I recall that I had taken a course when I was in my Grad school at IISER, named "Philosophy of education". The course dealt with the historical progression of the concept of education and how it changed with time. At the end of it, we had to write a thesis, a term paper, analyzing the issue of education in India and share your perspectives. I was thinking about what I wrote there. I think my thoughts have matured over time and now I can put more things into consideration. So, let's develop this idea here.
Education, as a concept, I think, if we want to understand the need aspect of it, like what each citizen wants from his education system, it is better to analyze the concept of education with a class-conscious spectrum, that is, from an economic perspective.
Like, For instance,
1. Have you heard this famous pop-culture argument that, "How will mathematics and Science of class 10th and 12th help me in my daily lives?" Now, we will dissect it later but first let's see which section of the class structure asks this question. It is only the class beyond the poverty line that asks this question. One genuine aspect of this question is, "Daily life involves activities like Household electrical work, paying taxes, knowing finance, etc., will Calculus help in those things? Why haven't I been taught about finances in 10th Grade? Why is this education part of only commerce stream?"
I think this aspect of the question is valid. Now let me tell you the invalid aspect, the absurd.
The absurd aspect is, "If money comes from business, why learn Calculus? Why did not I learn Entrepreneurship in 9th grade, Or coding for that matter in 7th Grade?" Now, why this is an absurd argument is apparent. Paying taxes is a general concern, coding is not. Not everyone should become a coder. So, it is not part of a general school curriculum until late.
2. Then comes the 3 Idiots grievance, that Education system pushes one stream over other such that People's attitudes are compromised. Those who could have been better artists now want to do engineering. Now, understand this comes from yet privileged position of upper middle class and higher.
3. I think Jahnvi Kapoor once said, that doing math makes you retarded. Doing history makes you smart. Keeping the stupidity of the argument aside, this covers mostly the grievance of the rich, the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie does not have much of a problem with education. Their complains are mostly abstract and hence reflects lack in their personal level rather than on a systemic scale. There are many bourgeoise people who have had really good education because they could afford the finest, the best education for themselves. Say, Rahul Gandhi, He got a Stephan's college education from Sports quota. I have heard he is physically fit, but after all this privilege and a Stephan's education, is it too much to hope from this politician to not be the kind of stupid that he is.
Ananya Birla has got an IIM Admission. She was being praised for her choice to study in India. Their sacrifice is where our dreams come true.
The rich class of Gurgaon literally pays their bills so that they do not have to experience the Sarkari, lower grade services of Indian State.
4. In all this, the grievance of one section does not even reach the public space. Whatever to name it, Subaltern, the proletariat, the poor basically, the labor workforce of this country, who work on the E=E (Education=Employment) principle. Their grievances, if they exist, has to be regarding the growing prices of the Private schools, the apparently non-existent education in those schools, reliance on coaching and tuitions and their prices, and also, the non-failing of students, this is not much of a grievance, but it should be. Failing students was the last flag of hope that the system cares about the student whether he even does rote learning, is now non-existent. Everyone just passes. So, these are mostly the problems of the unheard.
5. Higher education mental health issue in Students of professional courses. Higher suicide rates and so on.
Notice that in addressing the problems, I have not enlisted trivialities like Mobile phone addiction and Lack of focus and stuff because we are enlisting here Systemic problems. My concern is that 14-year-old, who left schooling in 2024 and now he fulltime sells boiled eggs at his papa's shop because their parents cannot afford education. My concern is not those teens whose retention span is virtually non-existent because of their Instagram addiction and their bitch-ass issue of low self-esteem and Loneliness.
So, let us develop more after the class-wise distinction of problems that people mostly have with education. Now, what are the root causes of the problems?
1. The non-poor grievances, the first to third ones, are problems of interconnectivity between Economy and education system. They are highly philosophical problems which has roots in the relationship between factors of production and human capital. See, the way to look at education today in India is mostly economical. I remember the ruling Party BJP had changed the name to Ministry of education from Ministry of Human resource. Now, this will not change the fact that the aim of today's education is basically to provide human resource to the market. Skilled, unskilled these debates come later. First of all, if the goal is to just treat every individual as a potential human resource, an economic agent, a fucking statistic, which is typical of a developing country, the concerns of the elites, here Middle and upper classes, cannot be addressed. The concern that not every individual gets to study what he wants to study and where he wants to study has roots in this. That
Citizen= Human resource.
Until this changes, we cannot hope to address this problem completely.
2. Regarding the problems of the poor, the fact that these problems still exist is an indicator of why problems of elites cannot even be addressed to the core. A country where dropout rates are all time high, gross enrolment ratios increase but so does the decline of skilled workforce, where basic amenities of education still lack, the 3-idiots concern and concerns of learning to pay taxes in school cannot be addressed.
This problem is highly pathetic, non-philosophical problem. Money and investment is the solution. Our country spends 0.6 percent of the GDP on education, it should ideally spend 2%. Also, many malfunctions at each level of administration and 100 other things. These need no philosophy or thought. These need attention and most of all, monetary attention.
3. lastly, The mental health issue of the students at higher education centers. I have a personal observation and now this also connects to the term paper that I had submitted in my "Philosophy of Education" class. it was titled "Role of Leisure in higher education".
I really think, the race of professional institutes to provide professional courses and rigor has not left any time for the educated mind to reflect on life, music, and other things that make life meaningful. Rigor has become the rope which hangs around the neck of the student who commits suicide. Leisure is the answer. Now the professionally educated and even my professors will say this, that then how will we ensure that they have learnt anything, if we do not take assignments, tests etc. every week. I mean, you still are not able to do that. Students in these higher institutes just survive from test to test. They study for the test and after that they drink beer and forget everything. They flush their knowledge with the stress that accompanied that knowledge because you made the lessons and associated tests so fucking rigorous.
I had got 8 pointers in my both my undergraduate school and my graduate school. And How, My studies were divided into two parts, 3/4th of the semester, I would be studying something bizarre. Like, higher stuff, poetry, philosophy, neuroscience and so on, and then in 1/4th I just studied enough to score marks. Since, I was street smart, so I could get full marks even in papers that I read last night.
And most of all, even if I get less marks, like this condensed matter physics class, I got a 7 out of 40 marks in the mid-terms. Seemed like I was about to fail, I was happy. Because I had no expectations. I just wanted to pass which I eventually did. But I have seen my classmates crying, being depressed, even committing suicide because of these issues being complied in large numbers.
It is high time to realize that in higher learning, Responsibility to learn should be on the student and not on teacher. The teacher should not give too many tests and assignments to test their skills. This, they should do themselves. A physics education should be like, in one semester, I could read more than one book on one topic and solve problems in my free time. For this, I will need leisure, more free time after class.
So, I think this analysis can be further developed where data driven algorithms can be run to find real stats on the issues that I have raised, and then appropriate measures can be taken.
Mota Moti, these are my simple suggestions,
1. Pump more money on central universities, and if possible, try to replicate the Delhi model of government schools.
2. A seizure, a capture of privately owned education properties would help. It is not democratic I know, but what is.
3. Give leisure in higher educations to let the people reflect on what they have read.
4. Stop treating humans as human resource and may be do not be in a rush for numbers, Like, 5 trillion economies and so on. I mean, iss number ko leke chusega jab janta anpad hi reh jayegi.
5. Stop freebies and invest on basic education infrastructure.
6. Teach people to not question basic education. Learn to do taxes on their own. Not everything can be taught in school. These motherfuckers think they are Kant or Bertrand Russell just because they raise this stupid ass question about education system.
Yahi hai aur kya hai! Kisi ko kuch aur lagey toh do contribute.
That's all I got.
No comments:
Post a Comment