‘Education’. What does this term really mean? I am not talking about the literary meaning or dictionary meaning. Life is a great school and our experience teaches us so many things that no formal school or college cannot teach.
Recently I attended a Seminar on Higher Education. The Seminar was organized by a prestigious college in Mumbai and many eminent persons from various walks of life presented papers on the various aspects of higher education like its present status in India, ills of the present system, various report and suggestions, the challenges to be met, foreign players in the field, industry-academics inter-dependence and so on. All the speakers were very good and convinced the participants about their points.
What really caught my serious attention was the comments that just a couple of speakers made – should education limit its goal to making the person employable; is it the duty of the university merely to ensure that the graduates get into good jobs or it extends to transforming an individual to a more empowered, equipped and useful person; is it not the duty of the educators to transform the students to useful members of the humankind?
True. All of us go to colleges to earn our degrees, which will fetch us good jobs. But over the years, colleges have ended doing only this job. Gone are the days when students ‘gained knowledge’, ‘learnt life skills’, ‘became more responsible persons’, ‘became more socially aware’, ‘grew mature to face the challenges of life’ in colleges. It is sad to see the quality of graduates coming out of the colleges. But for a few, most of them are not equipped with social skills or life skills. Let alone the immature students, even many of the parents are not prepared to face defeats. Everybody wants to be only in the cream of the lot! How is it possible? All parents want their wards to be the toppers and all of them want their wards to be only engineers, doctors or IT professionals! Teaching, which is such a noble profession, is hardly given any respect. Only the worst of the graduates enter the academic field as a last resort and they too take up the profession just for the income! How can we expect such teachers to transform individuals, when they themselves are a frustrated lot of losers?
It was saddening to note that many of the leading colleges of Bangalore were on the verge of closure, as they were not getting enough number of students for the regular degree courses! People are shocked when some students passionately take up science studies and remark, ‘but why? Didn’t you get selected in an engineering college?’ Never mind even if the ward gets admitted to the worst of the engineering colleges!
Life skills! Values! Reading rich literature! Learning languages! Community service! All these are becoming strange to today’s generation. How many of today’s students can manage homes, maintain relationships, strengthen them and be successful in their life? The increasing number of divorces, the dwindling family values, the rising number of deserted senior citizens, the increasing number of crimes committed by educated youth, the rising number of suicides by people belonging to the age group of 15-30 are all indicators of where our society is proceeding to.
In fact formal education does little to make the society more mature, responsible and peaceful. The value system that existed in our society ages ago was quite strong. Our parents did not panic when we failed in some subject or did not win a prize in a contest or even if some of us did not want to go to school. As long as we were able to carry on life independently and harmlessly, they had no issues. Nobody requires a degree to lead a successful life. One may not be an achiever in some field. But he can still lead a peaceful and useful life. My grandfather who was just a school pass-out successfully brought up 6 children, who are all leading very good lives. But today, I see how young couples are unable to manage even one kid, depend so much on their parents or others and end up in psychiatric problems.
Of course women have become more empowered, more educated and are more successful in various fields because of education. But on the other side, the society as such is losing many of its strengths and values, which cannot be filled by education. Our teachers taught us to respect our elders, live in harmony with our families and even sacrifice for the sake of our brothers or sisters or parents. But today, self-centered attitude is on the rise. Consumeristic society breeds self-centered individuals, who are more intent upon their personal growth and materialistic possessions rather than the good of the entire society. Capitalism has started being appreciated and adopted by one and all.
‘Survival of the fittest’ is nature’s rule. So, why should I bother? If I am successful, it is because of my own efforts and if someone is begging, it is because of his own making- this is what many feel today! Compassion is hard to find. Even philanthropy is done with some other motive. Children feel their parents are interfering and irritants very soon in their lives! They conveniently forget all the efforts and sacrifices of the parents and proclaim independence, hurting them. While they want to enjoy the support system of the family, they fail to recognize their responsibilities towards protecting the system.
In society, three to four generations used to live under one roof. Children separating from parents after marriage was also seen as a taboo. But today, children are separating from their parents immediately after getting into jobs. I am shocked to hear some youngsters studying in hostels comment, ‘I don’t feel like going home to hear my parents nagging me all the time’ and stay on in a third place even after completion of their studies, while the poor parents keep funding them and waiting eagerly for their return!
The so-called ‘love’ is the only emotion that the youth recognize and they go up to any extent to win their love- even murder! All other relationships –parents, sisters, brothers, cousins, etc. become secondary. Okay! If they glorify love, how come the same partners become unbearable immediately after marriage? Responsibilities are shunned and totally individualistic attitudes only cause rifts in them and they separate very soon in life, without even thinking about the psychological problems that their children will undergo!
Illiterate families living in the remote rural areas live happily. Each person is given his due respect and everybody contributes for the well-being of the family. Children grow in a secure atmosphere and get the love of grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. Brotherhood and sharing come naturally to them. Just drive to a village and you will find the difference. Farmers who grow our food whole-heartedly and generously give us vegetables, fruits and grains that they grow freely, though they themselves may be living in abject poverty! No college or university taught them those values. Not that there are exceptions on both the sides. I am talking only about the majority!
Education in the real sense has to take on the responsibility of protecting the value system of the society, besides imparting bookish knowledge to the students. Education should teach students life skills. Students should be prepared to face any kind of eventuality in their lives. Life is not rosy at all times. One should be ready to pass through thorns too!
Physically, mentally, psychologically and spiritually stronger individuals should be coming out of our colleges and universities-marks and ranks apart!
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