Education and Betterment of life

education

I started thinking of the value and use of education finding an article on steps being taken by Kendriya vidyalaya to reduce the load of students school bags.

Ancient times education in India used to be imparted by Gurus. They used to have the different kinds of tough selection process and used to teach selected students. The education used to be imparted was basically on life skills and the best students used to get to learn skills which will betterment the human life. They used to become greater and well known.

Once man started progressing, education was considered very important by the kings so that the educated public will become asset for the country. Kings used to reward teachers who used to bring in best in the students. The completion of the teacher was done looking at the skills of the students the teacher produced.

Kings used to reward teachers with gold and valuables. They were considered the first class people of the country. By this the society and the king also expected few standards from the teachers or gurus. They will always be truthful, kind and will always give away knowledge for the welfare of the society.

After the industrial revolution, mass production became the norm. All goods were mass produced and even education became a commodity of production.

Earlier the teachers or guru’s as they were called, wanted only the student’s brain. The students never carried any books. They used to write in leafs. They used to teach and the mind of the student was the tool used. But after industrial revolution, when education also became a mass product, books and reference material and writing tools became essential. For subjects which were taught, there became special books as reference and then there are books for writing and practicing.

Subject specific tools and teachers also became a commodity. They have reference to look at and then it became easy for the teachers to teach and impart skills to students. Teachers were again considered as a tool in production factory and the students were provided with education as in factory manner. Even this is not bad and it is only progress of the education system which is happening due to this. But we are loosing on the actual usage of the tools.

Because of this, instead of the mind which was the tool used by the teacher to teach, books and other tools became the tool. What happened due to this is still wonderful. Few students who were able to understand what the teacher said and mug it up could score higher marks and they were considered best performers. While few who could not understand, but could mug it up and scored high also became best performers. So the difference between the learned and non-learned was not considered as a parameter.

The life skill learning was not given importance after the mass education program was implemented. After passage of time, more and more stress was given on subject’s specific learning and less importance is given to life skills. Due to this, education itself became stressful for the students. Instead of enjoying the learning process, now they are becoming the burden for the students.

Is this the right way of teaching? Are we allowing the growth of our society ? and is our education system enabling the same? If we look at the teaching methods’ and objectives that we are trying to achieve by the same we find that we are again following the mass production strategy.

Is this the solution? If we look at the system we find the respect for the teachers have surely eroded away. It is not due to the fact that teachers are not capable, but the system itself is so complicated that a good teacher does not get the opportunity to groom students to become a good educated citizen.

I had a maths teacher who gives actual life examples in the class which enabled me to enjoy the subject and score well. Also I used to practically help my family in maintaining budget and calculating cost of the production etc.

What is the solution?

I feel technology is the solution. Products like Kindle can solve the school bag weight problem. But we have to see that teaching also makes students better human being and improves the social value.

Few steps which will enable the growth of society by education

- Children should be given option to choose in education

- Right teacher and student ratio to be maintained.

- The performance of the students to be the criteria for judging the teachers performance

- Basic life skills need to be taught to all compulsorily till 10th standard

- Growth and maturity of the student to be valued in considering the evaluation process