By Rosalind Rynjah
.The lockdown has given us the time to think about what we have taken for granted for a while now. I am realistic enough to know that when a semblance of normalcy returns, many will forget and move on the same path and with the same momentum. For a large number of us, however, this has changed the way we live, not only in the way we conduct our daily lives but also on what to prioritize in the future. It will be good for our state and the nation too if in the latter group is included the majority of our leaders who should see this as the right time for a revolution; to focus the spotlight on the general population.
Being a teacher, I truly believe that this revolution should start by overhauling our educational system. For decades, our system has produced spoon-fed children whose sole purpose in life is to fulfil their materialistic aspirations; to hell with the consequences! There are noble exceptions, but they are a minority. The former, I believe is the reason many people’s vision and hope of a better future is so easily extinguished. The past appears to be a much better place to live in with all the conveniences that makes life comfortable in the present. The aged reminisce about the good old days, ‘por ba la leit ….’as one artist sings, fills us with nostalgia. Let us introspect and explore who or what is responsible for such a sentiment.
If we blame the younger generation then we must stop fooling ourselves. Look closely and the truth is, we have ourselves and this educational system that we so value, to blame. All parents talk about is how their child is getting 90%, wants to join the civil service, become a doctor or join an MNC and earn lakhs annually. Rarely do you hear them boasting about a caring, compassionate and helpful child. Parents give their children everything as long as their children fulfil the parents’ aspirations. But often what the children want is nowhere close to what their parents want them to be. Our educational system also caters to these aspirations to the point that some children take drugs, die of suicide and become dependent on anti-depressants to survive this rat race.
Today parents are proud of their two-year olds who are able to operate a smart phone, speak in perfect English which they imbibe from spending way too much before the television and dance suggestively to the latest pop songs. Ironically, in a crisis like this present pandemic, it’s the government that has to issue directives to both young on basic hygiene such as washing our hands, covering our mouths while coughing, be supportive towards the weaker section of the society, maintain cleanliness in the house etc, The question that therefore arises is what did ten years of schooling teach us? This is what I meant by ‘to hell with the consequences’. The system has failed to prepare us for life. No doubt a career is important but at what cost, we need to ask ourselves. There has to be a balance.
To live in a society we need to prepare our children not only to excel academically but to be responsible, respectful, accountable, kind to others and to live sustainably, thinking of the future generations.Many parents, even the ones who started out with the determination to be different from their contemporaries have given up the fight. One-year olds are being fed with nursery rhymes and playing on the phone. Giving kids access to a phone and to the internet is something that cannot be avoided now but to need a phone to feed a child speaks volumes for the level of tolerance that parents have today.
What is to come will be more challenging if the same attitude persists. The article ‘Call of Duty’ by Br. Solomon Morris published in your newspaper on May 19 last is long overdue. It is good for the head of an educational institution to admit publicly that not all is well with on-line classes. Rather than painting a rosy picture the writer has pointed at the elephant in the room which most people want to sweep under the carpet. Addiction to games that take one away from reality is bad enough, but. we are well aware that is not the worst thing that students are addicted to. I personally believe that if in schools, children are first taught about life and how to grow up responsibly, the ill effects of the internet can be reduced to a certain extent because let’s face it we are going to be more dependent on it in the future.
A video sent by a cousin on the Japanese educational system is worth watching and learning from. When I say a revolution I mean the entire system should change and the major stakeholders should be involved. Parents, teachers and law makers should brainstorm on making education more holistic and not follow the same tried, tested and found wanting, system, at least during the formative years. The syllabus that prepares us academically can start from upper primary onwards. Think about it, how useful to our lives were those lessons learnt from class I-V. But, how different will it be for our children and eventually our society if they are taught life skills in their formative years. Besides the basic knowledge of English, Linguistics and Mathematics what’s more important to teach during the formative years are life skills so they can become habits for the future. Physical activities should also be a compulsory part of the syllabus with exceptions to the differently-abled. When physical activity becomes a habit right from a young age then people will not have to join the gym at thirty when one has already developed one of the many lifestyle diseases associated with being a couch potato. The best part is it will help boost our immune system – a weapon to fight illness. When a child then reaches the upper primary level, other subjects can be introduced.
A teacher in the aforementioned video said that he believes that human co-existence is founded on the principles of caring for and respecting each other. People cannot live in isolation so we have to improve our lives together. If one person acts selfishly, this affects others. Children should therefore be encouraged to live in harmony with others. Hence duties to nurture the humane side should be imparted at an early age. The syllabus during the formative years should emphasize on building character, staying healthy, moral education, being gentle toward the weaker section of the society and respecting nature. Focus should be on the practical side of any skill. Children should also be taught generosity, empathy, self-control and justice. If these qualities are taught at a young age then video games can be fun, without them controlling thoughts and lives. We cannot allow games to, as Br Solomon Harris in his article wrote ‘change young people’s brain to make them less empathetic’. School shootings in America are grim reminders of a future we are staring at if we do not act now.
Crises like the present one will become a regular feature in the future. We will fail as a society if we do not prepare the younger generation for this. It cannot be about money and power all the time. Covid-19 has taught us that a crisis does not discriminate between the rich and poor, the powerful and the powerless. This obsession with money and power has permeated to every section of society. Parents in the villages are so blinded by what money can buy that they send their kids to the city, because, as one parent told me it is a miserable life to be a farmer. He has to live from hand to mouth, so Shillong it is, for his children in search of fame and fortune. Imagine that, from a man who deserves respect not because he is rich and powerful but because he is in an occupation which grows food – a basic necessity. Our outlook on who is more important for our survival should change. Undoubtedly engineers, politicians, bureaucrats and other professions are important but the balance at least in this should tilt to the former. The younger generation should learn to give respect to the deserving. Think about it, when we teach our children well, then a future crisis such as this can be tackled by a healthier, well informed, more responsible and more compassionate society. Build your house on a rock and it will stand are words that hold true here. A prosperous society where everyone has an equal opportunity has to stand on a strong foundation and if we want a brighter future then we must know that the foundation for that is the next generation and what and how they are taught.