Quality of Education: A Journey of Progress or Regression?
I have had numerous conversations with people who graduated in different eras. When I use “era”, I don’t necessarily mean a ridiculously long duration, I only mean less than a decade and progressively reducing.
What I learned during my conversations has left me in awe, and I don’t necessarily mean I’m pleasantly surprised; I’m sometimes also utterly baffled.
When I did my bachelor’s in computer science, I started with learning C programming language and then gradually, over semesters, moved towards understanding how variables are internally defined with x85 and x86 microprocessors during lab sessions. We were also made to write some assembly code to flash on x85 processors. This gave us an understanding of how pointers, one of the most daunting topics of C language, work.
I spoke with people who graduated a few years ago, definitely after 2018, and I was surprised to hear that there are no more microprocessor lab sessions. I could take that off as an elective course and the college didn’t bother to include that in their coursework, but what it meant for students is failure in understanding how things work.
I had the pleasure of speaking with seasoned engineers who graduated nearly 2 decades earlier than I did, and I was pleasantly surprised by their quality of education. They learned programming in the most natural way possible, by common sense and logic. Syntax and grammar was something they learned themselves, but the logic behind solving a problem was taught with thought-provoking assignments.
How important is head of the department?
Head of the department, H.O.D, is inherently a teacher. A teacher who is well versed with techniques of getting through students, who is also capable of progressing and pushing the department and their teachers, A Superman, if you will.
What would their role be in the life of a student?
They’re someone who is very approachable, because students need to be welcomed. They are definitely someone who has passion for what they do, and hence instilling the same passion in the students is their job description, because inherently they are also teachers.
What would their role be in education as an institution?
They’re the pillars of the community, foundation of very fabric of the society. It is their chosen responsibility to build the next generation of society, that is capable of bringing their community forward. Either by careful guidance or thoughtful and balanced consideration of newer and basic studies, they foster an environment of growth and structure.
An abrupt end to the topic
Placing the entire weight of education on the shoulders of a single Head of Department (H.O.D) is not just simplistic — it’s unfair. But this is where our thought begins, and this discussion ends.
Can we truly blame everyone in society for the state of education? No. Can we expect one individual, no matter how powerful, to single-handedly transform it? Absolutely not.
The true essence of education lies in a collective effort — instilling confidence and curiosity in students, teaching them to seek purpose and reason. Education is not about merely completing tasks; it is about nurturing understanding, growth, and the joy of lifelong learning.
But as we strive for progress, a pressing question remains: How do we ensure we don’t forget the basics while embracing the newfound knowledge of the world?