HTLS 2020: Classroom transaction must change for reforms to be effective, says Ashish Dhawan

Ashish Dhawan, Founder and Chairman of Central Square Foundation (CSF) and Ashoka University said Thursday that there is need to focus on the bottom half of school children as part of reforms in the education sector.

At the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Dhawan said in order to boost lesser gifted children the teachers need to be given proper tools.

“We need to give the teacher right tools so that she can assess the children regularly and lift the bottom half. We will only improve if we can lift the bottom half. Focusing on the top 10 or 20 per cent will not help us in achieving our objectives,” Dhawan said.

He said that is essential for classrooms to change to achieve the purpose of the new education policy.

“There is no point of reforms if the classroom transaction doesn’t change. At he end of the day if that doesn’t change, there is no reform and so that’s at the very, very core.”

Dhawan said the new educational policy will help in moving away from rote learning.

“The policy also talks about reforms in the higher grades particularly class 10 and 12 board exams and think that fundamental as well in terms of moving away from rote learning. Parents start and school start getting their children to rote-based learning very early on. So I think fixing that in the higher grade will also have a huge cascade effect downward,” he said.