The year in review

Here comes the time when amidst the festive spirit we realise that the year is going to end. Dailies, magazines churn out all the highlights possible of the past year. Everyone tries to summarize the year in their own way. Neighbours gossip about the top rumours, some relive the moments of the past by viewing photos, others go on long vacations making new memories, while the rest plan for the upcoming year to avoid making the same mistakes that were committed in the past. But this isn’t quite the picture for us students. Year after year, drowning in the pool of studies, no one knows when our monotonous fate will witness a change.   

Having said so, 2018 was something that can be called bittersweet. Some goals that were set enthusiastically at the start of the year were achieved while some weren’t. And that’s the case with most of the students and institutions. New curriculums were introduced, new teaching techniques and new institutions were formed. With the start of the academic year, the CBCS that translates to choice based credit system which is relatively new was getting adjusted to the new lot of students. Just like the saying- old wine in a new bottle, an old teaching technique was brought back where the teachers assigned a part of the portion to the students who would then study it and explain the subject matter to the class in the presence of the teacher. Digitals classrooms that was just a dream on paper, was now being implemented. It was also being used by trained teachers in the right way. Changes in places that were necessary were visible such as infrastructure of schools in rural areas, proper sanitation, etc. and were not restricted only to the days of inspection.   

India wouldn’t have been quite the same without the hint of politics, and education sector is no exception. Many schemes and programmes have had a lot of impact on the students. Whether it is solely to gain political attention or for the benefit of the citizens is a different story altogether. But things like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, Swach Bharat Mission, Mid-day meal, schemes for the education of girls, educational loans, etc. made progress this year. Fortunately the cleanliness drive was not limited to only Gandhi Jayanti but lasted all year round. Not all but at least some stopped littering their surrounding and schools. To create awareness, it became one of the most used topics for various competitions along with demonetisation which will be carrying itself in the new year along with other topics that were given this year such as FIFA, paper ban, global climate and many more.   

All of th year wasn’t as rosy  as it seems here though. Assignments are synonymous with just copy pasting information from the internet which ceases its actual purpose. This is the situation with curriculum as well. Do not mistake this as a drawback of the syllabus but as that of the teaching method. In the upcoming year, we would like to see more practical application of the things we learn. I’m not saying theory is not important but the practical part of it certainly doesn’t deserve ignorance. Also, it would be wonderful if the stereotypes would exit from the minds of people. Cleansing our minds of stereotypes is a tricky task. However, once it is done, the results will be a society that has peace and harmony.