Fallacies of our Education System

 

Nelson Mandela once said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." The education system in most parts of the world is flying blind. There is no clear understanding of what is the need of hour and it has been going the same since decades of decades. I want to put forth some of my really interesting insights regarding the drawbacks of our current educational systems. I also want to counter the governments world wide, who have not reworked any single bit of the study programs or courses that they have been running since very long. I witness parents blind folding themselves, shutting their own brains and floating their kids in to a deep ocean of utter ignorance. 

Our education systems have an attribute of imposing a common predefined set of theories on our kids. The first Calculator was invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642. There after the first handheld mechanic calculator was invented by Curt Herzstark in 1945 and in 1970s we already started filling our pockets with them size mini calculators. Lets not forget the fact that we already have smart phones with calculators! I still wonder if we already have calculators, why are today's kids supposed to memorize numeric tables? Please note again, I am asking why are they "forced to memorize the numeric tables?" When I ask such a question, my intention is to ask why not teach the kids on how the numerics work, then followed by how a calculator works and lastly how the algorithms behind these numerics work! Are basic numeric concepts important or to memorize what 14 x 8 stands for? Likely what is more important - to speak in English or to communicate? Why do we force our kids to be fluent in English? The goal is to be able to communicate smoothly in a way that your message is understandable by the opposite person. But we have a whole circus running among the parents, as they compare themselves and their kids with other kids and parents and just wanna be proved superior. 

Lets do a reality check. Does the schools, that you have ever encountered with or studied in or your children are studying, teach any of the below:

• Importance of protecting environment - how to plant trees, why do we need environment protection, how our planet has suffered and what will be the future for real if these kids wont act?
• How can the kids use social media to make world a better place?
• What are mankind's recent successes in Space exploration?
• Personal and general Safety protocols 
• Practical engineering studies or how machines work?
• How Artificial Intelligence is changing the world?
• Socio Politics - how govts function? failure of past governances and how it can be bettered in a country like ours? how can these new kids help with that?   

I have got hundreds of such thoughtful questions. But all these questions revolve around the core issue that we face - are we giving the right education to our next generation? We are not adding value to their brain power. We are simply passing what we learnt. This is not education. Education in real terms, is to enlighten the existing pool of knowledge and add more value to it. 

Our schools are teaching what the colors red, yellow & green stand for in traffic signals; but they do not teach us why it is important to stop your car, how does it prevent accidents, why is it our moral duty to follow rules, etc. And this is the reason why we as a country have never enjoyed discipline on roads. We are fed to compete with each other, but we have never been motivated to come together and change the negative aspects of this daily life. We really dont need to waste time on teaching when and how Mughals invaded pre India. In stead we need to show the kids how google came in to existence and how their future lives can be made more productive through a search engine; how global warming is killing the world, how exercising can keep your body fit, practical aspects of day to day life, etc.

PS: I would prefer my kid's today to race with his/her yesterday. I will want him/her to make world a better place. Lets facilitate the coming generation to think in a different way and learn or adapt to the new world with a practical approach. Lets prepare them the way the future world would want them to be. Urge all the readers to spare some time, think about above points and put some efforts for their kids' learning.