By Avner Pariat
When one looks across the length and breadth of Meghalaya, there are numerous problems. Problems which have been compounded over the decades. There seems to be no end in sight and we are now used to seeing the collective public frustration foam up and spew out every two years or so. To the casual observer, all these issues combine to create a sense of despondency and can lead to feelings of depression, confusion and even apocalypticism. We, in Meghalaya, face numerous crises: crisis of leadership, crisis of water management, crisis of healthcare (aside: Kong Ampareen, what has happened to your promise to improve the Health department in 100 days?), crisis of power and so on. However, even though things seem bleak, they are not as bad as we sometimes feel and solutions are very much available. That is, provided that we take the time to think about them rationally. Rational thinking is a core principle – though maybe not the exclusive right – of Liberal Education. In this article, I argue that it is, perhaps, the most urgent need for the state of Meghalaya.
So, what is Liberal Education? I was introduced to this concept in the book, “The War for Children’s Minds,” by Philosophy professor, Stephen Law. It is an old concept but sadly still eludes us 23 years into the 21st century. In the aforementioned book, Law sets out a case for why Liberal Education is crucial in an age of fanaticism, fundamentalism and fear-mongering. According to the book, Liberal Education is a philosophy of education that empowers individuals with “critical insight”, characterized by challenging engagement with issues. So, he is clear, off the bat, that this not going to be an easy task. Liberal Education must “challenge us”, it is an approach to learning that is unafraid and brings the individual in direct encounters with the so-called truths of the world. It is the type of learning that makes one question everything. Sad to say, Meghalaya today is not a place where people question anything. It is not a place where independent, non-majoritarian thinking is encouraged. There are a few people who have tried and are still trying. But they are a tiny minority who always get shot down by harsh criticisms, personal attacks and even, on occasion, threats to life and physical well-being.
It is easy to find who is at fault for this situation and for the creation of uncritical individuals. It is the state board MBOSE which sadly has been paralysed by inane bureaucracies, obsession with logistics and vested interests. MBOSE is not a board of Liberal Education and neither for that matter is NEHU. These powerful institutions have been almost completely captured by Conservatives who refuse to liberate the minds of their students. After all, doing so would mean losing their own statuses and positions of power as “knowledge givers.” This is precisely what the great educator Paulo Friere argued against. He insisted that liberation cannot come from a system of education that is just about transferring facts and figures from the older generation to the new. He always insisted that “Liberating education consists in acts of cognition, not transferals of information.” How many MBOSE schools are doing that? What about NEHU? That is the real tragedy of Meghalaya today and we must reverse this immediately.
If you really look at it, aside from the schools in and around the Laitumkhrah area, there is no Liberal Education in the entirety of the state. I am simplifying things, I realise, and run the risk of generalising but tell me how many non ICSE schools impart any critical thinking skills? Certainly, no MBOSE schools that I know of. I take no pride in saying this. I think it is a problem that Liberal Education has become synonymous with Elite education. Liberal Education is not just for the sons and daughters of St Edmunds and Loreto alumni. It should be spread through the length and breadth of Meghalaya so that we can create people who are able to truly stand on their own two feet and who can be masters of their own destiny. It has to be the government and MBOSE who must take that leap of faith forward with the people of the state. It cannot be left to the Private schools, religious or otherwise. They will never be able to do the work of the government. The task now for the government, and for Rakkam Sangma, is to democratize Liberal Education and to ensure that it spreads across the state. To overhaul MBOSE won’t be easy but it will need to be done. Instead of giving up on it and taking to the CBSE – which is itself becoming anti-scientific and un-critical – we have the chance to build something resilient and innovative here. We have the chance to build better human beings. Let us not waste that opportunity.
What is to be done to achieve Liberal Education? Some suggestions might include: –
Overhaul the present system and re-train teachers in Philosophy, Reasoning and Rational Thinking courses. Many teachers themselves might resist confrontations that arise when old beliefs clash with the new ideas arising out of these trainings. That is to be expected but over time a negotiation will start, opening the doors for critical insight. Students will be less troublesome than the School Management Committees, I’d wager!
Spend more and spend first on government schools. Government schools must be of top priority. An easy goal might be to have a high quality high performing government school at the level of sub-division and above. This will mean that across the state, these government schools will have to maintain the same standards of performance; such that a child from Chokpot will get the exact same educational quality as a child from Sohra. The motto might be – a Pine Mount in every district/subdivision. After all, if Pine Mount (a government school, mind you!) can produce critical and cognitive citizens, then why can’t others also aspire to the same heights? It can be done. It must be done!
We cannot forget the role that supplementary education plays in the Liberation process. In this regard, the Arts and Culture department would have to play a bigger, more pivotal role in the new education system. Local content will have to be supported through MBOSE and Arts & Education so that people can access ideas through the vernacular. Translations of popular Liberal classics must be initiated while also encouraging debates, quizzes, extempore speeches (not just football!). These events would go a long way in preparing children for the wonderful task of “thinking by themselves, for themselves.” MBOSE is not doing enough in this regard and it shows in the report cards too.
We have been trying to solve a “hardware” problem by throwing money at it. We invested thousands of crores in new buildings, e-learning equipment, school buses etc., but this has always been a “software” problem. The very curriculum and syllabi are at fault, the teaching methods are at fault. Acknowledge this problem first and the solutions will come.
In closing, I would like to bring home the point that if we want a society that engages with the wider world, one that is not superstitious, fanatical, one that is open-minded and rational, we need to bring Meghalaya in line with trends and patterns in the West. As a government, would it not be easier to work with people who listen and question attentively rather than those who get swept up in the tides of emotion and violence? As a society, will we not benefit if we have reasonable people in every field who can guide us forward? It is only Liberal Education that can sweep away the decades of misgivings and hearsay, uncritical fears and xenophobia of all kinds.
These are just a few suggestions. I would love to hear more from you, please share them with me on Facebook, IG or email me- [email protected]