Learning Crises is a Moral Crises

(Mehr Parwar, Rawalpindi)

Effective classroom learning is foundation to produce successful human capital. Learning deficiencies brings social exclusion and poverty among individuals. Sadly saying that education implementers show lack of interest in prioritizing classroom learning practices in most of the schools which results in reproducing low performance in basic literacy and numeracy. In this regard The World Bank Report (2018) states that, “In urban Pakistan in 2015, only three-fifths of grade 3 students could correctly perform a subtraction such as 54 – 25, and in rural areas only just over two-fifths could do it”. The world report further depicts that hundreds and millions of children reach to their adulthood without knowing basic reading, writing and calculating skills. Even without having skills of how to write a simple application or, reading a doctor’ prescription. Such deficiencies among individuals tend to show low standards in delivery of performance in any working context. The president World Bank Group Jim Young says that Learning crisis is a moral crisis. Because it bring social injustice, instability and restrictions in development. Resultly many students in developing countries miss opportunities of employment due to not coping with various verbal and written tests and examinations or tend to spend their life by acquiring low wages and inadequate compensations. The individuals whom society is failing most are the ones who must need a good education to get success in their life.

Learning shortfalls during the school years eventually show up as weak skills in later life when individuals inter into a profession. Thus the job skills debate reflects the learning crisis. Because education systems have not prepared workers adequately, many enter in employment with inadequate skills. Recent studies of various countries show very low performance in individuals learning even in basis literacy and numeracy, let alone the more advanced skills. Consequently lack of essential skills affect job quality, earnings, and labor mobility and at the end looing jobs at all.

Contrary schooling with learning produces active and productive individuals and maintains social balance. It promotes employment, earnings, health, and reduces poverty. Learning brings inclusiveness, social harmony and innovations and strengthen institutions for maximizing social benefits at larger level.

How it will be possible for system to overcome low-learning dilemma and reaching towards improvement? We can get learning through several ways;
First and most important thing that, we cannot import wholesale into new contexts, we can use them as starting points for our new innovations by taking initiations from classrooms and schools and from learners’ level. Teachers’ increasing awareness of different learning styles, backgrounds, experiences and learning needs, teaching becomes a more reflective practice. In this way the teacher observes his or her own teaching, what is happening in the learning process and makes a critical assessment as to what is working and what is not. A number of interventions, innovations, and approaches have resulted in substantial gains in learning with new taste tend to boost students and teachers motivation and passion for learning. Systems should critically work on to improve elements such as learners’ preparation, teacher skills and quality of school management as well as financing and resource distribution. Therefore aligning school management from top to bottom to focus their attention towards learning can be fruitful to get award of learning. System managers must have capability to handle technical and political constrains to bring learning into school and classroom.

Second, important factor is sustained commitments to reforming the quality through system level reforms in education. Imperatively need to reform our assessment system like Finland where it topped the assessment. More recently, Chile, Peru, Poland, and the United Kingdom have made serious, sustained commitments to reforming the quality of their education systems has improved learning at great level and is paying off (World Development Report 2018). All have made learning assessment as a serious goal by using results to bring improvement in delivery of education.
 

Mehr Parwar
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