Let me start this article by saying some good things about the present education system. It can produce doctors who possess the best knowledge about diseases and their treatment; it can produce scientists who possess the expertise to build the most powerful computers in the universe; it can produce bureaucrats who best know the nuances of administration and it can produce politicians who best understand the problems of the people. It would seem we are getting the best we can ask for and so what really is the problem with the present education system?
What seem to be on the surface the right things about our education system, carry hidden perilous consequences in the long run. Now if you consider that the same education system produces doctors who can’t empathize with the sufferings of the patients, produces scientists who think humans are no different from robots, produces bureaucrats who adeptly circumvent rules and regulations to favor their political bosses and produces politicians who have no qualms in influencing the minds of the people for their own interests, you may get an idea of what really is wrong. The problem I think is, we give more importance to honing our analytical skills and not bother about laying the foundation for wisdom.
Education is best imparted by creating a holistic effect on a person. That is when I think it is most effective and useful. At present it is far from achieving that goal and the myopia that afflicts our education system is actually producing counterproductive and contradictory effects. The people who pass out of such a system are poorly equipped to deal with real problems and produce solutions that are detrimental and shallow in nature. In my view the system is best replaced with something revolutionary so that it heralds a new reality in education.
What would be a new reality in education? It is something that would help a person focus on the higher reality perceived by the mind than on the external reality he perceives because it is the mental reality that mostly matters, be it for success in his career or in his personal life.
It requires sagacity to form the right perspective of the external events and be not unduly affected by the events per se. This ability is distinct from the ability to be analytical. As a matter of fact it has been my experience that those who are overly analytical often fail to strike a chord with other humans, often see things in isolation and generally lead less fulfilling lives. However, if one’s finer mental aspects are well developed he is likely to be a good analytical thinker and can strike the right balance in thinking. The chances for enduring success in career and personal life are greater. My belief is, one can train oneself to develop such faculties.
This theme of mental reality should underpin all that we learn in our schools and colleges and should be the basis on which, say, a law of physics or the anatomy of an organism should be understood. Basically what I am saying is that we need to ask the question “why?” as we ask the question “how?”. That will certainly stoke our higher thinking faculties and pave the way for gaining a holistic and so a deeper knowledge. We can develop enduring solutions to our problems. We will begin to see the interrelations among things that we thought were disconnected and understand and appreciate reality better. I am sure it will work wonders in the development of inter personal skills too, which in my view is one of the most underdeveloped skills we possess, though extremely desirable.
Education plays a very vital role in shaping the destiny of a society. It is imperative that we develop a well thought out system for education, so that we can create a society that is enlightened and free of the shallowness and contradictions that it presently finds itself in. It is high time we work on such a foundation.