Education as known for centuries

The debate on the adequacy of current educational system in our country is continuing for decades now. For school education, some people look westwards for inspiration, others claim that the age-old Gurukul system was the best and should be the basis of our future planning. There are still more differences of opinion on the question of higher education as the available models are numerous and the need to change is painfully apparent. Once we set our minds to solve this puzzle, many issues need to be addressed simultaneously.

Firstly, we have to think of a sustainable model that will work in Indian conditions. Then, the model should provide for meeting the challenges of globalization. It should also foster and reward creativity. The system should not sacrifice the indigenous culture rather it should be promoted. Finally, the system should provide for the future livelihood of the learners. Let us take a look at the ancient Gurukul system under these points of references and evaluate it for use today.

Originally created in October 2006

There is not an iota of doubt that the model in the ancient times used to fit the bill. It made sense to send a child to the ashram where along with religion; trades and skills were taught to the students. They came out of ashrams into society as ready to use individuals. The scriptures of those times, describe the final test of the students as some practical project and not learning theory by heart. We all remember the Mahabharat in which the students had to prove their valour in the battlefield as a test of their skills.

The ashram used to have students who specialized in a particular branch and were not the jack of all concepts. So, we have Arjun who could use the bow and arrow and Bheem who was an expert with the club. No particular skill or branch of art was placed above another and hence both the musician and the minister sat side by side in the king’s court. This continued for centuries. Then came the current system where the three R’s were most important or rather the only important thing. But considering that out of the three R’s - Reading, Writing and Arithmetic - only one actually begins with an R, we can safely say that two thirds of the current system is definitely out of focus.

In recent years, the UN has also paid considerable attention to the rising global problem of education that does not prepare students with the necessary skills to lead a life of fulfillment. The skills that are now considered necessary to be imparted are –

1. Learning to be
2. Learning to do
3. Learning to live together and last but not the least,
4. Learning to learn.

The current model in our country and at most of the places is not directed towards any of these. The students out of high school or universities need practical training in all areas of life. Today even after degrees in financial accounts, production, management and medical practice, etc. almost all jobs have a pre-requisite of a component of practical training. Why? It shows that something is seriously missing in the way we prepare our students for their careers.

The system should be designed primarily to encourage creativity, understanding of International culture and development of all types of intelligence amongst the students. The exam system as we know today goes out of the window. The end of the unit or term and the final examinations, which contribute a great deal in creating stress situations, are not important. The assessment should be done on a continuous basis and not limited merely to written tests but should have practical assignments, debates, group activities, individual projects, class presentations and field trips reporting etc. which also carry importance.

The method should be more of learning together of the teachers and the students rather than one giving and the other receiving. “Education is more of kindling of a lamp rather than filling of a vessel.”