Monday, December 10, 2012

What should education do?



To my mind, education must do no more than invoke the sense of awe in the human mind about its own capabilities and activities.
It must lead to the understanding that more than any particular human mind doing this or that it is the collective that is the true agency. It is how to enhance one’s contribution to the collective that must be the focus of education.
The vista expands, sustaining and expanding that sense.
Raghuram Ekambaram

6 comments:

Indian Satire said...

Education in India has only taught us to earn a living. We are more literates than educated and this is reflected in savage like behaviour when our selfish interests are involved

Balu

mandakolathur said...

So true Balu ... I think the only way value can be infused into education is to expand the vista and introduce wonder, and defer specialisation. Perhaps we can introduce a gap year after school. But will any parent tolerate this "waste" of one year? I doubt it.

Just thinking loud.

RE

Tomichan Matheikal said...

We have come to such a sorry state that every student is now focused on one thing only: SELF. The others exist only for the benefit of one's SELF - others are to be exploited. There's a serious need for an overhauling... not just the education system, though it can begin there.

mandakolathur said...

But Matheikal, why is it so difficult to see SELF as merely one element of the UNIVERSAL?

My question is also about why is it so difficult to be amazed at what human mind has done over the past few hundred thousand years?

RE

Amrit Yegnanarayan said...

Once wonder struck by the powers of god, then there is nothing to be amazed at the performance of the minds of mere mortals.

mandakolathur said...

This was precisely the point I was trying to make, Amrit. Thanks for making it explicit to help me out. We are losing out on the curiosity and amazement sweep stakes all thanks to religion and education, or do we call it religious education!

RE