Educating
I have been thinking a lot about the state of the affairs of Education in India. Being associated with a (pre)primary alternate education institution (http://theatelier.org/) for the past 2 years, many myths have been dissolved for me and many more questions have taken their place.
I see very clearly that only Education, which has the capacity to reach every corner with an expansive wingspan, can lift this country off the pathos that it is in presently. This Education I am talking about encompasses a lot more than academic curriculum. Indeed, it is something which is missing from the educational curriculum.
WHAT EDUCATION IS NOT
Being literate but not being able to think objectively, is not education.
Possessing an Engineering degree but lacking the power of creativity is not education.
Having read the books of the world but not having the sensitivity to read non-verbal pleas of compassion is definitely not Education
Being a rich entrepreneur does not make a valuable one.
A high social status does not translate to high self-esteem.
Thousands of experiments conducted in a lab cannot compensate for zero experiments with self about “The Self”.
Unfortunately, there are no courses, exams, or degrees which ensure that one can achieve all those aspects of education that makes a “Whole Person”. A Whole Person needs a Whole Child, a Whole Child needs a Whole Parent, a Whole Parent needs a Whole Society and a Whole Society needs a Whole Person. Do you see?
We can’t be sitting on the fence and complaining. We need to jump right into this feedback loop as learners — as a 5-year-old toddler as well as a 35 years old educator.
THE MISSING ELEMENT?
The missing element from the educational curriculum I spoke about earlier may be the knowledge of Self. Child education, be it (pre)primary or higher, could benefit from a two-pronged approach of, one, Worldly knowledge and, two, Self Knowledge.
By Worldly knowledge, I mean the practical aspects of this material world which comprises Science, Numbers, languages, Societies. This knowledge may help us live securely in this world, earn a living, engage with Society. But I am looking for more than security. I want to strive for quality and independence in the true sense.
By Self Knowledge I mean, and I lean, towards “spiritual” knowledge if I may call it so. At an immediate, shallow level, it could be the knowledge about what kind of a person am I, what motivates me, what upsets me and why, what are my values, what puts me at peace rather than at ease, what is my relationship with others and Nature, what is it that I know by experience and what is it that I know by mere acceptance of authority.
IMAGINE
Imagine how a child’s learning process would change if her experiences, perception, and thoughts about the material world are interspersed with similar enquiries as above. These enquiries could lead to an understanding which keeps on dissolving and evolving as the child matures. There will come a time when she is curious and finds it natural to crossover to the deeper end of the water, to extend her enquiry to profound concepts of consciousness — “Who am I?”
The foundation is set.
Bring in the Sciences now — she has learnt the art of questioning, experimenting (with matter as well as ideas) and deriving.
Bring in the literature and philosophies — she has learnt to observe, perceive, reflect, and articulate sincerely.
Bring in the grandeur and successes — She sees the fine line between external pleasures and internal peace.
Bring in the failures and traumas — she knows it to be true that her life situation doesn’t determine who she is.
