Indian education needs greater thrust on skill and personality development: Survey

AHMEDABAD: Indian teachers have voiced their opinions on the current state of India’s learning environment through ‘Pearson Voice of Teacher Survey 2014’. They feel that half of the students (50%) entering a class or grade lack the skills (academic, cognitive and vocational) required for that level, signifying low orientation of the system on skill development. 

This is further substantiated as majority of the teachers (92%) believe that India’s assessment system, primarily, focuses on exam results. In fact, teachers consider skill and personality development (94%) as the most important benchmark for measuring learner success, followed by preparedness for higher education and job (83%) and lastly the test and exam results (57%). 

For achieving the desired learning outcomes, the survey reveals that teachers are least satisfied with the support they receive from parents (54%) and policymakers (55%). 

Released on the occasion of Teachers’ Day, Voice of Teacher Survey is an annual initiative of Pearson, the world’sleading learning company. The survey focuses on topical issues facing Indian education sector and shares teachers’ perspective on the changing dynamics of the ecosystem. The 2014 edition of the survey focuses on the education system’s ability to drive learner outcomes and the challenges facedin achieving the same. 

The survey represents the views of 5145 teachers from schools and higher education institutes across 247 cities and towns in India. 

However the silver lining of the findings showed in teacher’s (79%) belief that the learning environment has improved over the past decade. The perception varies by segment/ level – school teachers view the changes more favorably (93%) vis-a-vis their counterparts in higher education (71%). 

The survey also reveals that the teachers consider real-life and practical exposure (63%) as the key factor in driving learning outcomes, followed by technology integration into teaching (51%), training on new methodologies (49%) and improved curriculum and assessment framework (44%).