How well do we understand a system that we have been part of, for a good part of our life? And if asked, what is the purpose of this system, how many of us would be able to confidently answer?
Unfortunately many of us would not be able to answer in affirmative. And no one is to blame. It’s the way we have been conditioned in those 15+years. A conditioning that has gone deep into our DNA and have become our thought process. And with such conditioning, if someone says that purpose of education is to become competitive or attain fame, one must not be shocked.
At the outset, let it be known that Education is not same as literacy. It is also not about schooling. Our current education system has been beautifully analogized by Sir Ken Robinson, educationist, in one of his speeches. He says, “We have to go from what is today an industrial model of education, which is based on linearity and conformity... We have to move to model which is based on the principles of agriculture. We have to recognize, that human flourishing is not a mechanical process... it is an organic process. You can not predict the outcome of human development... all you can do is, like a farmer, create the conditions on which they will flourish.”
Elaborating this thought further, we do not expect a tomato seed to become an onion plant; neither have we expected a sugarcane farm to provide us with rice. Rather we provide them with adequate conditions to grow and become what they are. Then why do we become so harsh with our own children that we ignore who they are and start expecting from them to become what we would want them to be? Ponder over.
Human beings are characterized by one or few basic talents, which we can call the core. Rest all is auxiliary. If we focus on the development of the core of a child, we automatically meet up with the auxiliaries, as they are nothing but just a by-product of the successful implementation of the core talent. And that’s what the real purpose of education is – to assist in identification and further develop the natural talent of a child, thus, leading to the enablement of his/her rational, logical and emotional quotient. Education should be such that it enables a child to be able to express his/her idea and apply his/her knowledge. Rest would all be a byproduct of this process; be it the profession a child would choose or the success that shall follow.
So if this makes sense, from where do we begin? Though the idea is cool, achieving it would be a gigantic task, especially when looked from outside the system. So first step would be to enter the system without a boxed mindset, ready to explore and innovate. As Sir Robinson rightly says, “It doesn’t need evolution. It needs revolution.”
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References:
http://sirkenrobinson.com,
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html
5 comments:
I was intelligent -Schools ruined me!
short and crisp and you conveyed the message.....its correctly said, we pursue higher studies not to fulfill our ambition.. instead to fulfill wish of our society. i didn't took computers as i was interested in it.. i took it as a safe bet where i can reach a level which will be admired by my society. we put enough pressure on our kids, not because you want them to learn, we pressurize them to score good because we have to boast in our society. whole idea of education in our society is not to enrich one's with knowledge but to score good marks and become eligible for something which was no way related to what they had wished. sadly i didnt had guts/vision to change what my parents wanted but will change for my future generation
Hmmm ! I wont comment on the note per se. But I would like to make the following points:
1) I worked with one of the best company in Education sector for 3 years ... so I have an idea where it is headed to.
2) The two most inspiring men in my life (Nisheet and Hemant), didn't go to school till 8th standard. And they are smarter than any one I know.
3) While thinking about education and reforms (or revolution) ... we also need to take into conideration the current species of students. They are dynamic, multi-taskers, with mammoth egoes, rude, restless (hence no attention span whatsoever) and very different from what we were ...
good to read and leaves behind a thought of what WE can do to educate ourselves and our education system henceforth.
Attended a conference few days back, where professor Prasad from NITIE, gave us an exclusive way to learn (a+b) whole square or whole cube, with the help of a cuboid, made up of different sticks...what a innovative way to teach / learn...He made us think how can we learn physics/science on some printed papers in the mammoth books' pages ?
we need to realize and think why are we learning these, if we are learning at all...
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