Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay

What is the reason for the handicap of this present education system?

The answer is very simple. The present education system has not come out of our culture. It is a borrowed system from British culture. At the end of 18^th and 19^th century, industrial revolution took place that changed their society from agri-based feudalistic system to industry based capitalistic system. There was a need of disciplined workers who have the skill of job and who have the skill of reading, writing and counting. They were given uniforms to have an identity with the factory. They would be punctual to the working place. They would not talk anything against the administration but timid in nature. So, they created an education system with these values and attitudes of discipline, uniformity, punctuality, obedient and timid and with the skills of reading, writing, counting and a fair general knowledge. British introduced the same education system in their colony countries to serve the ‘powerful and mighty’.

Any one who has common sense could understand why the dog is happier than our children are. Could understand the questions of the elderly teacher.  Could understand the questions of a school student to his Head Master. Could understand what papaya tree feels about us.

 Findings about our present Education System:

 If we see that the producers and businessmen cheat consumers, it is because of the present education system that failed to provide the value of justice. If we witness that the politicians cheat citizens, it is because of the present education system that failed to provide the values of equality and democracy. If we experience that the social leaders and the religious leaders cheat the members of the society and the religion, it is because of the present education system that failed to provide the values of communal harmony and peace. If we see that the leaders of media exploit the viewers, readers and listeners, it is because of the present education system that failed to provide the values of sincerity, natural aesthetics and respect for cultures. If we see that not all these leaders show concern about preservation and promotion of indigenous way of life and culture, it is because of the present education system that failed to provide the value of dignity and sustainability. If we see that our children grow timid, never ask questions against injustice and be happy to raise their families serving the power and might who exploit the majority mass of the world, it is because of the present education system that failed to provide the values of ‘Dignity of Life’.

It is clear now that the present education system with its present content and methodology do not make a child into a human who could give respect to oneself, to others, to the bigger society with different cultures and to mother nature but on the other hand it makes the child who is timid with himself, cheat others, fight with other communities and exploit nature.

Papaya Tree and Television

One day everyone in a family went out for dinner. A branch of a papaya tree near the window of the hall talked with the television.

Let us listen to this conversation:

” Hello! TV… How are you?” asked the tree.

” I am fine Papaya, thank you. and by the by How are you?” whispered TV.

” I am fine too. But is it not boring all the day sitting there at the corner of the hall playing to the tune of the remote control?”

” No. I am educating the people to buy the goods in the market. I am educating them what dress would suit them. I am entertaining them with sports, cinema and documentaries. I am informing them with the latest and current news of the world. I am amusing children with cartoons and stories.” said TV proudly.

“But, don’t you realize that you also give wrong information about consumerist goods and make them more materialistic?” enquired Papaya Tree.

“How can you blame me? The people who have produced the goods and those who advertise are ‘well educated’ people. They know what is good for the people and what is not. Isn’t it?” asked TV.

“Now, listen…you bring evil things from other cultures and make people forget the richness of our indigenous way of producing food, cooking, dressing, building environment friendly houses, nature based medicines, telling stories and the world view.”

” Why do you blame me? Those who promote outside culture are ‘well educated’ people. Don’t be suspicious about their intelligence.” reiterated TV.

” The food products and medicines that you advertise contain non-consumable elements. It is not good for building up a healthy society.” the tree was sad.

” Do you think that those who do this are not aware of these? They are ‘well educated’ and will be concerned about those issues.” said TV.

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of car. The family entered the house with plastic bags full of things. As they entered the house, they switched on the TV. There was an advertisement about a new product made out of ‘natural food’ from papaya.

Let us reflect from the conversation between the papaya tree and TV. Is it not true that those who produce goods, advertise them and sell them are educated in our schools? Were they not taught about preserving nature, keep environment clean and healthy, have fair trade, be sincere in sharing information? Were they not taught about preserving our indigenous culture?

Two teachers at the staff room.

The staff room was silent. The new teacher was preparing her lesson plan. The elderly teacher was reading a book. She looked at the new teacher and  asked a quite deep question:

” Teacher! Don’t you see that the economical exploitation that drains away the hard earned money of the poor people making them paupers are done by the so called ‘learned people’? Doesn’t this mean that these exploiters have studied in our schools and we teachers are part of this crime?” an elderly teacher asked the new comer.

” No.  we are not responsible for that.” the younger teacher asserted.

” Don’t you think that our leaders who have involved in the corruption, cheating and the political oppression were once our students? Are we not those who have failed in teaching them good values of leadership with sacrifice, commitment and vision for equal and just society?” the elderly teacher continued her question.

“No. We are not responsible for that corruption. We teach them good values. But they select the wrong path. What can we do?” the youngster stressed her point.

“To day you see that fundamentalist values rule the religious and social leaders of the world. They create fights among social and religious communities for their own benefits. Were they not our ex-students? Should we not be accused of not teaching them communal harmony values?”

” I do not know. Tell me why should they promote hatred feelings among communities that have different language, color and culture?”

” Don’t you feel that they should have been given correct directions in our schools?”

” This never came to my mind. I never thought this kind of connection between the educational sphere and the socio-religious spheres.”

” We witness a lot of violence and sex in media. They make profit out of it at the cost of sacred culture. If we have taught them the real values of humanity like, love, peace, equality, sisterhood and such in our schools when they were young, will these ‘ educated ‘ elite use violence and sex in media?”

” I tend to see the connection now. If there is connection between our education and life today, WE are the reason for the deterioration of human values and its reflection in the world at the economical, political and socio-cultural realities.  If there is no connection between our education and life today, what is the use of such education which has no impact in our life?” The younger teacher asked.

“It is a good question.” The elderly teacher affirmed.

The elderly teacher and the new comer were wondering about the role of education. The bell rang for the next period.

 Yes. It is right when the younger teacher wonders if the educationists are also one of the stakeholders for the evils that we see in the society today. Education is supposed to do the function of preparing oneself for LIFE. If we accept that the life in the society is miserable for many people and that a few in power enjoy and prosper, who has to blame for this unequal and unjust disparity? When you witness corruption, money power, muscle power and cheating as everyday affair of politics, which has to blame for the atrocities on powerless civil society?

The religion and the media are supposed to bring “harmony” in the lives of people who have natural differences in color, language and race. But today we witness that the sacred religion and media are used to bring “chaos” among communities. Who has to blame for this unjust change of function helping only a handful of people who enjoy power?

Is our education and the outside life so connected? Have we not produced ‘ WELL EDUCATED’ People to protect the interests of our community?  Let us listen to this conversation.

A student’s letter to his Head Master

Dear and Respected Sir!

Love and Greetings from a student of 6^th Std. I hear that you are good and ‘change loving’. I want to write to you a few things very plainly. My parents want me to get 7 A’s and thus bring fame to my family and my school. My teachers try their best. I want to ask you a few questions. ( I know very well that students are not supposed to ask questions. It is a sole right of teachers.)

 Is education a way to understand the secrets of nature and live amicably with it or a product to be bought in the supermarket called SCHOOL to score high marks and get a good job? Why is that the knowledge transmitted in the school are in no way connected to the real life but to suit to the needs of business sector, the industry and the Government who want to hold and sustain power?

Dear Sir, Do you know that all Children who start in the primary school do not reach the higher levels. Many get dropped in between. Some children from poor families choose technical education. Only the students from an upper middle class and rich class go for a higher education. Why, dear headmaster, is the disparity and why not the education could be made available equally for everyone irrespective of social and cultural origin?

Dear Sir, Why should the syllabus, the textbook, time for learning, the place, the methodology, the exam pattern be decided by only adults and never by the students. Why is that education is given only in the peer group context and never in the mixed group context, whereas in real life we need to cope up with people who are different in age group, if what you say is correct that education is to prepare children for life? Why is that, dear sir, the school is projected as a world of silence? Why is that our skill of expression controlled?

Is it because the industries, the offices, the government administration and the service sectors like hospitals need ‘sized’ human beings who would be punctual, disciplined, docile and obedient that the SCHOOL produce their ‘product’ punctual, disciplined, docile and obedient? You see the forest, dear sir, it is multi cropping that is natural and sustainable. It is the selfish motive of profit making that encourages mono cropping. Do you not realize that every child is unique? has her own individuality? Is there any opportunity for the child to express her own individuality? Individualism is promoted. Competition is encouraged. But don’t you realize that letting the children grow, as they are in the multi cropping as in the forest is natural and sustainable?

Are you not aware that the concept of uniformity, treating all ‘ unique’ children in the same way, with same syllabus, in the same pace and evaluate in the same method kills the creativity of individual person? IS not the ultimate aim of education to ‘free’ a person from ‘FEAR’? Dear Sir, but, in reality, the students are punished and kept fearful by different mechanisms. Is it right? Why is this war against innocent children by grown up adults? Do you not pity our teachers who are poor species that need to obey their authorities, be afraid of the parents, get demotivated by non committed colleagues, fight with the set curriculum and get tortured by the ‘dull headed’ students?

Is it fair to expect the same result from every child when the living conditions, the place of residence, the neighborhood, housing conditions, attitudes, values, speech habits, differences in life experiences outside the school, differences in parents attitudes to school differ for each child? Don’t you think that we come out of school learning individualism and competition, mistrusting others, learning feelings of inferiority, of submission of respect for the existing order, have fear of conflict and instill dependence?

I hear that Globalization is taking place in all walks of life. Will the Schools ( production companies) produce students  with best possible education ( consumer goods ) as saleable in the global market as were producing for the national market? is this the future? Dear Sir, Can we have a system of education which will also respect the uniqueness of individual child, respect the indigenous culture, respect the mother nature and be based on human values of love, peace, harmony, justice and equality?

Dear Sir, we have lost our child hood but should we allow our children to lose theirs? Let us jointly change the situation.

Bye. Take care, Yours truly,

A hopeful Child.

But is our situation so bad? Have we not done anything positive by our education to our society? What is the impact of our education in the lives of people in the present society? Let us listen to this conversation.

” Hello! How‘re you?” – the question was from a street dog to the school going child.

“I am bored and tired…by the by how are you?” the child asked the street dog.

” I am fine. I enjoy. I play a lot” laughed the dog.

” Playing?’ What do you mean by playing?” questioned the child.

” You don’t know?… Oh.. What a pity?…Just play around. Don’t you do that with your friends? At school?” enquired the dog surprisingly.

” No. We are serious there. There is no time for playing.” the child said discouragingly.

“Ok.. my dear child you said that you are tired.. now go and take rest” the dog pitied the child.

” REST? what do you mean by rest?” the child was curious.

” Oh… by rest I mean.. have you not seen dogs taking rest without doing anything?..” the dog waved its tail as it looked at the child’s eyes.

” Yeah.. I have seen that. but for children who go to school rest is a  luxury. we have no time for rest.” the child said innocently.

“But then what do you do in your leisure time? You see we dogs wander around and you?” the dog was concerned towards the child.

JB in a function at Shri Sharada Primary School, Thanjavur, India where he is the correspondent

I asked a primary school teacher to tell me what would she do if she becomes the Minister for Education to solve the problems in the present education system. The teacher replied:

” Sir, The teachers do not get enough time now to teach the present syllabus. So I will increase the school time for at least one or two hours more. I will also see that they would get more salary than what they get now. I will make a rule that parents should spend time with their children in their homework. I will also order that parents should give birth to only smart children and not like the dull headed ones that the majority we have now. Headmasters should organize motivational speeches once in a month for teachers to monitor the classes properly. I will sack the lazy teachers from their job. I will also see that the text books do not change very often. The teachers should not go often out for seminars and trainings leaving their classes. These are the practical solutions to the problems in the present education system. “

Is She right?

Does she speak the real problems of the present education system?

Education is not one among the other things. It is the prime area to concentrate for a liberated life of human kind. Each one of us has some opinion or other about the present education system. Many find faults about it. Some try to be creative in their own might within the system. A few want an overall change in the system. Most of us do not know what are the real problems and the exact causes for them. It is still worse about the alternative: the ideal education system. We are not aware of it. Even if somebody comes out with some suggestions, we say that the present status quo is so strong that change is impossible. This article tries to locate the present educational issues, find the causes, and introduce an alternative system for a liberated and harmonious life. You can view Part 1 to Part 17 to have a total understanding of my views on education.