Chapter 3
LEARNING, KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM
I recall from the article of Justice Lakoti, (an ex CJI of Supreme court of India) where in he ha observed that our education system did not deliver knowledge. He doubts if British handed down the education system had handed down a defective education system, perhaps deliberately. For, he observes that those educated are not knowledgeable.
It could be observed that British delivered us primary education. It had an objective that was, the literacy. We know now that that objective was adequately met.
Where did we go wrong then?
All the way from Secondary education to higher education the methodology adopted for primary education is flawless. The children have to Store in their mind and recall subsequently a large volume of images called letter and number. There is no logic or reasoning involved in any of them. The student needs to remember them throughout their lives.
The letter and numbers along with the grammar and mathematical tables form the foundation for, for high school to research - the higher learning.
When our educationalist planned the secondary and higher education, they did not realize that a change in approach to teaching is required.
Secondary and higher education should involve a process called thinking.
So the education processes was limited REMEMBERING and RECALLING lessons.
The absence of a goal:
Elementary education had a goal. To impart the ability to read, write and count. The higher education has none.
The first step forward shall be to define the goal and a measure to estimate the direction to keep education system on right course.
The examination system:
The examination is a weakness education system. The examination, the score cards and ranking can at best certify that a student remembers X percentage of answer to questions in the given set of lessons for a period not exceeding, say six months or one year! Nothing more.
It does not guarantee that he would remember the correct answer to the questions all through his life. It does not promise that the student would ever be able to apply his learning either for society or his own good.
This has a historical (information) value without any relevance to future time.
Human limitations:
Spiritualists and thinkers understand this. That the nature has it that, for a society to exist the way it is the population shall have a varying but small amounts of (a) ability to remember and (b) ability to learn.
The education system and processes therein, can marginally increase both. That small I crease can make a huge impact in the individual’s wellbeing as well as the nation’s.
Ramanujams, Edisons, GD Naidus cannot be produced in any university either in India or abroad. Those with lesser learning abilities can perform tough physical tasks with great ease. This also means that higher learning abilities, one cannot perform physical tasks with greater ease.
What is expected of an educated person?
KNOWLEDGE.
How do we define knowledge?
Ability to learn from the environment and with that to be able to take a right decision in a short time.
Evidence for lack of knowledge.
(1) Poverty in people. Significant population in extreme poverty.
(2) Vulnerable in the society.
Knowledge and thinker from East:
Thinkers from east attributed human sufferings to both (a) lack of knowledge and (b) Wrong knowledge. The right knowledge will remove both.
They likened lack-of-knowledge and wrong-knowledge to darkness. Knowledge to light. Thereby acquiring knowledge to enlightenment. Lightening the dark premises.
Knowledge as fast-food!
The nature has it that, every one cannot attain a higher levels of learning abilities.
A society or a group of people can have very few thinkers, a few fold that number who can understand and guide others to implement and a large number who can work and live by instructions from above.
Such a pattern can be observed in every other specie that our scientists have discovered.
Those with no ability to learn would face countless painful situations in life that would adverely affect their very existence. The thinkers have left behind the rules and guidance for ready to use them without thinking.
IMPORTANT ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED:
1. Any system degenerates with time. Education system is no exception. If the objectives were properly defined, it is possible to effect a possible course correction.
2. Education system in Independent India must have started with eradication of illiteracy as a prime goal, It has reasonably met its objective.
3. Higher education has grown organically from Primary education without a well defined objective. It has, no doubt, helped to create professionals to meeting the needs of the growing economy of our nation. This could have been met without an education system as well.
The defect common to most education systems including in most developed countries do not have the problem that we face in under developed countries.