Saturday, 3 November 2018

Crucial Urban Education Issues And The Best Solutions

By Matthew Snyder


A lot of politics and contention bedevils urban education debate and implementation. There seems to be no consensus on the best step to take and how to run the sector. Some of the problems are historical with others emerging in the recent years. To address urban education issues amicably, there is need to understand the historical perspectives and what has shaped the debate so far.

The fact that focus is on schooling in metropolitan areas does not mean that rural areas have an easy ride. In fact, each segment faces its fair share of challenges that cannot be wished away. However, those of city schools have been ignored as if they do not exist. This has seen the schools being treated in a similar manner as those in rural areas. The reason for raising the debate is to ensure that expected outcomes are commensurate with the learning environment provided.

The population of students in a class is a major issue of concern. Most schools in cities are overcrowded. This means that a teacher does not provide similar contact hours to his or her pupils as a teacher in rural centers. Beyond the class, students are forced to share facilities at an unacceptable ratio. This means that their learning experience is limited. Unfortunately, there is no space to build more schools and house the ever growing population.

City schools do not receive the share of funds that they deserve. Though the challenges of schooling in cities are known, resource allocation has failed to appreciate these challenges. Capitation does not recognize these challenges. It is known that schooling in urban areas requires more resources yet capitation is still pegged on traditional thinking. Despite lobbying from educationists and administrators, the challenges still remain.

The population of students in urban areas is the most diverse imaginable. This presents challenges to teachers and the learning environment. It should not surprise you to encounter students from different nations and language backgrounds. However, the expectation is for teachers to treat them like they are locals. Bringing their mindset into a single file becomes one of the most difficult challenges to deal with. This is not factored in policy making or resource allocation.

There is no denying that students in metropolitan areas start learning at a higher pedestal than their counterparts in rural areas. Standardization of curriculum almost makes it a bother to start them off at the basic level. In some cases, a teacher will find it almost insulting to begin teaching at rudimentary level yet the students have already self-learnt beyond that point. It is an issue of curriculum standardization without considering foundation of these students.

What about working with a multi-lingual class? This is similar to working with the multi-cultural class. You have a mixture of languages and are expected to use uniform vocabulary and teaching aids. Their understanding of words and phrases differ. It feels as though you are teaching several classes in one yet are expected to produce the same results.

City schools seem to lack a sense of ownership. Neither the federal governments nor local authorities want to take full ownership, especially to address their unique challenges. As the tussle over urban schooling continues, it is the children and the future of the nation that are in jeopardy. This calls for quick and deliberate action to address the issues of concern.




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