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Tuesday, July 7, 2020

8. Frustrating Questions


The first four questions asked for the First Semester BEd Degree examination, of the University of Kerala held last Friday, 23 April, 2010 for Paper I – Theoretical Base of Education: Philosophical & Sociological, were the following:

Q # 1. When you met your classmate after completing the course, he told you that he was able to develop a philosophy of life now and he wants to be the world to be ideal. What suggestion  you can give him from your knowledge of philosophy?

Q # 2. When you met your teacher, he asked you whether the current trend in education is able to achieve the aims of education. How will you react to this?

Q # 3. Imagine the period your grand parents lived. Compare that period with the modern age with relevance to the factors responsible for the changes that had taken place.

Q # 4. During your practice teaching you imagine that you happened to meet a parent. He complained that his son had a feeling of being isolated. Explain to him how education can be a help to solve this problem.

Analyzing the questions in terms of expected student response, would reveal that the question paper setter is keen on getting responses that are the trainees own, and products of self-reflection.

While answering the  four questions, the trainees are  expected to perform the following:
For Q # 1. State one’s own philosophy of education.
For Q # 2. Provide one’s perception of current trends in education.
For Q # 3. Analyze social change.
For Q # 4. Provide workable solution based on inferences drawn from philosophy and  sociology of education.


The BEd trainee who is expected to answer the above questions has just completed four months of instruction. They lack  the necessary knowledge about the vast field of  Education. They neither have the experience  to evolve  ones own philosophy of Education nor are they in a position to form a proper perspective of Education in Kerala. The fact remains that a majority of the trainees who join the BEd. course  have only a BA, BSc or BCom. degree which does not necessarily help evolve a maturity in thinking! Further, it is common knowledge that,  the  average teacher trainees in Kerala, prepares for the BEd degree examination referring to bazaar guides and even worked out university questions available in the market. But in terms of difficulty level of the questions asked and  the possible inability of trainees to comprehend the question properly, don’t you think dear reader, the University examination question will only drive the average trainee to frustration?

Amazingly enough, the question paper setter believes other wise. No wonder, the fifth question  in the same paper reads : “ Education without Philosophy is blind, Philosophy without Education is  invalid – Comment.”!

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