Educating unemployable wimps!

Whither Education?

During my wanderings, I met many people and situations of all varieties and flavors. May I share some of my observations.

The first is Education. This is a necessity and many people are trying to provide it on many levels. From housewives teaching the home help, Students teaching adults, NGOs running classes under trees, adopting government schools, to starting and running new schools, all kinds of solutions are being tried.

This all should be good, and desirable, but it is invoking a deep disquiet in me. It is my personal opinion, that the education is being demeaned in two major ways.

1. The present education is mobilizing an army of unemployable wimps. Most children are being weaned away from their ancestral, traditional trades, crafts and livelihoods for some chimera.

People are very proud that they have weaned children away to “Educate” from traditional working parents. They could not reply as to who will carry on the work the parents are doing?

What exactly is EDUCATION? Getting high marks by any means without any knowledge of the subject? Speaking English? Ability to run MS Ofifce? Marketing and selling things?

Why is the traditional skill training NOT education?

I have met young people who are loath to do an honest day’s work by their hands. They only want office jobs. A blue collar job even when better paid is passed on in favor of a white collar job, with a meagre pay.

A childhood that is NOT deprived is producing mighty losers who commit suicide for the flimsiest reason. A thirteen year old committing suicide because she failed and parents shouted? Kids getting admission in IIT and then choosing to die because they cannot cope?

On the other hand meet the shoe shine boys who work on stations and also study on side. Who is better equipped for a tough life later?

2. There is a sinister conspiracy against Merit. We are committing mass meritocide!

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. There was a trend of marginalizing “differently able” groups. Now people are trying to bring them in main stream at the expense of all other children. Both scenarios are unsatisfactory. Even gifted children are “differently able”. A good education system is the one that allows everyone to reach their full potential- the commoners as well as differently able.

And how do you recognize merit if not by testing? Why are examinations a bad thing? If some children cannot cope, why penalize the majority that can? Getting higher numbers is an encouragement, and enables healthy peer rivalry. Is it not better to fail early in life and to face the consequences, as well as to learn that there is a second chance.

Filling higher institutes with mediocre people who cannot cope and then lowering the standards of education is not healthy for anyone. Being mediocre is not a crime. There are enough avenues for all. But why anyone should be pushed to do something that is beyond them? I have seen the suicides in Kanpur IIT, and resultant lowering of standards to accommodate the lowest common denominator, instead of aspiring for Highest common factor.

Lampooning the teacher and tying his hands by not allowing any kind of punishment is counterproductive. Too much water and fertilizer will kill the plant. Occasional pruning is essential for good growth.

No exams mean no grades and no incentive to put quality attention. I have been talking to teenagers in several cities, and majority feels abolishing even the 10th exam is a bad thing.

Instead of children solely “ learning to enjoy” the childhood, they have to be taught that some adversity is the norm of life. Life is not fair, they will not be served goodies all their lives, and if they are not good, they will be booted out.

As it is the teachers are prohibited to administer any punishment, the parents are not capable or willing. Consequently discipline in studies, and lives is getting extinct!

With new rules where the examinations are done away, there is a happy situation prevailing in most government schools. The teachers are not willing to teach, they are poorly paid and blamed for all the ills, the students do not want to study, they will pass anyway till 10th. Both come to school, one to collect salary, other to get midday meal!

Discipline and honest hard work to accomplish anything is obsolete. Bullying, screaming, throwing tantrums and blaming the school and teachers is the current syllabi. The children have excellent training in unparliamentary behavior by observing our honorable MPs, MLAs and ministers.

What kind of generation X or Y is this? This is how we are educating them?

I am not advocating old feudal system where education was denied to majority. I am saying that education is different from literacy. If you learn your grammar and forget your values, you are not educated.

Shri Lalu Prasad Yadav had the right Idea, when he had introduced “Charwaha” ( shepherd ) Schools, where the teachers were supposed to go to the shepherds so they learned their three Rs along with their trade. Like all good ideas it is now Resting in Peace.

Whether we like it or not, all life activity is like a pyramid. There is a small top but a huge bottom. If you try to make a bigger top than a bottom, the structure will collapse. Let there be equal opportunity for all, and let the cream rise. Do not try to make butter out of whey. Whey also has its purpose. All butter will increase cholesterol!

We like to emulate America, let’s emulate them on their track of dignity of labor. Their teens are expected to earn their pocket money by working at sundry jobs. Most of them work and pay for their own degrees. That makes them value it.

Let’s do our kids a favor. Please do not cater to their every whim. Say no to their demands. Let them learn that they can’t get everything in life by throwing tantrums or blackmailing parents. Getting used to some deprivation will make them sturdier. They will not think of committing suicide late when things don’t go their way.

Ragging has also its place. It toughens people. Then when sledging happens in a playground you learn to sledge back and do not whine!

Please teach them life skills, learning to cope with disappointments and to deal with adversity. Don’t go fight their battles. Support them , sympathize with them, but please let them manage their issues.

I have seen young boys only 10th pass ( 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] Division); who find beneath their dignity to help their fathers be it a farmer, a dhobi, a tailor, or indeed any artisan.

So they are not fit for another trade and have not learned their own. Then the frustration sets it, starts with eve teasing, to wife bashing to criminal activities to get rich quick. They are unemployable, do not want to do the jobs available, and want the government to feed and maintain them.

We are creating vocational schools to provide vocational training, but are depriving them of the best vocational training that is imparted at home.

Childhood enjoyment has to be tempered with hard work. If a school principal asks the students to clean the school premises, it is not a crime!

Little punishment has to be allowed. Only rewards and No punishment means insecure person, who cannot deal with life’s punishments.

Let the brickbats flow!

 

Thank you Dreamer, Jskls, Vaidehi71, Shyamala1234
if more people start to think on individual levels and start implementing ideas there is hope yet.