I’ve been teaching college students and schoolchildren for almost six years, and I’ve come to the conclusion that mentoring and coaching are more important than teaching. Since 2016, I’ve taught many classes, but I’ve never been able to figure out why our kids are so lost in their studies and confused. Actually, their underpinnings are where the confusion lies.
Finally, after having teaching experience, I came to the conclusion that the current uncertainty and issues affecting our youngsters are due to the educational system.
The first factor is the for-profit schools that are constructed on public property. Another factor is the lack of education among school teachers. The majority of parents in Pakistan cannot pay the minimal tuition fees for decent schools, which range from 10,000 to 15,000 rupees, leaving them with little choice but to send their children to street schools, where the majority of the teachers are girls who matriculated from these schools.
These females can no longer travel far from home, therefore if they want to work and make some money, they believe the school closest to where they live is the best option. And even if there are any senior teachers, their exclusive focus is on instructing schoolchildren at home, where they make considerably more money than they do from the school, and the future of the children or the education of these teachers has just as much to do with our well-being as our governments do.
Additionally, whether male or female, teachers who work in schools often succeed in finding employment and thereafter try their luck elsewhere. They do not enter this field as a hobby or as a last resort, however. The majority of these lecturers lack experience; for instance, they are just knowledgeable about engineering and MBBS. They are unaware of the city’s universities, fields, upcoming technology, and the connections between what I am teaching and the children’s future.
At the secondary level, it is crucial to inform the youngster about all these things. Along with this, it is crucial to teach “goal setting” so that they can go forward on a path, but regrettably, if these lousy teachers lack their own objectives, what will they teach the children?
The Oxford syllabus, which is taught in the majority of our small and large schools and whose English books alone will give an educated person the impression that all they know about English is the alphabet soup, is the best example of this problem in these institutions. Shakespeare is introduced to students in English literature as early as the sixth grade, which is well above the level of even a graduate student, but these unfortunate children are still being taught the required material by matriculation and interpass teachers.
They are unable to read these English texts, and they never instruct anyone in the language. Now the poor parents see that even though their child is learning in a very sophisticated English medium, even after matriculation, he is unable to write ten lines on a straightforward topic like “My Aim In Life.” Let me tell you that scientific laboratories and computer labs are absent from these schools like extinct dinosaurs from the planet when it comes to science, based on my six years of experience and observation of numerous schools.
In all of these instances, the youngster is unable to write four or five lines of English or learn science, despite the fact that the entire curriculum is taught in English. Despite this, more than 50% of students cannot attend college, and those who can do so do not know why they should work in this industry.
Now, if we discuss the big schools, the situation there is likewise depressing since even there, the teacher’s academic skill is valued over his or her ability to teach. A competent teacher should guide the youngster as part of their investigation. It covers topics like memory tricks, learning styles, and the best colleges, universities, and professions, among other things. The child’s aptitude should be discovered by the teacher. He must be aware of what the pupils like.
Even people with master’s degrees and bachelor’s degrees now find teaching to be their last resort because there are typically not many positions available in businesses for those with these degrees in the field. Here, it is important to realize that a child’s O Level or Matriculation phase is the most crucial since it lays the groundwork for their future education and is the only problem in our country where the “RATA” system is used.
“Focused and far-reaching career counseling and goal setting do not exist and the reason for this is that the teachers themselves are not aware of all this.”
Although these issues won’t be resolved very soon, we can still take some proactive steps.
First, if you are a teacher, please keep yourself up to date, learn everything you can to better yourself, and guide the child, as what a child becomes is dependent upon you. The child has to be motivated, and it is your duty to provide him with the same guidance that you would give to your own child.
If you are a parent, either you or a professional should coach your child about their job. (Also, avoid listening to motivational speakers.) The best way to help your child out of this situation is to mentor them both in and outside of the classroom. To prevent your child from getting forgetful or confused, this coaching must begin at a very young age.
