What should education really teach ?

Let's first understand what education is. Is it about cramming the facts and figures and outpouring the same stuff on exam day or is it about testing our memory who can cram better?

Wikipedia defines Education as the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits...but did you notice this definition lacks the most important thing! That is training the mind to think. Have you ever thought, why we study, what is the purpose of education?                                           

The answer can be divided into two parts:

1. The individual purpose of education is to develop ourselves to earn money, respect and above it to bring a change within and outside.

2. National purpose of education is to develop individuals who can contribute in nation building by becoming a great leader, scientist, researcher, reformer, architect, industrialist and so on.

But can merely knowledge alone, produce great individuals? 

The answer is big NO. It can only produce trained machines that have certain well specified functions to perform. History is a witness, individuals who gave new direction to human development were the one with great thinking. Take the example of French Revolution one of the most important events of the history that brought profound political and social change was the result of ideas of great philosophers like Voltaire, Rousseau who had rational mind and could question the status quo. Discoveries that revolutionized the world were the result of a curious mind that focused more on thinking and not on consuming tones of knowledge & information. If anyone of them had no logical ability and only knowledge, would they have done what they did? Again, the answer is NO. Mind that, imagination is more important than knowledge.

But then people think "these are all things to say." No dude! If you are thinking the same, you are getting it wrong. I am not saying knowledge is not important, it is...but not more than creative or analytical thinking.

Let me explain you with an example. According to 'Times of India' more than 50% of candidates recommended for various important posts are from engineering academic background because of the practical pedagogical (teaching) methods they experience in their four-year engineering studies. This provides them with a better analytical aptitude which means better ability of logical reasoning or in short 'thinking'. So, your exercise of training the mind to think will not leave you unemployed either. 😀✌️

But the problem with us is since childhood when we start going to school everyone emphasis more on getting high marks but...did anyone care to help the child in figuring out where his natural interest and passion lies and did anyone care to keep his curiosity alive? I think merely anyone...Do not let child's interest and desires take a back seat just for the shake of getting marks. Some students realize their interest much later in their life from where it becomes very difficult to take U turn and they live their remaining life doing the work they don't like. This is injustice to their life. Not only the parents but as a responsible person you must guide your little ones to pursue their passion and...to think more, not to cram more. As Development Psychology says, "Most of the development of brain is completed by 5 years of age."

If we try to relate this whole idea in the present context, Finland a well-developed country, is a very good example, it takes special steps to revise their curriculum to meet the needs of each individual and have problem-based learning. School does not begin for children until they are 7 years old. There is no homework and no standardized testing until they reach high school. So, force feeding our brains to get better marks would never result into great & happy mind and that is the main reason we are lacking in Research & Development. 

In nutshell, one shouldn't become so concerned with consumption that he/she forget to create, and even if you consume, then you must consume with a purpose. To create or innovate something, all you need is imagination.

One of the great minds of 20th century had beautifully described education as:

"Education is not about learning the facts it's about training the mind to think." Albert Einstein


Comments

  1. Sappy12dreamSeptember 3, 2020 at 5:15 AM

    I think education is how you take it in your learning period. If your really getting the juice of knowledge from the crust then the grades, expectations and social status won't be less ever.
    Because now people wanna work with someone who knows both practical as well as the theoretical idea of things.
    Thanks for your views on education this can help a lots of students who are still rattling and running after grades.

    ReplyDelete

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