what you learnt in school

8/3/2019 What You Learnt in School

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Indian Education Society:

What students are taught in India?

INTRODUCTION: Well this isnt a brief explanation of information givenin PU books. The aim of this post is to focus on the knowledge and

character built in students.

Let us first understand, what education means.

As per Swami Vivekananda,

Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man.

Manifestation meaning something already present and is waiting to

come out. That means the perfection is already present in man and

what education does is it brings it out. For example, Isaac Newton

discovered gravity. Now was this gravity sitting anywhere waiting for

him to come? No the idea was already in his brain the apple just gave a

knock to it. And that knock is what all students need.

As per an American novelist,

The whole object of education is...to develop the mind. The mind should be a

thing that works. (Sherwood Anderson (18761941) American novelist and short

story writer.)

As per Albert Einstein,

Sometimes one sees in the school simply the instrument for transferring a certain

maximum quantity of knowledge to the growing generation. But that is not right.

Knowledge is dead; the school however, serves the living. It should develop in the

young individuals those qualities and capabilities which are of value for the

welfare of the commonwealth. But that does not mean that individuality should

be destroyed and the individual become a mere tool of the community, like a bee


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or an ant. For a community of standardized individuals without personal

originality and personal aims would be a poor community without possibilities for

development. On the contrary, the aim must be the training of independently

acting and thinking individuals, who, however, see in the service of the

community their highest life problem.

Real learning brings strength in character, makes one chaste, makes

one stand on his own legs, introduces a sense of philanthropy, brings

knowledge of living, gives courage of lion and above all makes one

concentrate well at work.

So at least now we have some idea of what is basic idea of education.

Now let us look at our education system. No I am not going to impose acomplaint about someone or something. Just we are trying to observe

to what extent have we fulfilling the idea.

PRIMARY EDUCATION: (BASE LEVEL)

I remember the first day of my school. For the first time I was wearing a

bag which had a Tiffin box, water bottle, a notebook and a pencil box

and I knew nothing why and what was it meant for. As I entered into

the school, what I heard was a loud drumbeat. I became terribly fearful

because I didnt know why or what it was? I ran back to the gate but my

parents had gone. The only person I could find was a watchman who

scolded me and ran before me with his stick. You know what happened

next, teacher scolded me and this was first lesson that I learnt in my

school, Fear. Be fearful for not being disciplined; be fearful for not

being good at studies and be fearful because nobody is going to

understand you. In primary, most students learn because someone will

scold them. If they cannot do well in studies teacher would call their


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parents. In some houses, children even undergo physical afflict.

Teachers as well as parents cannot understand why students are failing

to do well at school. Teachers call parents if they score poorly and

scold them and parents go home and scold the student. Some lowermiddle class people or even higher class sections use words indicating

him as a dumb guy. Well their concern is not to insult him or something

but is for the good. But what good does this do? Nothing. Absolutely

nothing, he is just taught of the next lesson Inferiority. The student is

said that his neighbors son studies in the same class but is Brighter

and he cannot simply get passed in test. He is taught of low self-

esteem. But all this does not end up here. The consequence of abovefactors plays a great impact and the first decision he makes is to choose

his friends. But ultimately because he feels himself inferior he makes

friends who are like him thus sinking himself more into the sea of

weaknesses.

If I tell truly, 90% students in secondary didnt know a word of what

they had learnt in basic primary level. Most students in primary facefear of stage, teachers, ghosts, animals, principal, parents and school.

They speak bad words without even knowing what it means. Some

students are so below the balance line that they cant even bath by

themselves. Several phobias are created here at this level. When the

students must be taught of courage and strength they are taught to be

in the cage of unwanted decisions, behavior and rules of guardians and

teachers. They have to live a life which makes them jailed toys withouta fault of their own.

They watch T.V. try coping superheroes and cartoon by the sense that

one day they will become like them. Some even fall off terraces. But

this idea is what gives the hope. They are weak but they dont want to


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be the same always. If given chance they can improve. I dont say

watching superheroes and jumping off terraces is good, but my idea is

to give them just three thing courage, inspiration and love. Just this

much would be enough and they will grow by themselves. You thinkyour child cannot do well?

Well check out this link:

http://www.reddisability.org.uk/index-text-only/DisFamScience.htm

Those who educate children well are more to be honored than parents, for

these gave only life, those the art of living well. (Aristotle, In Education)

The educated differ from the uneducated as much as the living from the dead.

(Aristotle, In Education)

Children at such level dont need tons of knowledge, not even tuitions

and especially not your scolding. They need encouragement and love.

Tell them the stories of brave kings; teach them moral values of

panchatantra or similar tales and make them free. Teach them to praydaily to god. It will make him aware of reason to be good. Learning and

knowledge doesnt light up in a persons head that doesnt have values.

This is the time to give them moral values. I must tell you the

knowledge that they gain in primary is of no importance only the values

make difference. That sows the seed of good personality. I personally

feel personality must always be given priority greater than the

academics because once this gets disturbed; one will suffer later in life.

You say they have low memory power, ask them the songs of any

movie they have watched and they will be able to sing. So the question

is not of memory power but of Interest and that will rise on the

foundation of values. Did you see a doctor who doesnt have any mercy


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or sympathy towards others? Their principle of work was these values,

so they are a in that profession. And that is whats missing now; Values

in students.

You have a doubt. Can values give me salary? Well let me tell you I

havent seen a single topper in entire 12 years of education in school

who did not have good values. You need examples? Swami

Vivekananda was merely a poor Sanyasin(Sage) but he travelled almost

all of Europe and US and also opened the Ramkrishnamission in India

andAdvaitaSociety in US. He became famous and will be remembered

for many centuries. Even Chanakya is such an example who created a

laborer a king and created Arthashastra. The history is full of great

people who had nothing and became a history only because of their

values. The importance of values can be felt even now. Dhirubhai

Ambani, Tata, Bill Gates, Narayana Moorthi and many more are all

standing on backbone of values. On a survey in top universities in US,

most toppers of campus emphasized 88% importance must be given to

personality improvement and 12% to information. If the information isthe only thing what education must give then Encyclopedias must be

given all the PHD degrees.

Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.-

Albert Einstein

Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more

clever devil. (C.S.Lewis)

"It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely

uneducated." -- Alec Bourne, A Doctor's Creed


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Knowledge is not information; this is what education makes you

understand. You know what a student of 21st century wants not a job but a career.The one which he created and not the one imposed.

SECONDARY EDUCATION: (TRANSITION PERIOD)

Note that it is this period where a students mind starts taking shape.

He enters adolescence and if he goes in wrong path, he may lead to bad

individual. I have seen students using bad words most often during this

time. It is this time when they get this habit. It is this time when they

start finding ideals or influencing people. The problem comes when

they choose the wrong ideals. Think about it, what if a child chooses a

terrorist, thief or a murderer in news as his ideal? Dangerous isnt it?

This single wrong step will have great impact in him. At least, it would

become very difficult in later stages to detach that impact from his

personality.

Second problem is his change in mindset about opposite sex. When I

was in school (which is one of best schools in the city), the first love

story that I heard was in 7th standard. In the same year I learnt about 4

love stories in my batch. Would you believe it? And are you thinking

your child cant do that? Let me tell you, making girlfriends or

boyfriends is called being cool among students. If not now we will

soon hear bigger problems to come. But question is why that is bad?

Well it is bad not only because it ruins academics of students but also

his character. Yes his character, in near future he thinks himself as a

hero of a film and imitates exactly as if there were cameras around.

Where did this problem come from? They aroused from T.V., from

West, from love tales in text books and novels. Do you think all this will

have only good impact on students? We have been accepting western


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ideas like copy cats. We must understand that by wearing the coat of

lion a donkey cannot become a lion. And dont you find problems in

west? Ancient India emphasized on chastity in education.

As per Swami Vivekananda,

Do you see, simply by the observance of strict Brahmacharya (continence) all

learning can be mastered in a very short time one has an unfailing memory

of what one hears or knows but once. It is owing to this want of continence that

everything is on the brink of ruin in our country.

What we want are Western science coupled with Vedanta, Brahmacharya as the guiding motto,

and also Shraddha and faith in ones own self. Knowledge should be acquired in that way,

otherwise by educating yourself in the tol of a Pandit you will be only a human ape all your life.

One should live fromhis very boyhood with one whose character is like a blazing fire and should

have before him a living example of the highest teaching. Mere reading that it is a sin to tell a lie

will be of no use.Every boy should be trained to practice absolute Brahmacharya, and then, andthen only, faith Shraddha will come.

Not just in India, I see such problems even in US; Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl7R8xIxzKI

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