Education for a Developed Bharat - by Sivashruthy Namachivayam

Preamble:

India is not new to education. Nalanda and Taxila Universities produced notable alumnus and alumna for a progressive nation. Even the art form of Yoga was the education given by nature. Nature, being a teacher according to Wordsworth is substantiated through Indian education. With the concept of nature amalgamated with education, the students excelled. The earliest form of teaching was the Gurukula system, where the students would be taught by a Guru, maybe their hereditary Guru. These Gurus would be educators, facilitators, parents and even God for their learning period.

The system of Gurukul:

The system of Gurukula involved students leaving their families at their young age and taking up education for fourteen years. By the end of the fourteenth year, the students would return to their homes. The students, who took this education, were Kings and Brahmins. The second stage would be to get away from all their luxuries. Princes had to leave behind their extravagant lives. They had to beg for their daily food and work. They got wood from the forest, begged for rice and gave them to the Guru’s wife for food. This showed them how to gain independence in work.

Tests at Gurukula:

A myth goes like the Guru would eat the food with ghee while the students would eat that with neem oil. Once the student differentiates between the neem oil and ghee, he is not composed for his studies. When the students begged, they had the opportunity to learn about the plight of the people. This would help him to have a deeper understanding of the society.

Other forms of Education:

Students of other sects of the society took their education from their parents. The arts and skills required for their profession, warfare and life sciences were taught by their parents. Women were taught at their houses. Historical documents show princesses traveling from their country to the countries of their relatives. These countries offered them various lessons. Girls also involve themselves to roam around the country to gather resources. These things helped the, acquire lessons from nature.

Mutation in the Indian Education:

All these things changed with the advent of the British. Christian missionaries also supported standard education giving value education. The convents offered good education for girls. The girls in the convents learned discipline too. The things mutated soon with the change in the trends in education. Things fell apart.

Pathetic Situation of current Education:

The education now is based on ‘Have money or have no education’. This scenario is not a healthy one. Many children have lost their dreams to study. Students, who have the dream and burning desire to serve people, are held back from becoming doctors. Many foolish Indian parents want to prove their status symbols by organizing some money for their so-called future Doctor sons, who do not even locate the parts in human anatomy. They become useless doctors, who migrate and accumulate buildings, which they themselves call hospitals and clinics. This is further made into the dreams of an unwanted or uninterested Indian. This scenario must be changed in the due course of education. Even engineering students, who want to pursue a career in their own branches, are thrust into IT industry. Hunger for money pushes them to do so.

The problem of a futile education:

In a country, dominated by learned people, there was no much need for the Indians to learn because these learned people helped them out with their problems. Things are the other way around. Some people are like disgraces to these learned groups. They hardly try to be the solution for the problems rather but turn out to be the problems themselves.

Due to such an issue, there is a vacuum for well-learned people in some places. This is the reason; education was given openly to all. Today, education has become a market. The market has become an education. The art of buying and selling was an influence and not an instituted knowledge. This was made into an education, where individuals had to pay for the courses in heavy sums. If these institutions had to give education for marketing, are they taught quick and easy math? Are they taught the ethics of doing a sustainable business? Are there chances for the spending of the money gained in a good way? These do not form the core of learning.

Market and Education:

To consider education as a market, the basic factor is the fee structure, which is a lump. This includes both capitation fees and the normal fees. Schools offer students varied interesting courses at a very young age. Many people claim that fish cannot climb a tree so as a student with different potential cannot study certain subjects. However, we are not fish nor are we only water survivors. We are gifted with six senses and can do wonders with them.

Need for Common Education till 10th standard:

Even the art of archery was tried by everyone under the tutorship of Drona Acharya. It is only after finding the caliber in Arjuna, he was directed towards learning archery. This proves the authentication in today’s education. Everything acquired till 10^th standard comes to the aide of the students. During the Inter studies and college, the student can apply whatever he has learned since childhood.

Pedagogy of teaching certain areas:

Ridiculously, many Indians find language subjects and History to be futile. This is the result of having a bad teacher, though with good knowledge has a bad moral pedagogy. History, English, and vernaculars must be taught with the perspective of life and not from the angle of the board or main exams. Only a few people know that Aurangazeb has not taken a penny from his Government Exchequer because this is not a question for the board exams. The role of nature becomes a part of “The Selfish Giant” but only the selfishness of the giant is projected by the teacher as it is a book back question. History and language are not taught well. The teachers do not teach with their souls but only with their bodies. This is the problem why the crimes among the educated are rising.

Sustainability in Education:

Many complain the absence of updated contents in education. If everything is to be included in the text and must be prescribed for exams, what are they going to do extensively? The things, which is acquired with self-efforts can only stay long. If it is studied for a purpose, it loses its value. Learning must be done for learning’s sake. Fortunately, when a text of Sivashankari, Knit India through Literature was prescribed to a class of Master of Literature students, easily they could recall the names. Since schools offered this, the students acquired them. Some could not get their names because they read the language to boost up their totals.

The content, which was taught to us in schools were penned by authors, who stand tall in Indian literature. All these writings imparted fair knowledge, good value education and helped students conduct themselves in society. Due to the mental violence committed by some parents, teachers, and the management, students spoil their own souls. I have to tell with a cold heart that parents and teachers, who are against this are the main reason for the deterioration of the standard of education.

For a better Education in India:

The main problem in the Indian Education is non-uniformity. The sameness in the education throughout the country is essential. Education was to eradicate the differences in the country. Unluckily, education itself has turned into a factor for differences. If education is unified throughout the country, there will be no need for ‘educational urbanization’. Many parents think that children will get knowledge only when they are sent to boarding schools.

How must schools be?

Today schools do not function as schools but become like cafeterias and travel agencies. The students do not find social atmosphere. Schools restrict the strength to just 15 to 20. This can hardly give them a chance to remember names. They will fail to remember facts and to socialize with people. They do not teach morality. Morality is not given much importance. Morality cannot be updated. It will be the same. Let’s work for a developed educational future.

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– Sivashruthy Namachivayam

Content Writer at Legal Bites

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