Education and Society, The Dilution of Acedemics

 


Education and Society

In earlier generations women were sacrificing their everything for the sake of family and hence to the society. Many modern intellectuals condemned that as slavery to men and preached to liberate women from the shackles of family and the routine of taking care of the family.
Now the liberation seems to be very successful that many present day young women are considering taking a job their first priority, stand on their own in financial and economic matters and then are thinking about marriage. Thus getting married and having a husband are not on the radar of present youthful women. Having children is further not enthusiastic for the individuals. Thus by liberating women from the drudgery of taking care of family affairs has been successful to the extent of many not able to have a HOME of their own; not house of their own. Woman is the nucleus or fulcrum for the beginning and sustenance by transforming it to a home. In the absence of young women not interested and the intellectuals of the society encouraging and seeing to it no other person with commonsense can oppose their dictates and domination.

How many such women can get a decent job and then a decent husband is a matter of speculation. Even men are not getting a decent job. Many men and women are doing jobs which are very inferior to their qualifications, aspirations and expectations of their parents.
decent jobs market is very crowded and became very narrowed down. Even among those decent jobs the free time is very scarcely being available. Under these circumstances getting married and starting a family are either getting delayed or marriages are not happening. And many young men and women are spending most part of their lives sans fun of official opposite sex company.
Even the "education" they are receiving by spending so much money is not able to be a succor for them. Education has not only became costly but also nothing is got in return except for a paper called the certificate.
Thus it is advisable to revisit the role of getting educated at huge costs of money, time and energy. And it is wise to learn something that makes them eligible and qualified to start a profession and live on their own. Blindly joining in schools, college and universities made the degrees and certificates worthless and useless to get a livelihood. And also the individuals are not getting educated in the sense of being able to face life in all its oddities and vagaries.
This is a very serious problem prevalent like a virus and none is doing any thing about it. Instead many more educational institutions are being started. The parents and their children have to think seriously and should not waste their money and time on an avocation that will not return any thing useful.
The roles human beings must be re-thought and appropriate measure are taken to get the remedies that cure the problems.

 

THE DILUTION OF LEARNING

Learning has two senses. One is mere learning of languages and other disciplines. The other is scholarship. In both the senses it is has been and is highly diluted in our country. The purpose of education as different from mere literacy is to become adept in the three Rs- reading, writing and ‘rthemetic.  But present generation of schools are not capable of imparting these three minimum essential requirements of learning. The reason is obvious. Most of the parents want ranks to their kids and do not know the pleasure, beauty and usefulness of learning. They want their children to settle in good jobs. Some parents want to show their status by joining their offspring in “prestigious” institutions.

 

Earlier generation of students and teachers were keen about the acquisition of good knowledge also in addition to imparting the contents of the syllabi. Every science student also is well-versed with the literature in one’s own mother tongue in addition to English literature. And humanities students were having a reasonable general knowledge about science. For example when we were doing degree course we were having three papers in English language-old poetry, modern poetry, two full-length dramas of Shakespeare (one tragedy and one comedy), modern prose, select one act plays and non-detailed. And only essay questions and annotations are asked. One has to write descriptive answers. Of course many students were not able to complete degree because they could not pass in English. That was having a filtering effect. Now it is completely opposite. And also there is a misnomer that students other than English literatureneed not be proficient in English. Many do not know that one must be proficient in the language of instruction and learning. It is not an exaggeration that we find today ninety percent of school- and college- going students not adept in any language even in mother tongue. The misplaced obsession with computer in learning from UKG itself is unfortunate. The managements of the schools are catering to the “ambitions” of the parents.

The primacy of the education is to train the mind and not stuffing the brain with information is long forgotten and neglected. The ability to write a few sentences in any language learnt including mother tongue is becoming rare. The privatization of education at all levels has attracted intelligent businessmen to the field of education and transformed the auspicious learning process into another industrial enterprise. Hundreds of crores of rupees of business is done in the name of imparting education. 

As the privately run educations are run as commercial enterprises the teachers have lost their significance, relevance and importance. It should not surprise any one if a lecturer in a privately run college is drawing a salary of a mere Rs. 4000/- a month. A laborer is getting more than that. Utter disregard is shown to the teachers by most of the privately run educational institutions. We are only boasting when we say that we have so many schools, colleges and universities. The mushroom growth of deemed universities is another face of the commercialization in education.  If many of us not associated with the field of education are thinking that by sending our children to these institutions our responsibility as parents is over are sadly mistaken. A degree without proficiency in language and knowledge in chosen discipline is the norm of the day. We are all, including every responsible person associated with the field of education, like the proverbial cat which thinks no one is observing it drinking the milk if it closes its eyes. The reality is glaring. 

The words bioinformatics biotechnology and nano-technology have become famous. The privately run colleges and universities are making money on our craze of such words even though a degree in these fields can not and most of the times do not guarantee a job. Fascination and fashion are consuming us as our “lust” for modern gadgets. Entertainment is dominating our lives and no enlightenment is available and we are not caring for getting enlightened.  We being well-versed and acquainted with day to day happenings on the globe alone is not enlightenment. Enlightenment is a more sublime process and progress of human intellectual and emotional make-op.  The role of radio (FM broad-cast)), TV (cinema based programs) and the like are having more influence on youth than the teacher in the class.

Some students are getting plum jobs in IT industry but rest of the students are in the lurch. There is no hope to get a good job and a decent living. Most are not able to manage to make both the ends meet. Especially the youth are wasting their lives in private concerns with meager salaries. This should be taken note of by the concerned. Else we will be a nation of highest degree holders in the world without any reasonably decent employment to our youth. Another craze is naming the institutes. Now we are going to have IITs, IIMs and AIIMS like hospitals every where. An institution is made by a combined effort of the faculty and the students. Just naming new institutions after famous institutes will not and can not guarantee excellence in these days of pampering.

Learning in the sense of scholarship is out of fashion now. Rarely people are applying their minds to learn in depth in their disciplines. Everything is going on the periphery. Understanding, getting insight, experiencing the acquired knowledge are becoming rare or even extinct in many cases. Mere ornamental writing and lecturing are dominating and actual scholarship is missing. Also the entrance tests for admission into higher studies or job opportunities have turned out to be tests of elimination rather than tests of selection. The understanding and insight of the individual and other faculties other than logic and reasoning are not tested at all at these tests. 

Education in the sense of acquiring positive qualities and become a humane person are completely out of the radars of almost all the educational institutions and parents also. Every one wants good job without deserving and mentally equipped for the tasks associated. A lot of pampering is taking place around. It is of no use to any one; definitely not to the nation. Even though this description of education scenario is disturbing and pessimistic, it is the reality. We must be alarmed of the situation. But who cares. 

We are all divided into various affiliations. We can not tackle united any challenge. The divisions among us by various realities and their perpetuation with immunity and impunity are not good for the nation. Citizens have to make a nation. A nation can not make citizens. We will really progress when this reality dawns in the hearts of all Indians and they do not confine to their narrow divisions of all kinds. Very few of us are pursuing knowledge for the sake of knowledge. Many are in academics and are studying degrees to get a job. But this type of academics can not give job opportunities, is not known to and realized by most. Even if they know they do not have any alternative. This compulsory adherence to academic studies is diluting the learning process and learning. This dilution in and of learning is not good for the individual, society and nation.