By HH Mohrmen
The book I read a long time ago has a peculiar name. It is called, “Education of Little Tree.” Before any one raises their hand to ask how we can educate a tree let me explain that Little Tree is the name of a young boy from a Cherokee tribe and the strange name (earlier all Native Americans have peculiar names) is because the book is about how the two grandparents educated their Native American grandson hence the name Little Tree. In the book Forest Carter wrote about how an orphan who was sent to a modern school and later dropped out because he found it difficult to cope. He returned to the hills where his grandparents lived and received education which was fun during his leisure. The learning was practical so whatever he learned he could also apply to his life.
Some reviews of the book say that it is Cherokee boyhood which is spent in the lap of the nature; it tells us about the generous and loving details of a unique way of life that the Indians lived. It is about a natural approach to life which is filled with love and respect for nature. One review says, “Surely a lot of people received a lot of education from their grandparents that schools do not offer, but this one is unique because it gives us insights into a Native American way o life.
In the recent workshop organised by ICARE, there was a hue and cry that education in Meghalaya is (to put in a simple way) in a mess. Some even concluded that the way education is being run in the state now, is like it is on autopilot and the Government or the Education department is not in control. At the Secondary or Higher secondary level, Meghalaya does not even have a curriculum of its own and the state simply follows the national curriculum not to mention a policy. A politician, who represents the BJP and is also a former Education Minister of the state, clarified that it is not true that Meghalaya does not have an education policy. The state may have a policy, but the question that the audience at the workshop asked was whether the same is being implemented in letter and spirit.
It was stated in the workshop that in one of study it was found that there is a huge dropout rate of students between higher secondary and degree levels. Do we need to ask why? The reason is because we do not have enough colleges which offer degree courses to cater to the youth who have passed their Higher Secondary school to continue their education. Another reason why the youths drop out after Senior Secondary level is also because none of the colleges offer courses or programs, other than the usual Arts, Science and Commerce streams. Of course there are institutions which offers courses in Social works, Mass Media and Environmental Studies, but the need of the hour is to have courses or programs which are down to earth and which can be applied to the day to day lives of the local people in the area.
In the state education system there is no avenue or alternative for young people who do not want (or cannot afford) to pursue a college degree so they have no option but to drop out. One can argue that of course we have only few ITIs and Polytechnic and the usual courses they offer is diploma in Electricals, or train people to be electricians, mechanics, short- hand, beautician or hairdressing, costume designing or dress making etc., But the pertinent question is whether the courses actually provide jobs to the youths who have completed the courses? What about their placements? Do we follow our youth after they have completed their trainings?
We are yet to see an institute which ‘thinks out of the box’ and offer courses or programs which are not ‘run of the mill and predictable and with job guarantee. Or maybe the education system in the state does not give the institutions the flexibility to explore such possibilities. The need of the hour is to have trainings, for example, on farming by linking it with the Agro-ecology of the people in the area. ICAR can perhaps start training in organic in farming which emphasises on indigenous knowledge which will help farmers deal with climate change or help mitigate the effects of climate change on the people and their farming.
The people of the region cannot live without meat. Perhaps a short term course in livestock rearing will be something that will have ready market in the area. Special emphasis should be given to cattle rearing in the context of beef ban in the country. In the past the status of a person in the community is measured by the size of cattle herd he has, but now cattle rearing in the old tribal style is becoming unpopular because no shepherds are available to tend the cattle in the villages. A more modern method of cattle rearing should be introduced so that villagers can continue with the activity which has ready market.
Rote learning and memorisation is still the popular teaching system amongst the schools in the state and as some has rightly said that the system of teaching in Meghalaya is that the kids will have to learn, commit and vomit. There is no room for critical thinking or creative thinking perhaps we really are producing robots and don’t want people to ask questions. The teacher’s main goal is to complete the syllabus and the test of whether students understand the lessons or not is by conducting tests or examinations.
Education, particularly higher education in Meghalaya, is very expensive because we have very few government colleges. The rest are all private institutions and even colleges run by religious institutions are called private institutes and they charge hefty fees. A member of one of the SHGs we promote shared with me her ordeal that because she has many kids she finds it difficult to provide education to all of them. When I mentioned that she can avail education loan that the banks offers now, her reply was that she has no close relation who is working in the government and willing to stand surety for her.
Education in the state is becoming so hectic that at times one wonders whether we are trying to produce robots or educate a child. Children as young as two and half years old are sent to pre-school where they supposedly play and learn. The rat race begins when they are so young and it is instilled in the minds of the youths that unless they score good grades in their public examinations they are not going to be successful in life.
A friend who is a parent of a student who has just passed his SSLC told me that his ward is going to study science and boasted that he is sending the young-adult to a school where he will remain in the school campus from eight thirty in the morning till seven in the evening every day. He also elucidated that we are living in a difficult time and unless kids work hard during these two formative years then they will not make it in life. So where is the fun of being a child? And do our young adults have time for fun at all? Where is the joy of learning even as we force our kids to study to get good grades?
To make matters worse the government is insisting on entrance tests like JEE and NEET. There is no time for kids to enjoy life anymore and parents are sending them for coaching so that they crack the entrance tests. Learning is becoming very hectic and is also very expensive. Now it looks like higher education is meant only for those who can afford it.