The Modern Education Scenario

Education is not a modern phenomenon. It has been in action for thousands of years now. From the days humans came into existence, they've shared knowledge, ideas and techniques. Even before literacy, knowledge was passed on in the form of story-telling and imitation of actions. The fact is, that we have been learning our entire lives. And there is no denying that we once knew how to learn better than we do now...

When we were born, our potential to learn was infinite. It is like saying that we were a dot, from where a line could be drawn in any direction. We did not have restrictions. And we did not know of any 'techniques' of learning. Still, we all went on to learn our mother tongue. How did that happen? Did we attend regular classes? Did we take tests to get our performance evaluated? No. We learnt through 'use'. We did not write some tests; we used our knowledge of the language in the way it is used - by 'speaking'. And when it was made sure that we were able to speak properly, it was sure that we had 'learnt' the language...

Since the formation of schools, colleges and universities, education has always experienced a downfall. Mark Twain once said: "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education". And that is true. Today's schools are no more an epitome of learning, they have become a symbol of instruction. This is what happens in a school now-a days: A teacher comes into the class and starts speaking some alien code language, which we are expected to decipher. Then, the teacher opens up a book and starts reading from it. Yeah, we really needed to come to school to have a book being read to us. But, it doesn't end here. If a teacher is asked a doubt and if he/she doesn't know the answer to it,  his/her face will turn pale. And then, it will become a game of ego. He/she will have to show his/her knowledge off, so that students wouldn't ask such questions ever again.

And we all know these are true instances of modern teaching. I have had all these kinds of teachers and many more. I once had a teacher for Social Science, who used to make various people from the class read out text from our books! You see, I remained in confusion for over a month whether it was a Social Science class or an Oratory class. I had a Science teacher who did nothing but make us write text which was not in the book, just so that we had enough material to write in the exam! (How helpful, right? Going beyond the textbook always seemed so unreal to me!) I had yet another teacher who would read out the text from our English textbook and then tell us the meanings of the words we couldn't understand. If this last one seems to be fine to you, you might want to think about it a bit more...

You see what the problem is? And I have only talked about my school days here. Because schools are where 'teachers' are supposed to be. In colleges, there are no teachers, there are professors. And also, some post-graduate students who seem to look like they got their degrees just yesterday.
The problem is that we have all forgotten what education is all about. For us, attending classes and passing the tests has become the modern definition. How is a new language taught generally? First, we learn the alphabet. Then we learn new words. Then, we learn sentences. And then, we learn the grammar. And we are waved off as 'proficient' in that language if we get a good score in our written and oral examinations.
But did we, as children, learn our mother tongue in the manner described above? Did we start off with learning the alphabet, then the words, then the sentences, and then the grammar? The answer is no. We 'listened' to the language. We tried to 'imitate' the language. We tried to 'ask' about the language. And then we tried to 'use' that language. And we, as children, who knew nothing about teaching and learning, learnt better than we learn now, with all the modern 'theories' of learning.

There is a big problem in the current education scenario. And that is the 'commercialization' of education. Teaching, which was once a 'responsibility', has now become a 'profession'. Teachers are concerned more about their paid leaves and overtime money than students' understanding and clarity of concepts. That is why teachers start reading from books, just to pass time in the class. As long as their students are scoring well in examinations, thus improving their record; they are least concerned about whether the students have actually learnt the subject or not. Some of them even go to the extent of teaching poorly in classroom so that students could join their 'coaching centres', thus giving them double benefits in the form of money and results.
Is this what the fate of modern education is? Once upon a time, a teacher was considered to be the figure of highest respect in a society. Do people even know what a teacher is responsible for ? A doctor, if not a master of his skills, could lead to the death of a person. A pilot, if not efficient enough, could lead to the deaths of hundreds of people. An erring engineer could lead to deaths of thousands of people. But a teacher? A teacher, who has not taught well, is responsible for the death of an entire generation. Because, it is the role of a teacher to make engineers, doctors, and pilots out of hollow cans of gleaming potential. 


But rarely does anyone think about that. All everyone cares about is money. Even professions as noble as this one have been corroded by this air of commercialization. And the scene is even worse when it comes to higher education. In colleges, even the word is removed. 'Teachers' are replaced by 'professors'. At least a teacher needs a degree in teaching. A professor doesn't even need that. The authorities think changing the name of the profession has shown them a free ticket. But still, a professor has to 'teach'. The essence of 'imparting knowledge' still holds, even though the terms have changed. But, the authorities proudly flaunt their professors' degrees to make an impact. "We have five professors, all heading this many projects..." Yeah, as if we give a shit about how many projects they are heading. Does having a good degree mean ability to teach effectively? Does the heading of projects guarantee their teaching efficiency? Do all knowledgeable people make for good teachers?
The answer is simply 'No'.


They actually want us to believe that the more knowledge a person has, the better he can teach. We have proof to the contrary - we all have witnessed our professors in the classroom. Most of them are nothing but monotonous puppets, reciting every line of theirs as news reporters. Even audio book narrators have better expressions than these stern-faced, 'no smile ever', Nazi army men, who just know what to say, because they have studied it before us. People with great qualifications who are at the end of their careers start teaching. They might as well invade our homes and play 'Hide and Seek'. Is this called teaching? Have we forgotten the difference between knowing and teaching? Since when did knowledgeable people become equivalent to teachers? Since when do experts start deciding other people's futures? And most of us don't even realize what is wrong with what is going on...


A teacher 'teaches'. And teaching is not a process of imparting facts. If that were true, even a computer could teach you. Teaching is an 'art' - a 'teacher' is an actor, he is an artist - a teacher does drama, a teacher 'shows', and he opens the gates to creative thinking. He invites discussions, he invites ideas; but above all, he makes sure that his students are passionate about learning. He has to read minds, he has to read expressions, he has to make sure no one in his class gets bored. He dances, he sings, he acts and he plays - if that's what it takes for his students to learn. That is teaching.
In the classroom, a teacher should not teach what is given in the book. Because, it is in the book. A true teacher would teach Social Science by enacting historical characters, by encouraging political debates, by conducting elections, and by organizing role-plays. He would teach Science by demonstrating experiments, encouraging research, playing games and taking the class to educational trips. He would teach English by performing dramas, by encouraging students to feel the characters, and by conducting plays and performances. That is what a true teacher is like.


And that is the kind of enthusiasm true educators should have. Evaluation by means of simple written tests is no evaluation. True educators would make evaluations all about what a student has actually gained - it is the practical world the student has to apply his/her knowledge in. You don't evaluate pilots by a simple question-answer test. You make them fly. Even if it is only on a simulator, it is testing their practical knowledge. Because, it is the practical knowledge that matters in the real world. A cartographer is not just tested by his map making skills. When a cartographer can withstand being in a community of other cartographers, when he 'acts' as one in a community of many such, then only can he be called a 'real cartographer'.
Then why is evaluation theoretical? Why encourage students to learn by mugging? Why not test students for what they have to become? Why not include more of practical knowledge in the curriculum? And why to make it all about dollars or rupees or yen or euros?


A nation may be in  need of successful engineers, doctors, pilots; but above all that, a nation is in need of successful teachers and educators. The modern learning is no learning at all. It is just the transfer of facts. What we need is the transfer of experiences, of ideas, of opinions. And this transfer should not be one-way. If a student has something to learn from the teacher, a teacher also has something to learn from a student. Then only can we produce better educated, more knowledgeable and more powerful individuals - who will stop at nothing to reform the world...

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