educated or examined

EDUCATED OR EXAMINED?

One of the genuinely profound contemporary mystery and myth of our beloved India is our education system. As the claims of India becoming more educated, reflected for enthusiasts in higher literacy rates deserve a cheer , a brief halt to review and differentiate between literacy and education is worth the effort.
While assessing any system for its efficacy two essential elements have to be studied . Firstly the process and then the outcome. The former is an internal analysis but the latter is the interface with the world.
And this baffles even the most liberal of critique . The outcome of any education system are it pupils when they function in society. The achievements of Indian scientists , doctors , Entrepreneurs ,Engineers and wealth generating Businesswomen (and men) globally is an accolade to our higher education and to few world rated institutions . Their creativity and leadership in their fields is exemplary for the Western educated peers too.
They are certainly the golden cupola on the top of the pyramid , but a descent towards the base shocks. The pyramid has its walls but the solid structure supporting it is patchy and the base appears to be almost fluid and non existent , in our case the secondary and primary education structures respectively.
This raises the ever perplexing question- how does a country whose preparatory education is disparate and skewed , both qualitatively and quantitatively produce innovators and geniuses.?
Even if we ignore the negligence of Government in upgrading the primary (a whole lot is still under the tree often without a blackboard and teacher!) the gaps are glaring even at secondary.
The other end is public schools which are pampering the kids from the richer India not only in extra curricular but in survival comforts too. Air conditioned class rooms , smart boards ,foreign spots for ‘school excursions’ a new world of rich brats is being created. The new upper middle class is has it eyes on foreign universities for them where money more than merit matters.
Contrast it with Government schools with barely any facilities , surviving on minimal fee and a disinterested environment. The only way bright ones have is the open entrance examination systems to be reckoned in the race.
The two divergent streams meet at the University. It would be a interesting research to look into the educational background of the students in quality Institutions.
But both public and Government schools at least agree on one part of the process…….ROTE.
A few rebel experimental schools do make an effort to minimize the information based teaching system but most across the country have no place for enhancing or instructing in ‘thinking ability’ .
This job is left for post graduate education. After 12-15 years in a system without evolving ‘critical thinking abilities’ one is suddenly thrown into a mode of thinking , which has a jarring effect and can be disorienting. This phenomenon is almost universal and often people confess that the knowledge imparted to them till Undergraduate usually goes waste. Re training and re studying remains the only way to bounce back.
The larger lot proves the point but the jewels must be different as individuals or be fortunate enough in their personal environment.
Schools are overloaded with overburdened teachers , hard pressed to complete the syllabus with no time or inclination to involve in hairsplitting queries. Even the expression of creative teaching is rare so the best escape route devised by the faulty system is examination.
From the good old trimester examination system , a whole range of daily to weekly tests have emerged.
Asking questions is always better than answering them. As parents and children move in a maze of grades ,the report card becomes the only reality and focus shifts from passing the examination rather than learning the process of learning . Very few escape this tussle between teachers and parents to preserve their mind and instincts to exhibit originality later. Majority suffers both intellectual as well as emotional trauma with the whole range of psychological sequel.
Burn out is more real than perceived , any adolescent clinic can hold testimony to it. If schools are guilty of excess the parents have turned the child’s success to trophy. The grades and certificates are an essential part of social status paraphernalia which inflates the vanity.
The tired minds are reflecting in the standards of Universities and professional colleges. Remove the handful of them , the atmosphere is hardly academically challenging , where inspiration is an illusion. The hoards of student need a degree ,least bothered about the knowledge ,the fixation of marks and grades is deep rooted.
Whatever is left of the fire is extinguished by the Typical University faculty . The GURU who chiseled a diamond out of stone is in relics. The routine stereotyped lessons across all disciplines is the common scene in classrooms creating not only an aversion but a feeling of insufficiency in the pupil. Proliferating coaching institutes are proof enough of this fallacy.
It cannot be debated that in a country like India where education is linked to earning the insecurity is justified but the psychological cost is tremendous. The despair which people carry in their minds is like a yoke. Not very many can claim that they are living the life they wanted. Even rare are those who have self actualized in their chosen field of work.
Vocation based training and skill based education though accessible is still a far dream.
Being skilled to earn, being educated to be wise perhaps may work well for this vast country.
It seems difficult especially with economic prosperity because we lack what Gandhi learnt from Ruskin – dignity of Labour.
Being wise and knowledgeable is no one’s prerogative and that has to be independent of his or her job. The lesson is simple enough.
Those who are fortunate to get into the premiere Institutes get a chance to live a creative life rest slog.
A positive golden mean exists though. Learning the process of learning should be the focus and not information loading. If schools can attempt to ignite the fire of inquisitiveness and keep it alive , accepting the individual differences the young minds will naturally activate themselves when they discover the inner calling. They should be allowed to dream and discover. Give them the tools of mind but allow them to experiment. Only when boundaries are broken innovations happen. And that day the classroom will not be so aversive.

We cannot always cheer up for Indians who win Nobel prize sitting in America
We as a nation have to find that mean somewhere between Tagore’s romanticism and Gandhi’s karma yoga.