VAGABONDAGE

Einstein’s undergraduate teacher Minkowski once said “…I really would not have thought him capable of it”. He was talking about Einstein’s paper on Special Relativity. Throughout his schooling days, Einstein was thought to be “a dreamer, lazy and insubordinate”. What they did not know was that he was bored of bookish education. Or that he was pondering questions such as what it would be to travel at the speed of light!The problem was his school was not equipped to nurture his creativity and “dreaming”.

Though more than a century has passed, things haven’t changed much, in our country, at least. This education system which thrives on commercialization and academic success alone cannot nurture creativity. Maybe it was because of his unparalleled genius, but Einstein managed to come out if it intact. Not a lot of people are this lucky. Many a genius would have fallen prey to it.

Education is meant to equip a child for life, not for college. Schools lure parents with the promise that they will get their kids into college (IIT seems to be the bait of choice). Some people who have natural talents for art, music or what-not are caught in this mad frenzy and end up as engineers. What this has led to is a huge number of unfit engineers. What else can you expect when you force someone into a field they have no aptitude for? Imagine what would have happened if Mozart’s parents forced him to become an engineer? Or if Newton was a dancer?

Each child is different and has specific needs. Each child has certain talents, and only when you are willing to look at him/her as an individual can you recognize those talents. Parents need to get this as much as teachers do. What we need is an education system based on all round development of a child. It is in school that we form foundations that last for life, if these foundations don’t include creativity, art, music, freedom of thought and sports, there is a good chance the child may grow up to be a machine.

The state of schooling is heading for worse rather than better, what with all these new schools that claim to start IIT training from 5th class or less! These institutes are neither fit nor worthy of educating our young. However, these are the schools that thrive today, the reason being that parents are too scared to wander from the herd. If everyone’s doing it, it’s got to be right, right?

All hope is not lost though. There are some schools which do understand what a child really is. They find it hard to survive, however, considering the commercial state of schooling nowadays. At this point in the article I am not really sure who this is directed at. I guess I’m just trying to tickle your thinking bone. Anyway, here’s wishing the death of all the schools that drill 14 year old kids for 12 hours a day.