Reflection: Education In Jaunsar

Education in the Jaunsari Region

Education is an essential component to the growth and progress of any society. The World Bank reports that an educated society has fewer child marriages, better family planning, better hygiene, and more political participation. Over a period of 3 weeks the SIHI students have been able to get a first-hand perspective of the education system in the Jaunsari region and compare it to the education system back in Canada.

Boys and Girls

The SIHI students encountered many differences between the education of girls and boys in the school system of the Jaunsari region. In a typical classroom in the region, boys and girls sit separately on different sides of the room. This may lead to fewer behavioral problems. In Canada, on the other hand, boys and girls mix freely in most schools, and many obedience problems there can be found within boy-girl interactions. In Canada, single sex schools are becoming more and more common.

We were also surprised that in many schools we visited, girls rarely or never option for the math field. At one school that has been running for almost 30 years, no girl ever opted for math. On the other hand, no boy at that school ever took Home Science. This is not necessarily because of the education system; the teachers at the school expressed that they believed that girls were as capable of mathematics as boys, but that many girls feel uncomfortable in a classroom of mostly boys, because of the boy-girl separation that Jaunsari culture encourages.

Instructional Methods in the Jaunsari Classroom

Most Jaunsari schools are forced to operate on a small budget while teaching hundreds of students. In many of the classrooms, a teacher supervises 40 or more students at one time, putting a strain on how much time she can devote to each individual student. In one village school that we encountered, 2 teachers supervise 70 students, and when one teacher goes on leave, the other is forced to manage all the students. In contrast, Canadian classrooms usually do not exceed 30 students.

Many Jaunsari teachers employ a “repeat-after-me” approach to teach a large number of students at once, either writing on the blackboard or saying something that the students are then expected to repeat. The lesson plans move in a methodic and predictable manner. There is some interaction between teacher and student, when the teacher may call upon a student to answer a question or read a passage. There is rarely misbehavior in the classroom, and if it appears, the misbehaving student is warned for his behavior. If he continues his misbehavior, he may be reprimanded physically with a light slap.

In Canada, the classroom instruction often involves more classroom interaction. Students are often asked to give presentations to the class at an early age, such as putting together a poster board with information about a certain subject, such as different countries in the world. There are also activities that are considered fun and relaxed, such as “story time” (where the teacher reads a story to the class) and “show and tell” (when students bring in something to class and talk about it). There are often more behavioral problems among Canadian students, as there is less of a sense of respect that a student has towards his teacher. If a child misbehaves, the teacher will usually give him a warning, and if the behavior is repeated, send the child to the office.

Access to Resources

The SIHI students found that many Jaunsari schools are lacking the resources to provide a quality curriculum in the higher grades. Many schools were lacking toilet facilities, and the students and teachers were forced to use the bushes. Some schools were not able to offer higher-level science courses because they did not have the necessary teachers or laboratory equipment, dissuading many students from eventually going into professions such as medicine and engineering.

By doing this, the girls feel more comfortable in their group and the boys feel more comfortable in theirs. In Canada, on the other hand, boys and girls mix freely in the classroom.

The Jaunsari Area in which the SIHI Program has conducted an appreciative inquiry has an extensive educational system including Grades 1 to 12, allowing students to meet the prerequisites for higher education such as medicine, law, and engineering.

By SIHI 2007 (student?)