Current Education System- Who is the BENEFICIARY?

There was a king of mighty means who bemoaned the fact that his parrot could not speak. He called the ‘Rajpandit’ and asked him what could be done. The pundit immediately said that a great “yagna” must be performed. Thousands of pundits were called, hundreds of thousands of measures of ghee and wood were brought and yagna was performed. All those providing the accoutrements for the yagna became instantly rich, buying properties and lived happily ever after. Once the yagna was done, a golden cage had to be built for the bird, so jewellers swung into act and went home rich.

The parrot was caged. Now the priest declared that all great literature was to be transcribed on bits of paper and fed to the parrot to impart it wisdom. Scribes from all over the world were set to task. Once the work was over, they were paid enough to feed their next few generations. The parrot didn’t seem to be liking the cage and was restless, so barbers were called to chip its wings and they too went home rich.

By now the area around the palace had become like a fair ground as food-sellers, entertainers and their ilk fishing their fortunes  as people thronged to see the bird! One day king thought to apprise himself of the progress made by the parrot. On visiting the fair ground, he was satisfied to see that parrot had become a crowd puller. He returned happy.

By now pundits and scribes had started feeding the poor bird scraps of wisdom. It couldn’t fly, couldn’t speak and the air was so thick with the people that it couldn’t even breathe! But they continued to stuff paper into it, till the bird finally died!

Undaunted, the pundit took the parrot in a grand procession to the king. Happy to see the huge gathering, the king poked the parrot to hear it speak. But nothing happened. “Why pundit, the parrot still doesn’t speak?”. The Pundit replied “Ah my lord, she is now so well educated that she doesn’t need to SPEAK!” And the king mighty pleased returned to his chamber convinced that he made one parrot SPEAK!

In a very similar situation, the founders of our educational institutions get rich. The teachers, who take tuitions, get rich. The uniform makers, the textbook walas, the school inspector, the examination board inspectors all get rich. But no one bothers about the poor student who lies brain dead in the midst of it all. Yet, they boast about their pseudo achievement of imparting proper education. It is a pathetic state of our educational system but its true.

The prime motto of those involved with education industry is minting money. No one is bothered whether the student is able to grasp the teachings properly or to ensure the quality of teachings. Take for example, numerous pvt professional colleges who just take in student and don’t think about their future and the quality input.

It is imperative that we have a paradigm shift in education sector. We need such people who value PEOPLE over PROFITS!!! 

share on: facebook

Another war of Independence..

Way back in 1947 our great freedom fighters sacrificed their lives and fought till the end, to free our country from the clutches of British rule. They wouldn’t have imagined that India would have to fight  for independence again; and this time to free the country from the deep routed CORRUPTION! The war has begun with great zeal and vigour. This time it is being led by Sri Anna Hazare, a 73 yr old crusader for Jan Lokpal bill, who has devoted his life for this purpose. According to the current scenario, Lokpal bill is most likely to be passed by the parliament.

The question arises that will the passing of the bill mark victory?

‘NO’ is the answer. It is because there is nothing which ensures the proper functioning of the ‘Lokpal’. It is the responsibility of each one of us to stand boldly against corruption and never to become its part. Millions of citizens are wearing the badges of ‘India Against Corruption’ without even knowing the purpose of it. It has rather become a fashion of applying badges on pictures, extending support over the website and becoming part of the processions; and at the same time offering bribes to government servants in order to get their work done! What can be more shameful than this?

Another plausible reason is that the movement which should be led by a youth is being led by an 73 yr old! A country where youth comprises 35% of its population is blindly following few oldies! Had there been an ardent young leader, the agitation would have been more intense and with better insight.

In the end, I would like to conclude that the war that has set on, will prove to be successful if and only if every citizen remembers the pledge against corruption and act accordingly! It is our duty to ensure that no bribes are taken or given and we ought to report any such cases.  Then only can we dream of a Corruption Free INDIA...!

Its the time to ACT.....

share on: facebook

I too HAD a Dream.....!

I too HAD a Dream.....!

This is an emotive sentence that a JEE qualified student is saying. It is pertinent to note that he tells this not because he is not capable enough to achieve it, but the education system which is prevalent in India has shattered it.

Since childhood, SCIENCE interested him a lot. The reason for this interest was primarily that it reasoned the entire phenomenon occurring around him. This aroused curiosity and inquisitiveness in him. He questioned each and every thing around him, be it trains moving on tract or gear changing in cars. He used to be happy but never contended.

Gradually, when he attained the age of 11, he started watching episodes on Discovery channel, which varied from Junkyard Wars to DNA test to catch criminals, Extreme Engineering to Space exploration. These depicted what job a quintessential engineer performs. It was INNOVATION and PROBLEM SOLVING! He was so much fascinated by it that he dreamt of becoming one of those. His dad, being an engineer himself, supported his dream. His dad guided him on how to become the top engineer. The first step was to clear IITJEE, and seek admission in one of the top notch engineering colleges of the country.

When the student stepped into class 11^th, he joined FIITJEE South Delhi centre, one of the best coaching institutes for IITJEE! As he was quite intelligent, he made it to the best batch over there. His 2 years coaching stint enhanced his IQ and thinking ability. He felt like he was on ‘Cloud 9’ all the time. He was proud of himself as he could solve questions which involved deep concepts and tricks. This made him realize that he is on the right tract and his dream is not too far. He could imagine himself as one of those on Discovery channel.

That student cleared JEE and was matriculated in Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad. With much alacrity, he went to attend classes, but to his dismay things were quite different over there. Entire emphasis was given on mugging capabilities and exam syllabus. It was a major setback to him. He thought that there he would be provided with world class labs and would be told to innovate something new but that was only partly correct. World class labs were provided but nothing new was to be performed.

Elaborating a few aspects which frustrated him are:

1. There were hardly any concepts involved in the course curriculum.

2. Questions asked in the exams tested the memorizing capacities of the students rather than testing their intelligence and concepts! Only facts and figures are taught in the classes!

3. Even Mathematics incorporated mugging and memorising. No TIRCKS involved.

4. No one talked of INNOVATIONS!

5. Everyone just thinking to grab a job, no one thinks to go way beyond!

He has completed 2 out of his four years course. He is now always CONTENDED but NEVER HAPPY! His dream has flown far far away with the very first wind of his college!

Two years down the line, when he will get his B.Tech degree, he will be ashamed of disclosing it to the world as he himself is not confident!

HE is no one else but me MYSELF!

share on: facebook