Yesterday I met Mr. Kapadia, one of my teachers at school.
It was quite an experience meeting him. Though I was meeting him after more than two years, he remembered me very well. We had a more than one and a half hour chat and we talked on varied topics – politics, cricket, education, school, discipline, literature, history, etc.
A topic we discussed at length was the system of education in India that is going absolutely haywire. The thirst for knowledge is lacking. The only motivation behind getting an education is getting a good job. Getting a good job is important, but I believe that we should not forget that the ultimate aim of education is not getting employment.
Graduate students appear for management examinations, not because they want to become business administrators, but because after getting an MBA degree, getting a job becomes relatively easier. Management institutes are becoming job generators for the students. In fact, the system of doing MBA immediately after graduation is only an Indian concept. Most of the foreign universities require a decent work experience. This is because, according to them, a student must know what to manage before he specializes in management. Management, according to me, is like icing on the cake, rather than the cake itself.
It was quite an experience meeting him. Though I was meeting him after more than two years, he remembered me very well. We had a more than one and a half hour chat and we talked on varied topics – politics, cricket, education, school, discipline, literature, history, etc.
A topic we discussed at length was the system of education in India that is going absolutely haywire. The thirst for knowledge is lacking. The only motivation behind getting an education is getting a good job. Getting a good job is important, but I believe that we should not forget that the ultimate aim of education is not getting employment.
Graduate students appear for management examinations, not because they want to become business administrators, but because after getting an MBA degree, getting a job becomes relatively easier. Management institutes are becoming job generators for the students. In fact, the system of doing MBA immediately after graduation is only an Indian concept. Most of the foreign universities require a decent work experience. This is because, according to them, a student must know what to manage before he specializes in management. Management, according to me, is like icing on the cake, rather than the cake itself.
(many people also tell me that I'll be wasting 3 years by doing articleship and giving C.A. final. I should give CAT, do MBA and get a job. All I need to say to them is that I don't want to become a part of the rat race. My intention behind doing C.A. is not just getting a degree, but becoming a good and knowledgeable professional. I shall try for MBA only after completing C.A.)
At the school level, the academic pressure on students is increasing steadily. There is cut throat competition and only the above average do reasonably well. This is resulting in more and more tuitions. Some personal attention is undoubtedly good, but having 5-6 tuitions makes no sense to me.
However, what hurts me more is the plight of the primary school kids. I hardly ever remember coming back home and studying in my junior school days, except on the days before class tests, and that too may be an hour or something. As a result, we had plenty of time for various other activities and that I believe led to all round development, without attending any special classes or anything.
Nowadays, even toddlers have tuitions in the evenings, which according to me, is the time for playing. There is a continuous pressure of home-works, tests, etc. They hardly find any time for reading, indulging in arts and crafts or play silly games with friends. Parents force their kids to read, as it is supposed to be a healthy habit, and even reading becomes a work for them and they don’t enjoy it anymore. Regarding games, things are getting ‘professionalised’ and kids are sent to clubs for playing. I think that this involves unnecessary effort and time. Playing also becomes a work this way. Playing at clubs can never match the fun of spending evenings with friends playing silly games or doing silly things or discussing silly matters.
Is academic pressure and too much professionalism snatching the trivial moments of bliss of children that they would have cherished all their lives? I definitely think so…
At the school level, the academic pressure on students is increasing steadily. There is cut throat competition and only the above average do reasonably well. This is resulting in more and more tuitions. Some personal attention is undoubtedly good, but having 5-6 tuitions makes no sense to me.
However, what hurts me more is the plight of the primary school kids. I hardly ever remember coming back home and studying in my junior school days, except on the days before class tests, and that too may be an hour or something. As a result, we had plenty of time for various other activities and that I believe led to all round development, without attending any special classes or anything.
Nowadays, even toddlers have tuitions in the evenings, which according to me, is the time for playing. There is a continuous pressure of home-works, tests, etc. They hardly find any time for reading, indulging in arts and crafts or play silly games with friends. Parents force their kids to read, as it is supposed to be a healthy habit, and even reading becomes a work for them and they don’t enjoy it anymore. Regarding games, things are getting ‘professionalised’ and kids are sent to clubs for playing. I think that this involves unnecessary effort and time. Playing also becomes a work this way. Playing at clubs can never match the fun of spending evenings with friends playing silly games or doing silly things or discussing silly matters.
Is academic pressure and too much professionalism snatching the trivial moments of bliss of children that they would have cherished all their lives? I definitely think so…
3 comments:
i agree with u but there are always ppl who like the icing more than the cake, its faster to scoop out.
it is very true the education system has gon from bad to worst and from rs to dollar
its just that money what speaks . 2 of 10 ppl just study 4 knowledge and other all do 4 job and may be going abroad or good money in marriage . system is bad and it is totally got sick . it needs to me medicated and we young students are the actual doctors . if we all imp and have a egerness of kaduction v can change the system . i agree its not as easy to dring a bottle of bear but its not that hard also .
coures made by all institution are really hard and rigidly structured this all needs to be made more practical i ma not just talking on icai but all insti as whole .. wil add to this latter
hi kushal
i was out of town for a while.
you have exactly said what i always wanted to say. my mother takes tutions for lkg kids and i make sure that whenever i am home, i cut short their study time so that they play with me.
the rot starts right in school and my personal experience in private engg college is even worse. firstly, an professional course must train you to be a professional, but now in colleges teachers teach so that you pass.
unbeleivable it may be, but during my undergrad at supposedly the best coll in bangalore, our teachers dictated notes to us which we were supposed to memorize and pass the exam!!!....some engineers we will become
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