Enter The Matrix: The Rabbit Hole Of Wily Education
Hello guys, welcome. Today we are going to talk about the Indian Education System (sounds huge, right). Yep, it is, so sit back, grab a cup of coffee, relax and read ahead. The idea to write this article originated from a silly question asked by my 12-year-old cousin (who’s a great fan of Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez), ‘Bro, Why is it that there are no people like Justin and Selena in India?’ (Simple question, right? Logical even?) Nope! it’s not, when I further talked to him, What he meant to ask was, ‘Bro, What are 18-year-olds doing in Indian with their life?’, And to which I laughed off and said, ‘We are all running the same old race, bud.’
Here, in India, if there’s anything that we’re afraid of that is experimenting with our own lives. We all say or at least know the quote, by Mark Zuckerberg, “The biggest risk is not taking any risk… In a world that is changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail you is not taking risks.” This one quote, I’ve seen literally everywhere around me, since my childhood, from my school’s walls, libraries, buses, public walls, not to forget, toilets (looks like we Indians love Zuckerberg way too much). But, Bud, this is also the only thing that we as citizens of India, fail to do. ‘Take Risks’, why are we so afraid to do so? What’s stopping us in becoming Young achievers? And, for God’s sake, Why is everybody either an engineer or a doctor in India? Are there no creative jobs in our Country?
The Education System: More Questions Than Answers
The answer to all these questions is same guys, (yes, you guessed it right) Indian Educational System. Now, what did our teachers taught us when we were in schools, ‘Study well, kids. Education is everything.’ (although I don’t have a problem with agreeing that education is everything, what bothers me here is how do I define Education as a 10-year kid)
Let’s look at the scenario of a guy, who has just completed his 10th standard, And is looking for career options. The only thing (without any doubt) he or his parents will be able to see is MATHS or SCIENCE(very relatable, right ?). Especially if you’re from Telugu states your situation is horrible with all this Narayana and Chaitanya educational institutions (been there, done that), your social, and co-curricular life is just plain dead, anyway, And the people who go into MATHS end up getting into engineering, and the one’s who took SCIENCE end up becoming any sort of doctor. Because, As Varun Agarwal once said “In India, If you want to be anything other than an engineer or a doctor, You’re considered a terrorist”
The Prime Target Of Education: Engineering People!
Now, Let’s look into what the average engineering guy is doing with his life. He has done his engineering, (doesn’t matter in which particular stream), Since, however, in the end, he’ll end up in a Multinational IT company. Years later, he’ll still be struggling with his job, banging his head to the screen, wondering why did he take up engineering in the first place. And, now not everyone who gets into engineering will get gifted with this life-changing Multinational IT company job offer. Some remain jobless too. Now at the age of 21, If you’re a guy, jobless in India, you’re a shame and disgrace to your family. So, what will your parents do? They’ll think of a job, With very less work pressure, (Such sweet people) Where you don’t even have to move a muscle, (And, What’s that), A Bank Employee. According to this Quora thread from 2016, every year 1,22,18,733 people apply for bank jobs.
Now the question is, What if we don’t want to do that 9 to 5 bank job in our life? What if, We don’t just want that comfort in our life? All we want in our tiny little life is to Live, Experience, Risk, Experiment, Fall down, Rise back, (And not back off) and be happy and satisfied(not comfortable) with the work we do in our life.
Who’s To Blame Then? Where Does Education Leave Us At?
Should we blame our parents for this? (think) No! Of course not! The only thing to be blamed is our primary schooling. Always focusing on the wrong things, Not learning what’s really necessary. Nowadays schools are not even teaching the most basic things to survive, Like, Impeccable Communication Skills, (half the people cannot speak confidently in an interview, just because, their primary education was bad). Equal Rights, Feminism, Sex Education, (Now all this knowledge is only limited to the internet). And most importantly, every student is different. It’s been 10 years since the movie ‘Taare Zameen Par’ has released, and people/teachers still fail to understand that not every kid is meant to excel in every single subject, (Every uncle says, If Sachin would’ve studied IIT, our country would not have seen such a great batsman. Ironically, nobody wants their son/daughter to become a Sachin.)
Students come into peer pressure when they’re 21, Thinking about their life, job, future, killing their passion, marriage. And this mental pressure might lead them to give their life up (In 2016, Every hour, A student committed suicide.). So, In the end, We together as Intellectual Netizens of India, must not forget the most basic point that Education Is Not Just Curriculum, It Includes Co-Curricular Activities As Well. Which is only when a student becomes all round individually.
I mean, look at the kids at American high schools, They are having the time of their lives, they get a chance to try everything out, While they’re in their high school. Starting from Music Bands, Sports Leagues, Cheerleaders, They have that opportunity to TRY out every art form.
Talking about Indian schools, Forget about Music bands, Sports leagues, What do we get? A weekly once sports period, And that too will be taken away by some science teacher, Because he thinks that, All this sports is time waste for a student. If this is what school teachers glorify and label as education, then how do you expect an average Indian parent to understand/digest the thought process of their child.
Change begins with you, Go talk to someone, who’ll understand you. And if you’re a parent reading this article, Go talk to your kid. Because Every Child Is Special. The following video perfectly sums up the article in one go.
