Beta Padh Likh Ke Acchi Naukari karna (Get Good Education to Become Servant): Himanshu

It seems like trendy to introduce yourself in your first blog. But I believe that this can wait for a while. I had grown up in a small middle class family where education was supposed to be biggest empowering tool and kids were told “Beta padh likh ke acchi naukri krna” (Get a good education to land into a good JOB). I am sure we all have heard about this dialogue at least once in our life and few unlucky of us have heard it more than one time.

Actually there is no problem in this dialogue the intentions are very clear that education is quite necessary for our economic and intellectual growth in this world. We all are well educated, at least who are reading this one. I am also sure that lot many of us are either working in some job or might be preparing for the same. That’s exactly what our education system does. It prepares us for Job. If you go through modern schooling history you would find the roots of today’s education system lies deep in industrial revolution.

It was during industrial revolution that big corporate needed skilled and semi-skilled labor force, and then this mass production of graduates, diplomas came into picture. Today’s education system tries to make us employable, well disciplined, well mannered , risk averse, following orders, and work like robots, without applying much brains for these big corporate and keep living a mediocre life.

Also Read: Business Blasters Program, Delhi; 1,000 student-led startups selected for second round.

By working for someone we think that we have a job security and stability but let me reveal a secret

We actually don’t get a job security at all, company made loss for a quarter and you are out of job.

Yes the downside is limited but so as upside.

In this bargain we also lose our freedom, our creativity as creativity need breathing space and some free time to reflect back.

In ancient India the learning was divided in three stages:

# Learning and applying

# Cramming Culture

# learning in real life

Now these are changed into 

1: Sravana (listening, reading, viewing….it was a way of getting information)

2: Manana (Understanding the things and thinking over them)

3: Nidhyasana (Application of learning in real life)

Just to put some thought:

In school I was taught to learn essay and rewrite it word by word to get maximum marks. I did the same and got 8 out of 10 marks which was maximum you can get in a language essay. I was happy but in the process loosing a chance to write a good essay in any new topic. Even teachers used to give us 3-4 essay topics and ensured that out of these 3 one should be asked in the exam. Teachers also tried to maximize our marks but the real object of writing essay in the exam is to inculcate the ability to express my thoughts which was completely defeated 

Why the life during school days is so different and artificially protected from real life? Why can’t we integrate real learning + earning + real life challenges and their solutions in our education system? Why focus is always on learning, reproducing and applying them to some imaginary situations?

Focus is on learning a lot of things rather than a few but important things. Why can’t we apply lean to our education system? In this blog I tried to address a small part of a significantly large problem. I would keep posting on various issues regarding education system, till we make some changes in it. All suggestions are welcome.

“Beta padh likh ke acchi naukri krna” (Himanshu)