There was saying that if you have to ruined a nation, destroy their education system and the British walked in the same path to make India as their slave for 200 years. The country that was having an ancient international University at Nalanda was treated as country of illiterates. They tried to educate India with their value system and English education for their vested interest in getting supply of clerks and subordinates for running their administrations. In the process, they totally destroyed the holistic education system that existed as Gurukul learning of philosophy, sociology, spirituality, science and mathematics. It was a necessity for them to do so to rule the country. But after the British raj, the country did not have the same compulsion to continue, yet no reform in education was visualized necessary by the Independent Govt. Of late, the country started a rat race in mushrooming schools and colleges to produce quantity overlooking the quality of education all through. Once Albert Einstein said that “Education is that which remains when everything that is learnt in school is forgotten”. If we examine the modern education with this standard, we will painfully find that modern education only supports aggressiveness, competition, pride, and envy that ultimately lead to insecurity, scarcity, selfishness and unhappiness. At best the modern education imparts some professional skills but it lacks in cultivation of heart. The end result is only to make the students conceited materialist. Consequently, when students should be dreaming of beauty, greatness, and perfection, they now dream for sensory pleasure and wealth creation and spend time worrying about how to earn money somehow. Suicide rate among the students has increased manifolds because of twin devils: acquisitiveness and unabashed consumerism with the resultant of serious social problems such as corruption, conflict, violence and many ecological problems in the society.
Education should be thus connected to the totality of life and not with immediate response to immediate challenges that are arising in the industries to make robotic workforce. Life is inter-connected with four important subsets such as Mind (Psychology), health (physicality), heart (emotions) and soul (spirituality). These four arenas should form the foundation of our holistic education which are true ancient power that rests inside every human being alive today. It is not, as if the educationist and education planners are not aware of these facts. Way back in 1966 Kothari Commission on education recognised the need of inculcating social moral and spiritual values through education. But it was grossly ignored due to various existing the then social factors as well as mistaken priority fixing of the independent India in initial days. The first thing first, should have been the education in the independent India.
Remember, one’s influence in the world mirrors the brilliance, dignity, liveliness and radiance one has accessed from childhood education. External always expresses internal. That’s why schools have to be such that can prepare the students to practice advancing personal mastery daily by mindfulness, emotional and spirituality development. Many people may have objection in teaching spirituality in school since our country has multi-religion. But spirituality has nothing to do with religion. It is not mystical, not religious, not freaky. It is a teaching to spend some time in quietude to make return to the courage, conviction, and compassion within oneself.
The situation become graved when education made privatized. It has become a source of income and business as a result quality has been severely undermined. Big buildings are being created but no field to play, no garden to enjoy the nature. Except skill development no other faculty is encouraged or facilities are made available. Name is International school, neither a faculty nor a student, nor a syllabus is international. Name is being used to draw attention. Teachers are ill paid. The Govt. has no control. Result is “loot”, corruption, and students are exposed to such unnatural environment that makes them blinded by doubts, disbelief and fear.
Therefore, how can one dare to dream a “NEW INDIA” free from corruption with the present future citizen making education system?
Satyabrata Maiti
