By Toki Blah
Many are the articles and as many the writers who have aired their views and comments on the state of Meghalaya. In truth, the focus of most of such writings has been on the steady decline of life in all spheres of Meghalayan activity. Apparently we have nothing to write home about, be it on the social, political or economic aspects of our lives. It is pathetic that most of us have so little to be proud of our state and the status it commands among its sister states in the rest of the country. Govt on the other hand has always countered such observations through pompous official statements and press reports of the wonderful things that it is planning to do or is already doing for us. Actually this ding dong debate has been on for the last 40 years. Obviously something is wrong somewhere. A huge creditability gap evidently exists between the perceived truth and the real truth. Clearly a call for introspection on where we went wrong and how to improve things has never been more deserving.
An area where a lot of betterment can be achieved is in development. Within the 40 years plus of statehood, a large unexplored territory is still left untouched where real sustainable development can still take place. Two crucial indicators of a developed society are in the Education and Health sector. Why is there so much dissatisfaction and concern over the education system prevailing in Meghalaya? Probably because everyone realises that our education system no longer has any vision. Education today fails to excite as it used to. Do parents know why they send their children to school? Students, why they study? Teachers, as to what inspires them to teach? Does Govt really know the reason for its huge education department with its equally top heavy establishment? Don’t be surprised if the answer to all four is an embarrassed – NO!
The universal goal and vision of education throughout the ages has been towards the production of a rounded personality who is able to fit in, interact and contribute to his/her environment and beyond. The end result of education is to provide society with philosophers, thinkers, writers, intellectuals, theorists, truth seekers, scholars, learners and academicians. Leaders and opinion makers in the realm of politics, social transformation, industry and economic rejuvenation should be the end products of education. Enlightened personalities to guide, lead and influence the society they belong to. Therefore when the objective of an education system and department is strictly limited to its ability to produce clerks and file pushers for Government offices, and that too within a 40:40:20 reservation policy, the system beings to collapse. It crashes completely and totally when Govt employment reaches saturation point. It loses both relevance and credibility. This is what’s happening to education in Meghalaya.
Another anachronism found in our education system is the teaching method employed. Teachers are expected to teach but tragedy is, most of them teach by rote. The student is encouraged to learn by heart and never to question. To enforce this paradigm, private tuition is further encouraged after school. A student therefore who questions, ultimately ends up being identified as a trouble maker as the tendency to be curious; to be creative; to question; to probe is deliberately suppressed, because no one has the time nor the inclination (nor the ability it seems) to satisfy a curious, inquisitive child’s mind.
‘Commit to memory’ is the rule, especially in our rural elementary schools. Many call it teaching. We shall not quibble, but is it educating? But then what do we expect from half trained, poorly paid and equally equipped teachers who are expected to impart knowledge to a class of 50 or more students at a time? Rote teaching is the simplest way out! In the process, core issues like research and investigative learning are either sidelined or simply not there. The education system we follow is simply outdated. Neither relevant nor pertinent to the need of the times. So do we continue with the present faulty Education system or do we try to reverse this downslide trend towards cerebral decay? Our future generations might never forgive us if we fail to address this malady.
Of course all parents want their children to do well in life and sincerely believe that securing high marks in academics is the only road to success. Our education system encourages such a belief. It results in parents blindly transferring parental responsibility to the teacher who is expected to academically groom the child on behalf of the parents from 9 am to 7pm! Ten hours a day; 50 hours every week we entrust our children to the care of a paid surrogate parent because most parents today are working parents and don’t have time. Or so they say and Meghalayan society is attempting to educate through surrogate parenting. It is an experiment that has bombed! Instead of producing geniuses, Meghalaya is mass producing a generation of confused, value deficient, irresponsible, bored, visionless and frustrated young people. We bemoan the alarming increase in crime, violence and militancy in our society. We refuse to admit that we are responsible for producing it.
The Health scenario is another area that demands immediate attention. Health care in Meghalaya is expensive and increasingly so with each passing day. Most private hospitals are beyond the reach of the common man. State and faith based organisations run hospitals where the core objective is to provide maximum service at the lowest cost possible. The lack of health infrastructure and paucity of expert man power has however blunted this noble intention of effective and affordable Health Care to one and all. In almost all hospitals more than 70% of hospital bed space, in both private and charitable health institutions, is occupied by patients who are there largely by choice than by necessity. Now, now, hold your horses, and let me explain!
Today, we can boast that we have been able to wipe out contagious and communicable diseases such as smallpox, cholera, plague, typhus and influenza. These dreaded ailments that once terrorised our ancestors no longer prevail. However, as pointed out above, critical hospital bed space is now occupied by those who invariably suffer from high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, kidney related ailments, gastro problems, asthma, cancer, gallstones, gout, tuberculosis, AIDs and depression. Lifestyle related ailments! The poor man’s ailments have disappeared to be replaced with the rich man’s disease. They happen because of the life style we chose for ourselves. Sedentary couch potato life styles; wrong dietary habits; excessive addiction to smoking, drinking, sex and drugs are impacting on our health on a scale never seen before. More than 50% of the population suffer from such ailments. We obviously have an epidemic in our hands!
If we accept that as a society we are facing a lifestyle epidemic that has more or less affected almost every household in Meghalaya, then we also have to realise that it is high time we did something about it. Within the context of this write-up a basic home truth is emerging. Healthy, educated citizens are the backbone of any developing society. They actively contribute towards productivity, revenue generation and wealth creation. Are we cultivating such citizens? I think not. This generation of Khasis, Jaintias and Garos have a funny way of showing their love for their children. Love is expressed by the parent’s ability to shut their kids indoors as long as possible. It’s done in the name of protecting ones child from all the horrible imaginary dangers lurking outdoors. Fast food, potato chips, the TV, video games and the computer are tools used to keep the kids permanently safe inside. The perfect recipe for the lifestyle epidemic mentioned above. We are literally poisoning our children because we love them!
There is a genuine need for a fresh review on the developmental agenda of the state. Today in official circles, there is a sense of economic rejuvenation because of the Integrated Basin Development and Livelihood Programme (IBDLP). A number of Mission oriented initiatives have been launched to accelerate core aspects of the IDBLP. One would really like to see some creative imagination in the IDBLP scheme of things as far as Health and Education are concerned. Education and Health are core infrastructural aspects on which sustainable development is dependent on. A Mission mode on quality and skill based Education as well as a Mission on Preventive Health Care, is clearly an IDBLP agenda on demand. Meghalaya needs to have direction and focus on the above two issues. We can no longer leave them to the mercies of chance; clueless bureaucrats and pretentious politicians. We need to bring in professionals both in Education and Health Care to chalk out a roadmap for us on the two vital subjects. Can we hope that this will form an item for discussion in the forthcoming Budget Assembly session for 2014? Does Meghalaya society possess the courage to demand for a special Assembly Session on the two subjects? Will our MLAs have the nerve to take it up?
(Author is President of ICARE an organisation that focuses on issues of good governance).