Is cramming books the real education?

Is cramming books the real education?

Introduction

Education is the process through which a living being can be more efficient and helps in his development. Education is not just what is formally taught in schools or colleges. You can be educated in many different ways such as being street smart and possessing additional skills. Unfortunately, education has come to be narrowly defined as a degree in colleges or just excelling in academics in school. But, success in life is driven not just through one route but rather a series of ways that can take you to the destination.

What real education does?

Real education is not just cramming up books but also comprises of possessing simple qualities such as being humble, caring, generous, respecting others amongst many other things. In terms of statistics, the country’s scenario may have been improving but it is fast witnessing decline in the value base which remained an integral part of India’s education a decade back.

India is far behind in the enrollment for universal primary education vis-à-vis other developing countries. Looking at some startling statistics, over 50% of children enrolling in class drop out by fifth and this gets worse at plus two stage when just 2 to 3 students clear it.

Unfortunately, education has come to be defined as acquisition of skills that would aid in chasing tokens and that half a mark here and there can have a deep impact on your life. Strangely, some of the very famous and essential things that define India are sustained by people who have sensibilities and skills that are outside the formal education system.

The country’s artisans such as potters, weavers amongst other people have been a potent force in popularizing India’s rich culture throughout the world. There is no doubt that some amount of education can help them in knowing how to better market themselves but there is no guarantee that a person who would be educated could understand the finer details of how to develop such products. India’s rich culture as defined in Vedas and other holy books have been the backbone of education for many countries over time. However, that has somewhere taken a backseat. The country was also considered to be the focal point of education with universities such as the Nalanda University located here which drew students from all over the world. Students must be taught subjects like moral education, our heritage amongst other things in order to ensure that the quality of education remains high despite the many changes that are taking place.

One of the biggest differences between Indian education system and outside world is that in our country, certification or a formal qualification is highlighted as an important need for being an educated individual. On the other hand, in advanced countries, the skills as well as ability to work efficiently and experience of having worked for a while is laid much more importance to. Hence, while failure is vital for success in those countries, it is somewhere considered immoral or a taboo to have failed in India.

Conclusion

The country is advancing with latest technology but what needs to be encouraged simultaneously are the traditions of our society. Hence, real education is actually the values as well as the skill one is good at or possesses and not just a formal degree or a certification from a university. We must make sure that Indian education standards must raise the bar to a different level through inclusion of its values and culture as a mandatory part of the courses. Real education is getting a holistic education helping oneself not only an intellectually capable individual but also a morally conscious one. An individual may not just contribute to the society through earning but also help in improving the quality of the society as a whole by being aware of the culture and traditions that make the country stand out amongst others because of its values.