Editor,
Education is a much revered enterprise. But sadly our attitude towards education, especially at the primary school level, has been one of complacency and blatant disdain. Veronica Pala’s article, “Urgently needed: Reforms in School Education” (ST, 21 February, 2017) is so apt, very thought provoking and highly commendable. Our primary school education has always been like the most serious defect in a crystal structure. But our complacency has rendered us too blind to see the ‘seriousness of a dislocation’ in the area of primary school education.
It is not uncommon to see that when education fails, students and the curriculum are conveniently blamed. And it is a common flaw to see the comparison between the students then and now, and between the first and the last students. We feel that our job, as teachers and schools, is well done when those who are gifted are doing well; damn the rest who fail to catch up. “If certain students can memorize the whole damn book, why can’t others memorize a single multiplication table? is the teachers’ common refrain. Yes students are made to believe that ‘memorization of rules and facts’ is what constitutes their school education. In fact by the time a student is able to spell ‘education’ he/she is already concretised with the idea that ‘school’ is about ‘memorizing’ things! What a pitiable plight. Otto Frisch said, “Children have one thing in common with the scientists and that is curiosity”. Indeed, the curiosity in children is natural. Children are constantly engaging their sense of childlike wonder. They don’t worry about learning being hard. For them, doing things the right way and learning itself is an adventure and it is fun. So is it fair to kill their natural curiosity by our faulty school education system? Instead of properly engaging children in learning, we have become catalysts in the decay of a child’s curiosity and interest. The popular T-shirt caption: “I was born intelligent but education ruined me”, after all, does have a long story to tell.
Also the one size fits all approach in imparting school education must end. Education is individual centric because learning is always an individual phenomena. We can’t just shepherd all students with a one- size- fits- all approach because the pace and the way young minds assimilate and connect information is unique to every individual. Teachers should take the responsibility to see that ‘no’ child is left behind. And one should not forget that the whole society perishes with the mistake of a teacher.
Yours etc.,
T Fightingstar L Mawlong
Via email
Need to deepen democracy
Editor,
It is wrong to assume that those from the higher castes can solve the problems of Dalits or that men can solve women’s problems because no such problem can be solved without self-determination. Indeed, self-determination is central to democracy. When we see some defects in a democratic system, we sometimes say we need a dictator/ military ruler/ king to solve our problems. However, a dictator can be a bad one. But more importantly, even a good dictator cannot be good enough to satisfy the demand for self-determination of the people. As a matter of fact, even a government for the people fails to get the benchmark of a democratic government until and unless it also becomes a government of the people and by the people. This is the reason why humanity is still fighting for democracy or for more democracy in spite of its defects. And this was the main idea behind our struggle for independence against the British raj. It is true that some men fought for the cause of women and are still fighting for the same. Also, some whites are championing the cause of black rights, some higher castes for Dalits. But those good Samaritans cannot liberate their counterparts so long as the self-determination of the latter is not guaranteed.
Swami Vivekananda had categorically explained why such power sharing was essential. He said, ~ “Liberty is the first condition of growth. It is wrong, a thousand times wrong, if any of you dares to say, “I will work out the salvation of this woman or child.” I am asked again and again, what I think of the widow problem and what I think of the woman question. Let me answer once for all – am I a widow that you ask me that nonsense? Am I a woman that you ask me that question again and again? Who are you to solve women’s problems? Are you the Lord God that you should rule over every widow and every woman? Hands off! They will solve their own problems.”
Indeed, Lincoln gave his life for the freedom of black people in the United States of America. But it required blacks like Martin Luther King, Junior to distribute the fruits of liberty among themselves. So, to solve the problems of Dalits and women, first of all their proportional representation in government must be ensured.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata