The Idea of Students' Development

Muhammad Abdullah Javed
September 14, 2023

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The true essence of educational process is that it continues with sustained progress and ends up with holistic development. In the pursuit of students’ progress, we often evaluate their performance with emphasis on improved test and exam results. However, in reality, the educational journey that students embark ultimately demands their comprehensive development, of which performance in exams is just one aspect. If one fails to recognise the other aspects of this process, students may in the long-run appear to be ill-equipped to solve their own problems. The proper utilization of their inbuilt soft skills may not always be possible to them. Therefore, focussing on the overall development of students becomes essential. This involves nurturing students, by cementing their growing age at the school premises, to emerge with abundant energy and enthusiasm to face the world. Students' comprehensive development can be of three dimensions: academic, moral, and social.

1) Academic Development

By academic development we mean (a) knowledge-enhancement (b) excellence and (c) knowledge-application.

(a) Knowledge: With the gradual advancement of the classes, students must expand their knowledge base. Students should not be seen as vessels for storing information; instead, they should embody the true essence of education. Else, there remain no distinction between a machine and a human being. The topics taught in any subject are brimming with information. When a teacher succeeds in transforming this information into understanding through effective teaching methods, it becomes knowledge that retains in students' memories for longer periods. Therefore, classroom lectures should not be restricted to the mere transmission of information; rather, they should be imbued with the art of transforming information into knowledge. As a result, students will grasp the essence of conceptual understanding, cultivate a culture of healthy argument and develop critical thinking skills.

(b) Excellence: The knowledge acquired through gradual process exerts a vigorous impact and enables students to excel in whatever they do. Therefore, focusing solely on scoring marks can impede their pursuit of excellence. This needs to be taught and should be considered as a parameter to gauge students' performance. From maintaining a decent physical appearance to excelling in both academic and non-academic activities, all aspects need to be in view to make excellence a synonymous with their persona.

(c) Application: The pragmatic approach towards acquired knowledge is pivotal when considering its beneficial aspects. Often, this aspect remains veiled from students, as at times they encounter difficulties in applying the knowledge they have acquired over the years. The knowledge-application aspect serves to identify the authenticity of education and paves the way for improvisation of teaching and learning methodologies. Knowledge acquired with excellence must be synchronized with its practical application. This enables students to know various answers to the question: What can students actually do with the knowledge they gain in every class?

2) Moral Development

The process of moral development for students is like teaching them how the wings of birds enable them to fly and soar high in the skies. The flip side of excellent performance is high moral standards. This implies that students have two sides: one sports their academic performance, and the other reflects their high moral standards. The moral development also has three prong prerequisites: 

(a) Self-awareness: The process of moral development begins with self-awareness. When students know who they are, the rest follows in accordance with their understanding. It sets them on untiring and exemplary journey towards excellence. By self-awareness we mean enabling students recognize their strengths and weaknesses and empowering them with the ability to enhance their strengths and overcome their weaknesses.

(b) Righteous deeds: It can serve as a parameter of one's moral character. The extension of being in good conduct involves performing good deeds. It's about benefiting others, lending a helping hand, speaking the truth, and even a simple smiling gesture….all have the power to exert a positive impact on others.

(c) Duty towards fellow being: It is the natural extension of moral deeds; it involves recognizing one’s obligation to others. The pinnacle of morality is when the people in one's vicinity benefit from either words or deeds. Morality can be summarized as 'loving for others what one loves for oneself. These shades of morality can be summarized as spirituality with the aid of which a person finds proximity with the God.

3) Social Development

Socializing students means synchronizing them with their surroundings. Every aspect, whether related to themselves, their homes, or society, has enormous potential for their educational and moral development. Socially aware students always fall under our jurisdiction. This jurisdiction doesn't rely solely on the four walls of an institution; rather, the entire city where students live becomes a kind of virtual school. Students perceive their surroundings in the way we guide them. When they leave their homes, they view every nook and corner and the surroundings through our perspectives. The influence of the school extends far beyond its physical walls, and the teaching and training process begins the moment students leave their homes.

This socialization requires a mentality of owning everything. Every person is connected to them. From the executives living in high-rise buildings to the individuals residing in small localities, to the beggars who extend their hands to earn a livelihood, all are interconnected with them in one way or another. This owning mentality helps students adopt realistic perspective. The high-rise executives can inspire them to dream big, while the beggars can motivate them to step forward and address this social evil. Their vision will be inclusive of a mission of serving people, and their earnings will be dedicated to the well-being of others through selfless service. This way, the dearth of highly qualified and educated individuals in small villages can be mitigated. This approach can encourage students to consider constructing their societies and actively contribute to the progress of the country in all spheres.

This idea of students’ development can help us make our teaching and learning system more efficient and foster a competitive spirit among both students and teachers alike.

The author is the Director of AJ Academy for Research and Development, Raichur. [email protected] 

Comments

Zaheer Ahmed
 - 
Saturday, 16 Sep 2023

Very well written article and very informative. Covered the topics in all the aspects and dimensions...

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News Network
May 10,2024

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The Supreme Court Friday granted interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till June 1 in the excise policy case.

The top court, however, stated that it will be passing a detailed order over the matter soon.

On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate had opposed the move to grant interim bail to Kejriwal saying that “any special concession” to him will “amount to anathema to the rule of law and equality… thereby creating two separate classes in the country viz. ordinary people, who are bound by the rule of law as well as the laws of the country, and politicians who can seek exemption from the laws”.

The ED had arrested Kejriwal on March 21 in the excise policy case.

“The right to campaign for an election is neither a fundamental right nor a constitutional right and not even a legal right,” the ED said, maintaining that to its knowledge, “no political leader has been granted interim bail for campaigning even though he is not the contesting candidate”.

After the ED filed its affidavit, the AAP, in a press release, said, “The legal team of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP National Convenor, Shri Arvind Kejriwal, has raised strong objection to the affidavit filed by the Enforcement Directorate opposing interim bail in the Supreme Court.”

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News Network
May 18,2024

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Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and other state ministers on Saturday rubbished allegations about their role in the circulation of pen drives containing explicit videos involving Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna.

BJP leader and advocate G Devaraje Gowda, who is in custody after being arrested in a sexual abuse case and is also facing charges of video leak, on Friday alleged that Shivakumar and four other ministers are behind the circulation of the pen drives and was being fixed in false cases as he did not agree to be part of their plan.

He has even alleged that he was offered Rs 100 crore by Shivakumar to "bring a bad name" to the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and to tarnish the image of JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy in Prajwal Revanna's obscene video case.

Speaking to reporters here, Shivakumar said, "Better, let him (Gowda) file a case before Lokayukta or any other agency. I think he has some problems mentally. I'm very sorry, the national and state media shouldn't have picked up such baseless allegations. A person who is in jail, how can he make such allegations? All these are baseless. I don't want to comment." 

Asked if he will be filing any defamation case against Gowda, he said, "I don't want to make any comment or speak on a person who is mentally sick. I appeal to his party people to get him a good treatment." Shivakumar also asserted that his government's commitment to get justice for women victims of the sexual abuse case, and expressed confidence about the Special Investigation Team's (SIT) ongoing probe.

While being taken from court in Hassan, Gowda on Friday spoke to media and alleged that Shivakumar is behind pen drive case, and a team of four Ministers -- N Chaluvarayaswamy, Krishna Byre Gowda, Priyank Kharge and another minister -- was formed to handle this, with an intention to bring bad name to BJP, PM Modi and Kumaraswamy.

He said Shivakumar had asked him to say that Kumaraswamy is behind the distribution of pen drives, but as he did not agree to it, he is being fixed in false cases.

Minister Priyank Kharge said Gowda has alleged that three responsible ministers in the state government were part of a team and that there was a conspiracy. "We will discuss whatever legal course, we will take it." 

"Devaraje Gowda might be doing this to defame Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah. If he had a Rs 100 crore offer, he should have told Amit Shah (Union Home Minister) and get it investigated. He could have got CBI, ED, or IT raids done. Why didn't he do it? Claims have been made that he (Gowda) was sent Rs 5 crore as advance at a club, let them get CCTV footage and see who were all there," Kharge said.

While speaking to reporters here, he further said Gowda is a lawyer. When he was deposed before the Judge he should have told about the documents he has and should have presented to the court.

Minister Chaluvarayaswamy said allegations about the role of Shivakumar and a team of ministers being formed to oversee the circulation of pen drives are 'baseless', and he questioned Gowda's morality to make such accusations.

"If Gowda proves that Chaluvarayaswamy, Priyank Kharge and Krishna Byre Gowda had held a meeting on this case and we as a team were given responsibility and we were involved in this case, I will apologise," he said and alleged that Gowda was being used to mislead and deviate from the main case of sexual abuse.

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News Network
May 17,2024

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New Delhi: In fresh claim, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that his government sent an envoy to Israel urging them to stop the airstrike in Gaza during Ramadan. He said that he urged Israel to maintain peace rather than engage in combat during the holy month.

In an interview with Aaj Tak, PM Modi said that his envoy told Israel they should not bomb Gaza, at least during the auspicious month of Ramadan.

"During the month of Ramadan, I sent my special envoy to Israel to meet and explain to Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) that he should not carry out bombings in Gaza during Ramadan. They made every effort to follow it, but in the end, there was a fight for 2-3 days," he said.

The Prime Minister said that he does not publicise such things even though people in India keep "cornering him on the Muslims issue".

PM Modi said that some other countries also tried to speak to Israel to halt the bombings and may have also achieved results.

"They may have got the results too. I also tried," he said.

During the interview, PM Modi also said that he made standalone visits to both Israel and Palestine, unlike earlier governments which used to display token secularism.

"There was a fashion earlier that if one has to go to Israel, a visit to Palestine is a must. Do secularism and come back. But I refused to do it," he said.

The Prime Minister also recounted an episode when he needed to travel to Palestine via Jordan.

"When the President of Jordan, who is a direct descendent of Prophet Muhammad, came to know that I am going to Palestine over (the airspace of Jordan), he told me 'Modi ji, you cannot go like this. You are my guest and will use my helicopter'," Modi claimed.

Describing the unique amalgamation of circumstances, he continued, "I went to his home for dinner, but the helicopter was of Jordan, the destination was Palestine, and I was escorted by Israeli flight attendants. All three are different but for Modi, all came together in the sky."

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