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Modern Education: The malady and
the remedy
Recently, there was a Conference of
Vice Chancellors held in Prashanti Nilayam. This issue carries a
detailed report on that. Relating to that, I would like to
presently muse on where education has drifted today where India is
concerned. By the way, I should mention that this Conference was a
part of the year-long, Golden Jubilee Celebration of the
University Grants Commission. This particular Conference was to
deal with the question of values, and what better place to hold it
than Prashanti Nilayam?
Let
me start by comparing today's situation in education with that
which was obtained in 1947, at the time of Independence. If we do
that, we sure find many pluses. The budget for education has
increased enormously, the number of schools and colleges has grown
phenomenally, so has enrolment, and funding for research which,
while it could be better, is not to be sneered at. In fact, it is
all these facts put together that has enabled the country to make
good progress in Science and Technology, as compared to many other
developing countries that won freedom around the same time.
Nevertheless, the overall score is somewhat disappointing because
today's students are not quite what they should be. No doubt they
are very intelligent, they are quick on the uptake, they can solve
problems in a jiffy, and many of them are even whiz kids. But all
of this does not add up to what this country needs at the present
time, and needs badly I might add.
What has gone wrong?
Well, I believe that the root cause of the problem is the large-
scale abandoning of
values
by schools and colleges. They are no longer bothered about
character-development which really ought to be their priority
number one. Instead, most of them are busy trying to make money,
try to be one up over other schools and in teaching ruthless
competition to students. In other words, values that have been
cherished so dearly and which have held this Society for thousands
of years have been jettisoned altogether in a few short decades.
I recall what it was
like barely sixty years ago. Children were given a good moral
upbringing at home, there was morality in the school and in
college, and in the work place too. There was, so to say, a
general moral ambience. As a result, when young people came
together, they brought with them their individual moral armour,
toughened at home and in school. Thus young people had no
difficulty in adhering to the moral path. Today, all that has more
or else disappeared, thanks to two major factors. Firstly, parents
have no time for their children while teachers couldn't care less
about character development. Secondly there is the pernicious
effect of the Media, fuelled by money power. The net result is
that large numbers of even good people have begun to think that
Sathya and Dharma will not
work anymore. Is this really true? Let us examine.
Let us ask first:
"What really is expected of an educated person?" People may say:
"Such a person would be good at solving problems and in delivering
the goods." I would say not enough. To me the foremost duty of an
educated person is to serve as a Conscience-keeper of Society. And
one cannot be a Conscience-keeper, unless one follows one's
Conscience. All of which means that the prime goal of education
must be to develop character.
You do not have to
take my word for it. Just go back to the Mahabharatha and examine
what the great Bhishma, Dronacharya and Kripacharya did at a
crucial moment. They all remained silent when they ought to have
spoken strongly. They totally failed in their role as
Conscience-keepers. Of what use then was their so-called
Knowledge?
Today's a very large
number of the so-called intellectuals have abdicated their moral
responsibility and are remaining silent about all kinds of moral
delinquency concerning which they ought to raise a strong protest.
In fact, many of them are even deluded by the views promoted by
the influential people in association with the media.
Let me at this point
recall an incident that occurred many years ago. It was the month
of March, and Swami was in Brindavan. I was teaching there at that
time. One evening after Bhajans, during the usual Trayee Session,
Swami got the ball rolling with His usual question:
Emi Samacharam,
or what news? One elder said, "Swami, this morning an exciting
thing happened. A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle [PSLV] rocket was
successfully launched from Sriharkota Launch Station". Swami said,
"Is that so? What will this rocket do?" The elder replied, "Swami,
the PSLV has placed in orbit a remote sensing satellite. This
satellite can remotely monitor forest fires, urbanisation,
deforestation, etc." The gentleman rattled off a long list but
Swami did not seem impressed. After a while He asked, "Has not
Science already made a lot of progress?" "Yes Swami." "In that
case, why not harness the fruits of these developments first for
the benefit of mankind, before spending more money on research?"
That
really is the point, and it is far from trivial. Just to
underscore it, let me draw attention to what has happened to TV in
this country. When it was first introduced in the seventies, it
was stated that TV would be used mostly for educational purposes
and moderately for entertainment. TV is a very powerful medium and
if it had been harnessed for education, it could have done
wonders. Instead, very quickly it was taken over for money making,
almost with no holds barred. And the results are there for all to
see. In fact, Swami refers to TV as Televisham;
visham means poison! The indictment
is indeed strong.
So, what are we to
do? Luckily, there is an answer and, needless to say it is from
Swami Himself. The answer came way back in 1968 when Baba was in
Bombay. During that trip He was invited to the Bharatiya Vidya
Bhavan, a Cultural University in that city. Assembled there were a
group of scholars and intellectuals, and one of them asked:
"Should India go nuclear or not?" This, by the way, was six yeas
before India tested a nuclear device. Swami in reply first drew
attention to the Pandavas. He said that while Bhima was mighty and
Arjuna a skilled archer, both of them bowed before their elder
brother Dharmja. That was because Dharmaja always adhered to
Dharma. Baba continued, "In today's world, America is like
Arjuna while Russia is like Bhima. India must be like Dharmaja. In
practical terms, India must try to enhance its Moral Power rather
than its military might." Interestingly, this is precisely what
Swami Vivekananda dreamt of earlier - he too wanted India to be
the Moral Leader of the world.
The message is loud
and clear - we must do everything we can to return to a moral way
of life. This is a must because as Gandhi reminded us so often,
there is a Moral Law governing the Universe. We cannot but bow to
it.
There is no need to
feel diffident about returning to a moral way of life. All that is
necessary is to have confidence in Moral Power. This is the Power
of God and there is no power in the Universe that can come
anywhere near it; but this we must firmly believe in. If parents
and teachers believe in this, then what seems impossible can be
achieved.
There is no need to
imagine that returning to a moral way of life means backing away
from modernity. This is a totally mistaken assumption. One has
merely to take a good look at Swami's School and Colleges, which,
by the way the visiting Vice Chancellors all did. These
educational institutions founded by Bhagavan Baba have all
successfully blended education with educare, thus offering the
right mix of education that would help in making a living and
education that is for life. Aspects of that were highlighted in
the previous issue. Please go back and take a second look. My
musings are about the Indian scene but I am sure that aspects of
what I have said apply to all countries. Do you agree? Do write
and let us know. As always, we can be reached at:
h2h@radiosai.org
Jai Sai Ram.
G.Venkataraman
Source:
Radio Sai
E-Magazine, December 15, 2003
http://www.radiosai.org/Journals/07Dec01/06_SPIRITUAL_BLOSSOMS/02_REFLECTIONS/reflections.htm
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