Education System – A common Advice

“Common, what are we talking about? How can anyone say that a system which is been looked upon by most developed countries is degraded or getting degraded? ” . Yes , it is true that our educational system has always got a lot of attention in and out of the country, the later being more popular. But, we have to accept the truth sometimes.

From Charaka and Sushrutha to Satya Nadella, our country has given birth to people who stood a step higher from the common crowd. Its during the 17th and 18th centuries that a term called “competition” emerged in the education field. Although stories of Ramayan and Mahabharat talks a lot about this term, the education system was never affected by this deadly epidemics till before 2 – 3 centuries. But, once it laid its clutches in schooling, the entire education system saw a transformation. And sadly, India was one among the lead runners in this.

Recently, I happen to talk to a parent regarding his son’s higher education. The young chap had completed his Engineering with Computer Science as major. The parent was like, “What do you think my son should learn?” and I said, “Did you ask this question to your son?”. To me, answering a question with another question is a ‘play safe game’. Then I heard a very funny answer, “No. He is really in a confusion. He hasn’t got any campus placements and I’m planning to send him to some Bank Entry Exam coaching centers”. That was it. My reply was, “Oh great. So, you have already decided. Cool. “. Period!

I remember a quote which I recently saw in my Facebook wall which says “India is the only place where people complete their graduation and then decide which field to select”. So true and so annoying when we think of it. But, this is not the root of the problem. The root starts from preliminary education itself. I find now many schools which consider education as a competition. As in every other fields of business, there are competitors for school too nowadays. Funny, when you think in another perspective. In one of my Entrepreneurship coaching classes, I found a person who really wants to invest in some good yielding business. I suggested a few to him including starting a race club, Industrial real estate etc. End of the session, I found that he too had his own decision. (Sometimes it really annoys me when people asks suggestions to questions for which they already have an answer). “What about starting a school. Great business. I can earn handful in 1 – 2 years”

True. Our people have started this culture of dropping in lump sums to education and medication. And, about this guy I was talking, he is still in the chaos and I let him deal with it himself for only then he will be able to have his own vision. My mother who is a teacher in a higher secondary school throws tantrums when the final examination results are out. Well, every teachers do this to know if their pupils have all passed with flying colors. But, that is not the story. She does this praying, “Oh god, the other school should not get higher results. If so, I cannot face the principal.” How funny.

For the parents who consider themselves as mentors and decide for their wards, I tell them one thing. Parents are coaches of Life for their children. And remember, “A coach does not play the game for a player, Neither does he tell what to do. He only teaches how to play.” This is what I find missing in most of the parents nowadays. They are bound in the competition and social reputation circle that they forget or “deliberately forget” the difference between what and how. And by doing so, we are making our next generation lose their deciding, planning and forecasting abilities. By designing a child’s life, we destroy his/her individuality. And the saddest part is that most parents know this. There are few rare occasions I share this with certain parents and the immediate response would be “Not Practical. Fit for a Book not for Life”. It’s tough sometimes being an educational consultant.

A parent should be a good teacher and vice versa where they should identify the aura of their wards and guide them to their goal. Remember there are different roads to success. It is not mandatory to follow the road your neighbor or friend’s son/daughter took. The road untried can have more fruits than others. It may not be the same road which you traveled. Be the light for your children in this journey. It is the responsibility of the parent to research and open out to their children about the positives and negatives of the decision they have taken. Never convince them. Walk along and you will find the beauty of your wards character. The Individuality.

To the students out there, I find most of this category as rebels. I find a lot of students who come to me say the same dialogue. My passion was not this, I wish I were a so and so etc. But, to all students who have such opinions out there, my question is, “It’s very good that you have a passion but how much work have you put in to achieve it?” Students are not ready to do some research work on their passion and I don’t know why they are holding to things which they haven’t even tried. Trying out your passion doesn’t want you to be in that field. My sincere advice to young chaps out there is that, “If you have a passion, try it. Do some research about it. See to the future possibilities and your chances of contribution. Take it as an obsession and not as a competition. Once you are really knowledgeable in it, Now is your turn to decide. No decisions have ever come successful without putting some work into it.” When you don’t have clarity in your decisions, you are letting and inviting someone else take the decisions for you.

I also find people using this reason as an excuse for things. If my dad had allowed me to do that. And the outcome is pure dissenter. For you all, take education as learning, not studying. Both words mean a difference. Equip yourself with what people call as exposure. Meet new people, talk to them , share your knowledge with theirs – no age limit in this (More than 50% of my friends are people above 50 years of age), plan your contributions to your fields, earn for your existence. Your marks doesn’t decide your future, your knowledge does.

Come out of the competitive educational mode.

More live sessions and presentations are on the way. Stay connected.



Leave a Reply