challenged (Krishna, 2002 pp. 45). Teaching styles in India makes students more cooperative than competitive. Indian children would prefer cooperation rather than competition. This is because they believe that competition will make others look more superior to the rest yet they like being equal. When one student answers a question wrongly, no other student will correct him or her because they do not want to look better than the one who gave a wrong answer. These Indian children have been taught to learn in a cooperative way and this might bring a big problem if they enter a more competitive class in other schools in the world. They avoid individual competition. Their culture has taught them how to work as a community and they still apply these cultural activities in their classes. They view competition as an unfair activity that can humiliate other students who may look inferior in their studies. However, Indian students are more cooperative than the Pakistan students (Smith, 1994 pp. 98). Teaching style in India tend to avoid the effects that culture can bring to the education sectors. The teaching styles would prefer students to be more competitive but culture taught them on their cooperation with rest. These seem to be two contradicting ideas. Indian traditions taught children using visual strengths but the current teaching style teachers introduces new concept and ideas verbally. This means that teachers require students to respond to the concepts verbally. This brings misunderstandings between the teachers and the students who are fond to cultural ways of response. Textbooks used for teaching in these two countries have created great hatred between the two. These textbooks have been used to feed the minds of students in these countries with negative imaginations. The main aim of these textbooks is to create animosity and hatred between these two countries. Indian books have prejudiced view of minorities that includes Muslims. On the other hand, Pakistani books generate hated against the Indians and Hindus. These books are written for particular purposes but not for education. Recommendations There are many recommendations that have been made by teachers concerning the teaching styles. These recommendations have been made to ensure that students are taught in the way the other students in the world are taught. India has made many recommendations on the teaching styles. First and foremost, Indian school population have gone very high. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that the quality of teaching system is improved to ensure that these students can compete with the other students from the whole world. Another recommendation that has been is that teacher-centred teaching style should be avoided. Students should be involved in the class discussions to ensure they can share ideas with the rest. This will also boost their confidence when they go to the outside market. Indian classes have age variations and multiple classes sit in the room. Therefore, teachers should be equipped practically to ensure that all students are attended equally (Hillger, 2005 pp.175). It has also been recommended in India that teachers should understand the background of the students well. This ensures that teachers get to know the background knowledge and experiences of the students. Teachers should know that some students do not like being spotlighted more especially in front of others. Students also should be allowed to interact in class. This will ensure that they share ideas and also this will foster cooperation among them. It has also been recommended that Indian teaching styles should be wide and detailed to ensure that students do not read just for exams but to gain general knowledge that can be used in the daily life (Kiran, 2010 pp. 143). In Pakistan, it is recommended that students during summer should be regrouped in camps. This ensures that students review textbooks on their own. This ensures that they share formation among themselves. It is also recommended that Pakistan teachers should be trained well. This ensures that they gained enough skills that will enable them use in class. Teachers should also be motivated well by increasing their salaries. This will make the comfortable when they are teaching. Both India and Pakistan have never studied on the role of teachers in the changing mind-sets of students. It is therefore required that teachers should be seen as the ones to change the mind-sets of students (Mansoor, 2005 pp.85). Education policies Indian government have put policies in place. These policies ensure all students access quality education in all parts of the country. Some organisations like Pratham works together with government schools found it the city slums. They run programmes called Balawadi and Balasakhi. Balasakhi is a remedial programme whereby a teacher remains to each student on mathematics and languages using packages developed by Pratham. On the other hand, Balawadi prepares students using some methods which will make them enjoy school life without dropping. Pakistan has introduced a policy that ensures that all children can get education. This policy is referred to as Educational for All. This will ensure that quality of education should improve by 2015. National Educational Policy (1990-2000) was put in place to ensure that follow some rules and regulations. Conclusion Therefore, Indian and Pakistani teaching styles have many similarities and a few differences. Teaching styles in these two countries have greatly been affected by the traditional method of learning. Religion and culture are other factors affecting teaching styles. This is seen where culture teaches children to be cooperative but this will affect them in class. These students will try to apply the cooperation in class although it is not applicable in some parts. Sometimes classes require competition and these students cannot participate in these competitions. However, Indian and Pakistani teaching styles need to be changed to ensure that their students can compete with the other students in the world. Bibliography KEAY, F. E., & KARVE, D. D. (2004). A history of education in India and Pakistan. 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Lall, Marie-Carine (2008) Educate to Hate: the Use of Education in the Creation of Antagonistic National Identities in India and Pakistan. Compare: A Journal of Comparative Education, 38 (1). Pp. 103-119. ISSN Print: 0305-7925 Online: 1469-3623. http://eprints.ioe.ac.uk/4020/1/Lall2008Educate_to_Hate103.pdf. Read More