Enlightenment

Enlightenment

I often wonder, I often ponder, what’s the deepest thing in the world for me…

What is that so imposing, so enclosing, captivating and seems like a giant tree…..

Is it the ocean so vast, or the wind so deep,

Is it the cloud so grey, or sand that slips away…….

The water that leaves me cold, the air that I can’t behold,

The sky which seems endless, the clay that I can’t mould…..

But the oceans can be crossed by ships, the wind can’t change lives…

The clouds a dark passing thought, the sands can be turned fertile…

The water can be held in a bottle , the air ballooned away,

Man does fly in the sky and has pots from hardened clay…..

There is something deeper, profound , pious and pure,

Embodies hopes engulfs pain, pretences it can’t endure…

It hides nothing, is transparent, and I believe I can’t see,

This belief is so truly false, it takes away the essence of me…

Let the inner voice be heard , let conscience be a screen,

Let love be eternal and hopes, a common gene………….

Then my soul would be seen and life can gauge its measures,

I would be with myself, discover all heavenly treasures….

Then my soul would be heard and life would be a song,

Actions, words, deeds, prayers..can anything then be wrong………

Then my soul would be touched and I would feel a bond,

Loneliness, anxiety I do not know,..the mighty ocean is a dried up pond…….

That day would be enlightening, there is nothing that is frightening….

From a life that seemed so shallow, to a crown with Buddha’s halo…………………………………………

The State and Education

That ‘education is the most important and effective route to steer a society into development’ is a view that will find umpteen buyers. This opinion has formed the crux of all policy decisions surrounding education initiatives in our country. All public discourse and dialogue, all commissions and committees ,all summits and seminars have been reiterating the same statement. Then what is it that has thwarted success in this sphere. The answer might not be as simple because when we attempt a critique of the superstructure under which the educational policy is drafted and implemented , there aren’t many flaws. The real cause of worry is that usually the laws that are rolled out either ridicule the spirit and essence of the constitution ,or fail to capture the problem appropriately , thus failing the citizenry .

The Kothari commission, 1966, under the leadership of Dr. D. S Kothari , was one of the first committees constituted to look into the educational scenario in the country and come up with recommendations. There have been other bodies set up after that too . All these commissions have just reiterated what had already been said in 1966, and ironically no advances have been made by the governments though these recommendations were drafted verbatim on their party’s manifestoes and also on the common minimum programs.

One of Kothari commission’s recommendation was that the public spending on education be increased to 6% of the GDP . This has featured on all party’s manifestos and yet after 45 years of the recommendation the figure is under 4% of the GDP. This has had serious consequences. Ambitious projects have faced financial constraints and have failed. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (education for all) which set out ambitious targets and required great commitment from the government was underfunded in a range from 43 to 57 % from the year 2001 to 2005 according to a CAG report. The government faced flak from the CAG on more than one account. Underfunding, inefficient utilization of resources and targets unachieved sums up the failure succinctly. What is startling is that the problem is neither the ignorance of the solution, nor the means to solve the problem. The problem is that of inaction.

The’ Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan’, a very noble concept , has remained a half hearted attempt on the part of the government. Though it is the government’s flagship program in education it has suffered for its overemphasis on ‘numbers’ and compromising quality. The government lay stress only on the enrolment of children and there wasn’t a satisfactory mechanism to assess learning outcomes and thus the quality of education suffered. As was noted by ‘Pratham’, the increase in enrolment in schools went hand in hand with poor learning levels.

The right to education act 2009, which was hailed by many as a landmark act that would go a long way in empowering people is actually something which does more harm than good. By restricting the ambit of the act to children from the age group of ages 6 to 14, the government denies education and care to children under 6 years of age. Hypothetically speaking if a child enters school at the age of 6 by the age of 14 he will have completed grade 8. The constitution envisages for education an empowering and enabling role which helps people get employed suitably. Government jobs require Class 12 as an eligibility and so the right to education act fails to uphold the constitutional spirit.

School enrolment rates and literacy levels never manifest the true picture of education in a society. As is understood literacy and education are two very different and separate concepts. As far as progressive education and education in the true spirit of the word is concerned the Kothari commission had envisaged and proposed a ‘Common School System’. This concept implied that all students irrespective of caste, creed, sex or location would have access to education of comparable quality. . The prime objective of the Common School System is equalization of educational opportunities; equalization cannot be achieved without bridging the yawning gap between the few expensive private schools and the multitude of government and local body schools, at least in regard to primary education, to begin with. This recommendation was hailed by all National Policy on Education commissions constituted after that and was further elaborated by the Review Committee of the National Policy on Education. . However this remains as a recommendation on paper.

40% of our population is under the age of 15 and this makes us a very young nation. This can help us be world leaders tomorrow by reaping this demographic dividend but if this young population is uneducated and thus more prone to social evils then this demographic dividend will in no time change into a demographic nightmare.

Thus if the government really intends to educate and empower the populace , what is required now is rolling out watertight laws and ensuring that they are implemented in the way they were envisaged. The government needs to act and act soon.

cheers!!!

So what is real education all about.

This is a question that is yet to find an answer. At least this is the impression I get when I see people ,read 'researchers' ,who spend a lifetime or more exploring books ,and still are as far away from the truth , as we are from the moon.The reason I say so is because, their instinct and intellect which has ironically convinced them to try and make things as complex as possible.

There are different parameters which could possibly be used to scientifically analyse data and then publish lengthy reports which to a well meaning layman might seem an endless array of all kinds of words, diagrams and charts. I am not against scientific temper, but if it tempts you to allow yourself to be taken captive by worthless intricacies, nuances and jargon, thereby ignoring the aesthetics of simplicity, it's not a great choice.

There are myriads such reports and the educational status quo is still as bad as ever. An improvement of a few percentage points over decades doesn't qualify to be called an achievement. what they seem to have forgotten is that sometimes simple common sense, a simple solution might just provide the most viable solution and using complex tools might just go in vain.

cheers!!

‘Those who live in glass houses , should not throw stones’

In the wake of the recent racial attacks on Indians in Australia which struck a deep blow to the Indian pride and shattered visions of the ‘ Global Bharatiya’, we were actually haunted once again by the visual images of colonial times , when such instances might have been rampant.

The Indian government has taken a tough stand on the issue and has brought not only Indians but also members of the humanist world community into condemning the attacks. The government has done all it takes to levy pressure on the Australian government. This includes issuing an advisory to Indian students in Australia, or the PM making it clear at international stages that securing Indians abroad was the top priority for the government.

However during the same time there is enough excitement on the domestic scene as well. The reason is Raj Thackeray’s latest statement which prohibits non-Marathi taxi drivers in Mumbai. The funny part is that this is not the first time Raj Thackeray has made such vicious comments. In the last one year he has done it numerous times, and our government has continuously harped upon promises of ‘taking action soon’.

The common man actually wonders that who has given this man the authority to declare such unruly things. Things that actually undermine our constitutional pride. All fundamental rights of all individuals remain suspended when he speaks, and the government promises to act soon.

Now looking at both cases together , the one in Australia and the one in Mumbai, the commonality is that in both, the ‘racial attacks’ in the former and the ‘linguistic attacks’ in the latter , it is not a country against another or a state against others. What does an Australian have against the Indian race or what does the Marathi Manoos have against the north Indian taxi driver. it’s just the malicious, selfish temperament of a few egotist men that instills animosity and makes people judgmental.

Another issue that comes to my mind as I really try to take a holistic view is that as the Indian government has taken a tough stand against Australia , but subterfuges allegations of weakness in its internal security issues, namely Mumbai. So is it fair for those who live in glass houses to throw stones.

So this one is about a class which i didn't take but was taken by Mr. Sudhakar Ram, founder and chairman of Mastek ltd...this gentleman came in the class with lots of positive energy, enthusiasm and not to mention, lots of planning. He taught students maths, and was ready with the teaching aids required. The children certainly loved his class and enjoyed every bit of it...

The reason he had been invited to the classroom was to get corporate leaders invested in this mission of educating India's children. After the class he went back and wrote something for an online journal, what he wrote really proves that Mr. Ram really believes in the cause...

Here's the link..

http://www.thenewconstructs.com/constructdetails.php?id=97

reflection.....

I write this post at a time when i am not teaching ( schools being off for diwali )..and am amazed with this realisation that no matter how tired or worn out i may feel on most typical TFI fellow days..the weariness is far greater when i haven't been in the classroom for the last 5 days...

This fact actually exemplifies the impact these children have had on my life...i suddenly have a large family that i have to take care of and nourish...life suddenly needs much planning as recklessness doesn't seem a very plausible idea considering they are 'my' children...and my actions would determine there upbringing..however dramatic it would sound these feelings are genuine....
But looking at the other side when i start to think of it and realise that i am here for two years , so does that mean that after two years i have some other children to cater to when i go out on my own....no..this shouldn't happen ...of course i can't be with them for ever but atleast i can do something for them which assures me that they will all atleast graduate and will not be devoid of a quality education ..i for my own satisfaction would atleast want some kind of financial security for them , so that my children do not have finance as a restraint....
I have therefore decided to set up a fund for these children which would enable them to pursue any course they would want to...as of now this is all the plan i have...how,when,who,where,what exactly....i have no answers ....all i can answer is why, and that for me is good enough....
i really hope i don't disappoint my children.......

Children or Gurus

In the last four months i have spent a major chunk of my time in the company of 50 incredible children and the rest thinking about how to take them further....
It has not been easy so far....considering that these children are about two years behind on where they should actually be ...yet every single second spent in the classroom with these loving creatures vouches for the fact that they are wonderful people who harbour the capacity to transform you...and so they have....
Before stepping into the classroom i was really excited to meet them but i was certainly a little skeptical...you might think that its the student who is jittery, skeptical and a little afraid and certainly not the teacher who'll fathom these emotions...but trust me when i say that once you expose your vulnerability to the child he will fundamentally transform you......and that is what i did ..came to them as their loving rahul bhaiya who plays, dances and sings with them...a teacher who really cared for them , loved them and appreciated them.....and now as i look back to reflect and analyse as to what has happened in these last few months i realise that i have given them lessons in math, science, language and social studies but these kids have taught me how easy it is to stay happy, that it takes nothing to forgive, how effortlessly you can accept different people and some other deep philosophies of life which adults are trying to comprehend seeking company in 'spiritual gurus'.....
All i can say to summarise is that these children are fabulous people who need you, and in return you get the experience of a lifetime......

teach for india ...1st deadline...2010 fellowship ..October 11,2009...
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