There came a time in my life when I felt stuck, surrounded with obstacles and limitations. Everyday the darkness of hopelessness and helpless would increase; and I kept on losing myself in that gloom. Nevertheless, I survived that time and came out of it gradually and steadily. The only tool that provided me with the gleam of light during the period of darkness is my education. When I see things in hindsight and evaluate my life by omitting the education from it, I find myself in the depth of despair and anguish.
In the recent years, I have heard people claiming that Education is a scam. I wonder more when the sentence comes out of the mouth of educated people. Have they ever tried to compare their educated self with that of ignorant one? Yes, I observe several problems in the current education system operated in my country yet it doesn’t encourage me to say that education itself is a scam. Scams are the mind-set, expectations and presumptions behind the education.
I remember my matric’s (Secondary School’s) exam when I heard pupils crying that the paper of chemistry was out (of their expectations) and so they couldn’t perform well. That year the result turned out to be only 43%. The problem with that paper was that it asked questions more logically. Besides, the questions were from the topics that didn’t appear in the last 15 years. Because many students follow those past papers to memorize the answers for some specific topics in a conventional way, they lose their senses when the questions are asked logically or from the topics they didn’t give a chance to read. There was not a single topic in the paper that was not present in the then text book. Still the cries of students were loud. You know, what exactly the problem is! We get education not to be educated but to attain a degree with good grades so that we might acquire a job and be married with reasonable person. I am sorry, if we have a mind-set of attaining a degree only instead of acquiring the knowledge and wisdom, education would feel like a scam.
The purpose of education is not to earn a livelihood but to broaden our vision and enhance the cognitive abilities. The purpose of education is to realize the rationale behind our lives and to augment the unique natural abilities given to us by God.
I have heard people claiming that the education they actually feel a scam is the formal education they receive at schools. Would they like to tell me about a single state in the world where the children are out of school and still prosperity and awareness prevails. The truth is that no place can attain prosperity without giving the basic know-how of several things operating in our surrounding.
The formal structured education serves the function of providing basic knowledge about the happenings around us. When we learn to read and write languages at the elementary level, we open up a way for exploring the world. This education teaches us how to express ourselves and how to understand others as well. Can you imagine exploring the new knowledge around without knowing how to read? Yes, google provides us a big deal of modern and latest information, but can you even imagine searching for something on google when you don’t know the name of it? The formal education introduces us with the words that become the grounding bricks for building castles.
Another important aspect of formal education is to build up a sense of time management, punctuality and regularity. We are supposed to attend the school on a particular time which inculcates the punctuality among us. We are supposed to finish up particular assignments in a given period which saves us from developing procrastination. Are these not the qualities that are required to be successful later in our lives? No matter in whatever field of life we are, time management, punctuality and responsibilities are the traits that help us attaining our goals.
I have also heard people claiming that the education we get at school has no practical purpose. The x and y of algebra are wastage of time, the chemicals of chemistry are the tongue twister and don’t ask about history it feels like a burden on the memory. Is it really the truth?? The x and y of algebra are something that taught me to calculate my share when I am investing with someone. These x and y help us find the unknown. The angles of geometry are something that help man construct the fast moving vehicles and strong, tall building. The chemistry helped establishing chemicals that are of crucial importance in our day to day lives. The list is endless. Can you provide me the name of any invention that came out without education? Through formal structured education we are given a glimpse , a sneak peak for many things existing and being done in the past. It is to let us figure out what interest us the most. Unless, we know something exist how we can step forward to discover our potential in it? In other words, the basic schooling enlighten us with what has been out there for our interest.
Besides the structured formal education, there comes non-formal education. It is about developing different skills. If books of science, maths, history do not interest you any more, you should go out for learning skills with your hands. It might not be done in an institute but by a mentor. To reach the optimum potential for any skill you need to learn it and be educated about it.
Earlier in the article, I stated that I observe the problems existing in the education system. I see that schools are working with an agenda of burdening the pupils with words, over work and books. Instead of inculcating moral values and triggering the cognitive abilities of kids, they just want them to produce the words as it is on the paper. It is not the right approach for giving education. The course should be designed and taught in a way to let students understand what they read and how something is applicable to their lives. They should be trained to develop their own understanding with a creative approach. They should be motivated to express themselves freely instead of reproducing the words of their teachers.
Lately, I observed a change in my son’s behaviour. He is 8 years old at present He has become quite cautious about resource wastage. He tries his best to not waste food, electricity and water. When I visited his school last time, I found that that this sense of responsibility is inculcated in him at his institute. I really appreciated the school for this. When I look at his curriculum, I feel elated to see that it is not designed to make him write the words of others but to develop his own understanding. When his science books tell him that polyethylene doesn’t allow the air to pass, it also tells him the reason why he shouldn’t cover his cat's face with polythene bag. For his English and Urdu courses, he is asked to tell what he understood from a particular text. For Social studies, he is asked to think about every topic how it can be applied to bring betterment in the society. I really loved the overt and covert curriculum of his school. If one school can do so the other school can also bring modification in them.
Final Words
Education is not a scam as far as it is attained with a intention to be really educated instead of acquiring a degree for getting a job. The purpose of education is not to make you slave but to give us freedom- freedom to think, freedom to evaluate, freedom to create.
Basic elementary school education is of immense importance for enlightening a person about the happenings around him. After the basic education one would be able to figure out his potentials and interest. S/he may join the sphere as per her/his interests.
The responsibilities lies on parents and on educators to develop a mind set among kids to attain education for not getting jobs but to generate value in their lives and that of others.
This is my participation for Hive learner’s current contest