Government’s decision to focus on learning outcomes is commendable

Government’s decision to focus on learning outcomes is commendable

The government’s decision to focus on learning outcomes in schools is commendable. However, the decision to put in place top-down, class-wise, subject-wise learning outcomes for all elementary classes has the potential to undo the gains made by programmes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
Learning outcomes are statements of what a student should know and understand after completion of a process of learning. The pace at which a child learns is a function of the development of his/her cognitive ability. This is determined by socioeconomic background and the educational attainment of the parents, apart from what happens in the classroom.
The bulk of the primary school students are first-generation learners with little by way of family educational resources. They are handicapped with a learning disadvantage right from the beginning. However, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan shows that notwithstanding the parents’ low educational attainments, they are immensely supportive of their children attending school. It is parental support that helped achieve near-total enrolment. Efforts to improve learning have to build on this support. Inability to meet set goals should not end up discouraging students from returning to school.
Giving variations in cognitive development, it would be more productive to set longer-term learning outcome targets, for instance, by end of primary school or Class IV, giving students the flexibility to learn at their own pace without the stigma of being slow or failing. It will allow teachers to devise learning and assessment programmes tailored to the students’ need, focusing on augmenting ability without sacrificing learning. A system that is flexible and responsive to the student profile will, naturally, call for high levels of accountability, as well.