PISA vasool this year?
Indian
students did so badly in the 2009 PISA test that they may not sit for
the latest edition of the exam. Officials say the questions don’t
conform to our sensibilities, but experts believe the problem lies in
the way we teach our kids
Shobha John | TNN
The
question seems simple enough. There are four diagrams, each showing
apple and conifer trees. The student is quizzed on the number of trees
in each. One would think it would be a breeze for any 15-year-old.
Another mathematical question shows a farmhouse with the roof in the
shape of a pyramid and appropriate measurements. Students are asked to
calculate the area of the square floor and the length of one of the
horizontal edges of the block. Easy again. So why did Indian students
fare so badly in the PISA (Programme for International Student
Assessment) 2009 test that they were practically at the bottom? The
answer lies in the way we teach in India, say experts.
The HRD
ministry , however, believes these questions were out-of-sync with our
socio-cultural milieu. PISA, incidentally, is an international test
launched by the Organization for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD)
to evaluate mathematical, English and science abilities of students at
the end of compulsory education. It’s done every three years and some 70
countries have taken them. India voluntarily took it in 2009 and 16,000
students were randomly selected by OECD from 400 schools in Himachal
Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, says a senior official of the ministry. But
after the dismal results India’s participation this year now hangs in
balance.
“India is already late for the 2012 test as
preparations began a year in advance. If the questions conform to our
sensibilities, we will take part. We will enter into a correspondence
with OECD before taking a final call,” says the official. But it may
already be too late. The question is: why participate at all if one is not ready for it?
Sunday
Times perused reading, mathematics and science sample tests of PISA.
One reading sample deals with bees (foragers) collecting nectar to make
honey. They tell other bees where the nectar is by a dance performance.
Questions pertain to the purpose of the dance, the three main sources of
nectar and the difference between honey and nectar. It’s obvious most
questions need reasoning skills.
Sydney Rebeiro, former dean,
University of Delhi, says such standardized tests factor in various
levels of education. But the HRD official says these tests would be
difficult for children in rural areas. “If the child hasn’t heard of
airbags, hot air balloons and ATMs, he won’t even attempt those
questions. Also, such detailed questions would be confusing; straight
questions would
work better.” But surely international tests can’t be tailor-made for
each country? Besides, other countries are also taking these tests.
The
answer to India’s poor showing lies in the PISA website itself which
says it does not test how well a student has mastered a school’s
curriculum but assesses the extent to which he can apply his knowledge
to real-life situations. And that’s why the results haven’t surprised
experts.
Vimala Ramachandran, national fellow at the National
University of Educational Planning and Administration, says, “Our
children are very good at rote learning. But higher analytical skills
and comprehension are poor, which is what PISA checks. They need special
coaching for IIT and MBA exams to think differently. There is an
information overload on children.” When the National Curriculum
Framework 2005 attempted to change the education system to a more
analytical way of thinking, it met with resistance from certain states,
she says.
A teacher from Chennai explains the problem in Tamil
Nadu. “In 2010, the state adopted the Samacheer Kalvi system of
equitable education wherein there would be a single board. This lowered
the standard of education. Earlier, different education boards catered
to different intellectual levels of children. Now, even the blueprint
for exam papers is given, so smart kids learn selectively. Children have
no habit of extensive reading nor are they encouraged to think.”
Besides, Tamil Nadu teachers have long hours of work from morning till
evening, so where is the time to encourage analytical thinking, asks
Rebeiro.
China was smart enough to change itself to meet the
challenges of the market economy. The results are there to see. Like
India, it participated in PISA for the first time in 2009. And
surprisingly, Shanghai topped, beating previous contenders like Finland
and South Korea. OECD’s Andreas Schleicher, who was responsible for PISA
tests, reportedly told BBC that the results were remarkable. “Even in
rural areas, you see a remarkable performance,” he noted. It was
reported that when Schleicher visited a poor province in China, the most
impressive buildings were often schools, not shopping centres. And the
amazing thing, as Ramachandran says, is that China, too, had rote
learning but a concerted effort was made to change the curriculum and
the education system.
Does India have the will to change too? If
so, the PISA test could be a valuable lesson for India’s educationists
and policy-makers.
shobha.john@timesgroup.com
|
|
Comments
Post a Comment