Akangjungla
Education goes beyond reading and writing. The emphasis on quality education, one that is accessible, attainable and affordable, is gaining enormous attention worldwide. Also there are positive movements to pledge for inclusion and inclusive education. At the global level, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015 uphold that achieving inclusive and quality education for all reaffirms the belief that education is one of the most powerful and proven vehicles for sustainable development. The SDGs Goal 4 is Quality Education. This goal ensures that all girls and boys complete free primary and secondary schooling by 2030. It also aims to provide equal access to affordable vocational training, to eliminate gender and wealth disparities, and achieve universal access to a quality higher education. To understand the status and evolution of education; and moreover to reassert the transformative power of education, the process and the goal of delivering and attaining meaningful education are the aspirations of many.
At the heart of education matter is the formal learning- which otherwise are called as schools, colleges and universities. Broadly, the formal leaning institutions are run by state or central government, or private individuals and organisations. As per latest population census, the literacy rate in Nagaland is 79.55 percent. This shows an upward trend. Conversely, the latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2022 informs that almost 1 in 10 of Nagaland’s children in the age group of 14-16 years are not attending schools in rural areas. These two data are coming from completely two different directions and yet, one cannot ignore that there are issues and concerns when it comes to education matter in Nagaland. Here let’s not talk about the policy level for once. For a very long time, the education sector has been sinking deep in very unhealthy conditions plagued with inadequate infrastructure, proxy and substitute teachers, alleged backdoor appointment reflecting on the quality of teaching etc. These are visible mostly in Government run educational institutions. Coming to the private institutions, the criticism is about the expensive fees. It is an indignity to have schools maintaining the status of being the most expensive schools in Nagaland with highest annual fees structures.
Growing up as an educated person is a critical part of life’s journey. Rightly educated people also collectively contribute to the progress to the world around them with their acquired knowledge and values. Being able to provide and influence in the life of a human being can be the most enduring and meaningful occupation in the entire world. It is divine, in the sense that in the pursuit of knowledge, a person become wise and mature, and the path of wisdom always leads to understanding. In 1855 statesman Frederick Douglass said, “It is easier to build strong children than fix broken men.” 168 years later, this statement is a powerful reminder of the positive domino effect a good education can have on everyone. As hard as it is to clean the corrupted system and to correct the mistakes, it is not impossible to start from a self-reflective place. Rather than having to deal with the challenges that come with lack of education, it would be easier to direct the education process to raise good learners of life efficiently. On the eve of Teacher’s Day 2023, the Advisor for School Education and SCERT Dr Kekhrielhoulie Yhome lamented that the Department of School Education in Nagaland was in a total mess, nevertheless expressed the hope that he will be able to bring major positive changes soon. This affirmation gives a glimmer of anticipation and optimism. While the education department and the teachers pave a new path towards the awaited positive change, students need to develop critical thinking, the capacity to reason and learn the right skills to enrich the purpose of living. In this, the parents and guardians have the will to choose the true purpose of education and not to be drifted away by grades and popular cultures.
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