Teach co-operation and not competition

The education system of the country is undergoing a sea change as policies are being devised to make it child friendly and also the emphasis is on providing education to all the children of the country, which is a welcome step in the direction of inclusive approach towards all, irrespective of the social and economical background.The education policy of the country decides the direction in which the country will be moving.In the last few years the country has seen growth of the private schools and the colleges and is enrolling large number of the students in them. This has brought the change in the quality of the education provided and along with that, the competition among the institutions and also the students has increased. A healthy competition is good for the improvement and the growth of the country but competition of proving one better than the other in education may not always yield positive results. Education is mainly responsible for the development of the thought process and the personality of the citizens, so that they can contribute at national as well as global levels,and does not only remain the means to provide  livelihood opportunities.
This objective of the education to enable individuals to contribute in the development of the nation can be achieved when children are capacitated 'learning to learn'. We have to see it seriously, is our system helping the students learn to learn?'Learning to learn' is as important as any other development taking place and this can be facilitated by the spirit of co-operation and not by competition.Competition with self is healthy and this improves the student automatically without the feeling of guilt or inferiority complex. Learning to co-operate at school level will go a long way in making the children worthy citizens of the world. Co-operation is the need of the hour at local and the global level. It hurts every citizen of the country when our leaders do not speak the language of co-operation even on national issues. Every time the country faces challenges from within or outside , the leaders speak as if fighting with each other and not focussing on the problem the country is facing.Ironically, the youth of the country watch these proceedings live. All must understand (including those who have put self or the party interest above the national interest) that our existence is because of this great nation and if the country loses the respect then we also lose the same for them.
In this the parents can also play a significant role in helping the schools in implementing the policy in the right perspective.Some 15-20 years ago the children were taught to help the other child who might not have been doing well due to different reasons.If a child was absent due to sickness or some other reason, the other children felt very happy to help that child. In many schools one bright child was made to sit with a child who was not doing well because of compulsive reasons and the bright child would help this child and in process would learn more and gain more confidence. But in today`s world of competition, some parents object to this system,asking why their child is forced to sit with the so called weak child because they may be worried  if the other child also learns he/she may come to the same position . This is the implication of the competitive world and takes away the child from the concept of co-operation. When somebody helps the other person who needs help, this certainly develops the attitude of co-operation and in the process who is helping does not lose anything but gains more confidence and pride.
The family, society and the nation can progress with an attitude of co-operation only and not really by proving one better than the other.Now the question is, how can education help in inculcating the spirit of co-operation? For this the emphasis on academics only will have to be reduced if not completely removed.The children must be taught to learn the lessons of the peaceful and the happy and stress free life instead of enabling them for a money chase or better positions .This should be integrated in school curriculum that the children learn and help each other rather than being self- centered and not share the things with others.The race of competition tend to make us selfish.The government has taken some positive steps in that direction by introducing 'right to education act and this will go a long way in bringing different groups of the society together and they will be able to understand each other which will result in helping each other and not what has been happening till now.The private sector in education has by and large done a good thing to the country but these institutes should not try to unnecessarily prove themselves better than the rest, otherwise the concept of holistic approach will be lost and our children will be pushed into an endless pandemonium of suffering.

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