Education as it is today

"All that is essential for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing". Edmunde Burke

Everyone talks of education, how it is so important and so on for a developed society. But even though everyone talks so concernedly about it are we really furthering the cause of education? I think here we fail to make one important distinction, that is between literacy and education. Today the schools and colleges just turn out hundreds of literates most of them "uneducated".

The graduates from all these institutions are hardly equipped with any life skills. They can not cope with many of the situations life throws at them ... being more or less babes in the wood.

I feel that primary education must equip every individual with the skills of proper expression, thinking, drawing, calculating and writing. The curriculum must include speaking, singing, playing, dancing and acting. Infuse in the young minds a love for nature and the fine arts. Life can be made blooming beautiful, full of hope and promise only if we aspire for it. Children must be inculcated with faith and love for the truth.The young students must be imbued with ethical values and universal principles.... develop confidence and faith in themselves.

There should be no examinations of any kind other than informal ways to check whether the children are learning what they are taught. This way they do not miss out on their wonderful childhood and grow up into healthy human beings. The examinations must be administered only from the 9th std/class when children turn 14 years and serious studies must begin only at this age.

All these are missing in today's educational centres ... though there is no dearth of so called 'centres of excellence'. It is all about marks and certificates rather than knowledge and skills.

Our priorities seem to have gone horribly haywire ... and the worst part - the people who seem really worried about this seem to be in a helpless miniscule minority.

It is nothing strange for like in every other field of human activity education today has lost its meaning in its mad rush for the fleeting and insignificant things of life. The society and the teachers have failed each other.

I remember my teacher often said "the society creates the criminal and pays for the crime".

Let us be optimistic that the wheel of time will ensure that once again a time will come when all these disturbing trends shall be reversed for good.

Reservation in educational institutions:

Education or sophisticated literacy - whatever else you may call it - must be available to everyone irrespective of any considerations. Towards this end the Government must find solutions to meet the demand for quality education through opening of more such Instutions. Instead the politicians are taking the country for a ride along caste and communal lines. They keep endlessly reiterating their resolve to once-and-for-all end the retrograde caste system ... and promote a 'secular' state, while all the time they keep these divisions (along caste and communal lines) in our society alive ... with the tacit support of a very selfish people who are too willing to be taken for a ride (which is also free). Can we blame the politicians alone for all this?

The solution:
Let us be aware that these politicians are our servants. They have no right abrogate to themselves the role of masters... which the people out of laziness and selfishness have willingly conceded to them. It is time to wake up. Mere complaining will not do. NGO's must be formed to create awareness and take up public projects that further common public interests. Unless such leadership is forthcoming everything will be talk, talk and talk of which Indians are best known for and NO action. Let us start with opening really good schools for the poor. Poverty is the greatest enemy of mankind. It is mostly poverty that breeds all other vices in society.

Let us evolve as a first step NGO's that take up projects for training and employment. People from all walks of life, who are well-off and also skilled must contribute atleast 4 hrs of free selfless service every week (I have outlined a plan below) as a group and ameliorate our social conditions and endeavour to bring about a just society improving our "Gross National Happiness" as in Bhutan. Action must be our watch word.