Communication plays an indispensable role in a learner’s life. Single-way traffic hampers education and turns the teaching-learning process into a master-slave relationship. A learner confronts a multitude of challenges in life, where he or she is in need of guidance, motivation, doubt clearance, as well as future strategy. We need to understand a learner fully, especially a teenager who is curious about many things. Not responding to the queries of the learner is the equivalent of choking the blood flow of the veins.
Communication is vital also with parents, not only during ceremonies like parents’ day, mother’s day, annual day, etc, but constantly, so that a learner is well monitored and the academic process regularly analysed.
There is no doubt that government schools are communicating with parents and learners, but the same is not up to mark. Absenteeism of students is a trend that needs to be checked. In government schools the majority of students are from the downtrodden sections, their parents illiterate or lacking the resources to help their wards with material support. Unlike this, in private schools parents are regularly communicated with about the absenteeism of their ward. Communication plays a significant role in controlling this evil. As compared to boys, girl students remain more absent from schools and this turns into higher dropout rate and finally quitting of studies. In this context parents need to be motivated by communicating with them.
Different centrally sponsored schemes are implemented from time to time by the government, like Talash survey, NRBC, etc, to arrest the dropout rate, but this is not achieving the targets. Parents have to be well informed and communication has to be well maintained. Govt schools conduct seminars and workshops frequently, but parents’ meetings are seldom held, that too only for academic analysis and progress report sharing. To increase learning levels in students, especially in remotest areas where even tuition facility is missing, communication with parents is sina qua non.
Imparting quality education to students belonging to literate and educated families is not possible unless and until the same thing penetrates to the lower strata of society, thereby making inclusive education a successful reality. There is dire need of enhancing communication levels among parents, learners and teachers, so that quality education in government schools reaches to the satisfactory level.

The writer is a teacher in Kulgam. [email protected]

MUSHTAQ AHMAD BHAT