The present system seems to lead us nowhere. In an age of advanced technology, there seems to be a predefined template for every other activity. Be it fashion, technology or education everything new to be done seems to already have a frame into which new ideas simply have to fill in.
A few days back, I watched my kid nephews pour into their copies and memorize an essay “An autobiography of a one rupee coin”. I can distinctly remember certain lines of the essay (previously dictated by their class teacher). One went: I have an embossed image of two ears of corn and the figure 1 with the letters ‘government of India’ above the same. Although it is not completely unbelievable that a person of 5th standard can understand such a statement, but it is quite unlikely that a person of that age is really going to frame that statement until and unless he has mastered writing altogether. I approached my sister and suggested that she rather left the kids to write whatever came to their minds rather than forcing them to mug up a certain dictated material. The immediate reply was, “They have already tried what you said and came up with poorer scores until they wrote what the teacher thought was rather relevant”. Being remotely involved in their study process, I rather didn’t think it advisable to intrude in their methods further and bring them worse results, though I still believe that is not exactly what is ought to be done.
I kept pondering on the matter days later and was rather disturbed to think that we crush creativity and innovation at its very inception. Schools which are supposed to be alma-matters to growth and development of one’s skills rather curb their very freedom to think their own ways. How then are people supposed to think and act differently than the rest of the herd?
On a closer inspection I found that parents are more intensely troubled by tests and examinations than the participants of the test. They complained incessantly of the syllabus, the answers to be memorized (they are tough ones is a unanimous reply), the assignments to be done and the so called projects (because most of them are out of reach of the children’s minds and hence have to be done by the parents themselves). Quite contrary to the older customs, children spend lesser time cycling and bickering with each other on roads and streets and living rooms and more on making their way to important tuitions and pre and post preparations for the tuitions itself. It was sad enough to find that the new bicycles bought with such enthusiasm, looked rusty from disuse and lay in one corner of the garage with deflated tyres. I barged into the house and questioned all the inmates how they ever allowed such a state of events and again there was a template answer “exams this whole month”!!
The question that arises is that do examinations test the real ability of a student? Most of the studying is rather done by the parents than the children. So a child with more alert parents will score better, because anyways it does not depend upon his/her ability to answer the questions. (Every one is more or less equally spoon fed with the answers). Isn’t it the duty of the educating institutes to foster habits like thinking, analyzing and debating? Isn’t the primary objective of education to bring out better thinking individuals than a group of nerds?
Isn’t it important that a child inculcates the habit to frame his own answers for life?
A few days back, I watched my kid nephews pour into their copies and memorize an essay “An autobiography of a one rupee coin”. I can distinctly remember certain lines of the essay (previously dictated by their class teacher). One went: I have an embossed image of two ears of corn and the figure 1 with the letters ‘government of India’ above the same. Although it is not completely unbelievable that a person of 5th standard can understand such a statement, but it is quite unlikely that a person of that age is really going to frame that statement until and unless he has mastered writing altogether. I approached my sister and suggested that she rather left the kids to write whatever came to their minds rather than forcing them to mug up a certain dictated material. The immediate reply was, “They have already tried what you said and came up with poorer scores until they wrote what the teacher thought was rather relevant”. Being remotely involved in their study process, I rather didn’t think it advisable to intrude in their methods further and bring them worse results, though I still believe that is not exactly what is ought to be done.
I kept pondering on the matter days later and was rather disturbed to think that we crush creativity and innovation at its very inception. Schools which are supposed to be alma-matters to growth and development of one’s skills rather curb their very freedom to think their own ways. How then are people supposed to think and act differently than the rest of the herd?
On a closer inspection I found that parents are more intensely troubled by tests and examinations than the participants of the test. They complained incessantly of the syllabus, the answers to be memorized (they are tough ones is a unanimous reply), the assignments to be done and the so called projects (because most of them are out of reach of the children’s minds and hence have to be done by the parents themselves). Quite contrary to the older customs, children spend lesser time cycling and bickering with each other on roads and streets and living rooms and more on making their way to important tuitions and pre and post preparations for the tuitions itself. It was sad enough to find that the new bicycles bought with such enthusiasm, looked rusty from disuse and lay in one corner of the garage with deflated tyres. I barged into the house and questioned all the inmates how they ever allowed such a state of events and again there was a template answer “exams this whole month”!!
The question that arises is that do examinations test the real ability of a student? Most of the studying is rather done by the parents than the children. So a child with more alert parents will score better, because anyways it does not depend upon his/her ability to answer the questions. (Every one is more or less equally spoon fed with the answers). Isn’t it the duty of the educating institutes to foster habits like thinking, analyzing and debating? Isn’t the primary objective of education to bring out better thinking individuals than a group of nerds?
Isn’t it important that a child inculcates the habit to frame his own answers for life?
3 comments:
The childhood is building block of a person his entire life so i very much appreciate your attempt towards such thing about which even our government has never cared, which has put a lot many effort for higher education but primary education was always a matter of ignorance.
But i don't agree with your point. Just think about a simple question "If you just ask children to write their own, how many of them will leave the paper blank?" Answer is most of them. Even before the process of thinking start they should have a foundation which not only need general awareness but also the knowledge of language, grammar and different topics. In addition to this, they need to learn to be accustomed of hard work whenever it is required which is even more important. And the high score which they are getting are their encouragement to keep their interest in studies. And idea of innovative thinking should be covered when they are playing games.
Even when we learn a new software, what we do? we just solve some tutorials even without understanding them initially. Then we understand them and gradually we start thinking our own. So i think it is more important for children to first build a foundation which comes from other things.
Thanks for giving such a brilliant piece of thought in a simple version.
The article hits at the real roots of the education system in India. In many ways, it is one of the best ones in the world (e.g:People in US universities dread the students from countries like India and China, for some reason or the other-may be the education system which imbibes strong concepts, or the education system which makes one toil harder and harder day and night).But having said that, there exist so many ways to improve it.The emphasis on creative thinking and innovation is certainly a missing element in our system. If we strive to bring that aspect into the whole structure, our education system would no doubt become one of the robust ones, and an example for many to follow.
Not to mention, the heavy impact that an education has on the development of an individual, I think it is utterly essential to step back for a moment and think about the system we have and ways to improve it.
“They have already tried what you said and came up with poorer scores until they wrote what the teacher thought was rather relevant”
well I wont consider this as a bad thing, after all why are teachers there for? To improve upon a student's thinking
And regarding the project approach that is a new concept in school learning (we didn't use to have projects at school level), I believe it is a very good initiative from schools and government alike, which will help students learn better and also encourage their creativity.
The only problem lies in the implementation, that the teacher is promoting rote learning is not the fallacy of the system but the teacher (although when most of the teachers do this way, eventually the system suffers)... that the parents do the projects themselves rather than their kids again does not have anything to do with the system but the parents
I believe that the system lacks more in quantity than quality (I am referring to the inability of the education to reach one and all, which all together is a different issue)... and yes also in the way it is perceived by parents and teachers alike. As Surya said, we have an education system that others envy upon. We just need to treat (and implement) the processes as they are supposed to be and not as they are currently.
The post succeeds in opening a very relevant discussion. Hopefully it will not remain confined to the barriers of Blogspot only...
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