Evolve educational ethics


Education is considered to be a major factor in the progress of a nation and the society. Education either formal or informal, prepares a person for facing the world in a manner that all live in peace and enjoy the life on this planet. The word education has been defined in different ways but the most accepted meaning seems to be the manifestation of the potential one has and exploring the world for the betterment of all human beings. Our country was considered to be the best in providing the education at school level and more so on college and university level. We cannot forget the reputation earned by Nalanda and many other such universities which attracted the people from all over the world. But the report published in the newspaper today reminds us of the current situation. No university of the country finds its place in top hundred universities of the world. It is a point of debate whether foreign universities have progressed so much or our university system has crumbled due to many factors. Till about two three decades ago, we used to be proud of a number of universities in the country but due to reasons known to many, the situation has gone from bad to worse. This may seem to be alarming to us but the fact is that it needs immediate attention of the government and the people in position to take corrective methods.  
Our school education system also seems to be at the crossroads. On one hand, there are schools which are doing very well and at the same time others lack in infrastructure and also the human resource and attention. Ironically, the government has precisely not tried to acknowledge the gravity of the situation and as usual short term measures are taken now and then. The parliament has implemented the right to education act. It is one of the very important steps taken to improve and uplift the one segment of society. The act gives the right of education to every child of the country with proper infrastructure in all the schools including the government schools. Reservation of certain percentage of seats is another important law in the act. The participation of the parent community has also been given a due importance. What I mean here is, that all stakeholders have been assigned some responsibility in the act. When I use the word responsibility, I mean that all need to understand the importance of better and quality education and contribute to the best of their ability. We all have to understand the role to be played by us in making this act successful and fruitful as expected by the parliament. All should work together as a unit and not as individuals or individual groups. But what has been observed in the last two years is that people have a limited knowledge about the act. The act has been reduced to the size of a single point act related to the reservation of seats for a particular section of children. We know it well the act is not what it defines for itself but has many other very important laws which are necessary for achieving the objective and the goals of good education to all the children of the country. We are moving at a slow pace and if that continues then the very purpose of the act would get diluted. We all need to understand the act and the importance of education for all and work accordingly. We owe a lot to our children and this is also true that we want to do everything possible for their good. Let us have a clear vision and steer ourselves accordingly.
When we talk of quality education that does not necessarily mean to provide education which helps the people to get good job in terms of remuneration only but is much more than this. Quality education would take care of all aspects of life including the personality development. We shall have to adopt   an integrated approach so that all areas of the required development are addressed. The moral and ethical values seem to be the need of the hour. This was given a lot of importance when we needed it the least but now we need to emphasize upon the same with a changed new approach. The kind of   problems we see in the society nowadays can be tackled by good education to our children. We know it well that no child is born with negatives only but all children possess many good qualities . This is the environment at home and in the schools which make a difference to the personality of the children. All are basically good human beings, the upbringing and the education makes all the difference. Here, education is not   synonymous to academic or cognitive area only but affective domain is equally important if not more. In the last few years, this has been ignored at home and also in the schools. In the race of scoring marks we have lost the track of basic human values and that has deprived our children of the right path to be shown to them. The incidents of violence reported from different schools are not a good sign for our society. I strongly believe that to blame the children for the same would not be right because they act and react as per what they see in society and in the family. The incident which took place in a school in south was shocking to all concerned. Such incidents were reported from other countries but not in the schools of India. The relationship between the teacher and the student has been pious and one of trust and faith. The change taking place is inevitable but the fact is that it is neither good for the children nor for the society. We must try to take corrective measure so that our children do not suffer later on. The government and the responsible people including the educationists, parents and most importantly people from media would have to come together to evolve a strategy which does not interfere in the freedom of our children, but at the same time their rights and the freedom does not take them in the direction of not proving to be good and responsible citizens of the society. There is no better way of doing the same but to set an example for the children. We know that our children are brought up in the family in a different way than in many other countries. The culture and traditions of all countries are different and we must respect them. But this does not mean that we forget our own way of living together and respecting one and all in the society. We must always remember our   rights as well as our duties at the same time. Let us not bury these incidents as isolated cases and allow the situation to become really serious. Let us not allow the situation to reach when you have to have metal detectors and the security guards outside the school campus. This is high time that we all think and debate so that proper steps could be taken for the sake of our children who are the future of the country and the world. Let us not leave the insurmountable energy to flow on its own but try to channelize the same in the right direction. 

Comments

  1. Nicely expressed view point sir, and...... you are very right about the question , aim and purpose of quality education ...I thinks we the teachers have a responsibility , obligation and duty to keep the WHY alive . because a person with a quest for why can always handle any what....
    I have been writing on similar topic for few years now ....presenting two links ,that almost rhyme with your thoughts....that I thoroughly identify with and enjoyed reading.....
    http://balanisunil.blogspot.in/2009/12/educate-for-sensitivity-besides.html

    http://balanisuchitra.blogspot.in/2010/01/blog-post.html

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Year - Promises And Actions

NCF & NCrF- Innovative Approach

Importance Of Feedback