THE PURSUIT OF THE PERFECT SCHOOL by Dr. Suhasini Das

 

THE PURSUIT OF THE PERFECT SCHOOL

‘Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man.’

– Swami Vivekananda

 

With my daughter on the verge of finishing her pre-school in a few months time, the recurrent topic that pops up in every conversation with other parents is 'Which school have I selected for her admission?' The anguish and struggle of desperate parents seeking the best school fot their daughter has been well-depicted in the Bollywood movie, Hindi Medium and despite movie's message being loud and clear, there seems to be no end to parents' anxieties. 

However, when one reflects over this question, a lot seems redundant on several other fronts. 

A Brief History of Modern Schools

Modern schooling, as we know today began in the British era. The modern education system was introduced and catapulted into action and prominence by Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay, a British historian and politician, who on February 2, 1835, proposed  his 'Minute on Indian Education' which emphasized the necessity of introducing English education to the people of India, aided by the missionaries who were already present in India. 

Institutions that taught Indian subjects were closed down and only Western education in English medium was taught. The aim was to create people who could form the workforce in the British empire, and remain loyal to them. In his own words, "Indian in blood and colour, but English in tastes, in opinions, in morals and in intellect."

Post-Independence Era

Fast forward more than 75 years into an independent India, our education system remains still heavily influenced by those same ideas, with English-medium schools, sidelining our vernacular medium schools. Still today, being fluent in English is considered a sign of sophistication, a mark of distinction for most of us and parents are not immune to this, like a post-colonial hangover. English medium became the benchmark to distinguish between so-called ‘good’ schools and ‘poorly- performing’ schools. However, that was not enough to lure naïve parents anymore as English medium schools cropped up at every nook and cranny. Soon, schools became a sort of status symbol, and parents would compete to get their children admitted in the best of the lot. 

Confused and desperate parents would run from pillar to post, sometimes take huge personal loans so that their children could study in these prestigious schools. The hi-tech schools boasted of world-class infrastructure, advanced technologies to divest education, air conditioned classrooms and buses, and when you look at the bigger picture, where are our children and youth heading towards?

Systematic frauds, cheating and other nefarious activities are wrecking havoc at national level entrance exams, coaching centers are becoming the hotbed of students’ suicide, which is topping the national average suicide rate, and not to mention the raging epidemic of mental health issues in our children. If schools are supposed to be laying the foundation for our students, why are they so vulnerable that for failing in an examination, the first thought that runs through many students' mind is to attempt self-harm and suicide, rather than trying to face the failure, know their mistakes and prepare for the next year?

In the midst of this relentless pursuit of the perfect school, we seem to have altogether forgotten the essence of education. It is high time we take a pause and introspect what is the meaning and purpose of education.

What is Education?

Education has largely been thought as what is being taught in schools or colleges. However that is just one small area- the formal education. A major chunk of this formal education is focused on learning facts- factual knowledge- being able to remember them and recalling the same during examinations. On basis of this, marks are allotted, which determine the toppers or best performing students. 

Now there will be some students who have a natural liking towards studies and are likely to do well in examinations, however to expect this out every child irrespective of their interests or talents is an extremely myopic view of life. Every child is supposed to do well in literature, biology, geography, history, physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics all at once. Many are heavily inclined towards sports or  music or other art forms and have least interest in classrooms. What do we call them- poor graders, back-benchers?

It feels like an anxious society trying to fit everyone in a rigid one-size mould and if someone does not fit that rigid structure is considered a poorly performing student, a taboo, an outcast without even realizing that there are several factors for that. 

It actually shows our own ignorance, how less we know our children. It is like calling a fish stupid for not being able to fly.

Have you tasted oranges?

However, the bigger part, informal education, which is not taught in books and classes, is our own life’s experiences. It is often said that experience is the best teacher. Think like this- we may read all about oranges- how they appear, how they taste, where they are grown but if we have never seen or tasted any orange in our life, do you think we will be able to know about an orange in the true sense?

Similarly, we may read about everything on this planet, learn the facts by heart, memorize them but have never experienced the happiness of playing, joy of colouring or petting our pets or spending time in nature, quarreling with friends and then patching up the next moment, never experienced music, never faced disappointments and failure and know these are part of life too, what kind of individuals will our children be when they grow up? How much will they know about life when they have never experienced it?

If we sort out everything for our children, they will never know what to choose and they will not develop decision-making capacities for themselves. They will not learn how to deal with bigger problems in life and let us be honest here, we all know life will throw challenges at us, no matter how well-prepared we may seem.

Look, who’s talking!

Try to have conversations with your children, not just command them to finish this chapter or that homework, ask them about their day, listen patiently to their stories, their experiences, share your own experiences too- give them a peek into your own childhood memories. This kind of interaction will not only make your bond with your child stronger but they will also learn from your experiences.

Encourage them to take decisions in their daily life, give them unstructured play time, encourage them to participate in social or community activities, ask them to help in household chores, and yes, it does become messy in the beginning, however that’s the way for them to become responsible and develop a sense of appreciation and gratitude towards life in general.

Be the Guide

Lev Vygosty, a famous Russian child psychologist, whose work has become the foundation for research in cognitive development, emphasized the role of social interactions in child’s development. In addition, he said that parents, teachers and schools or peers or friends provide a scaffolding or support for the child who then uses this support to acquire mental abilities. So a parent, as a teacher or schools can only act as a guide for children’s development but they will have to learn to walk the way themselves.

The Quest for Meaning

Our pursuit for the perfect school may seem to end for a while and rest assured, something else will occupy our minds soon- stress of studies, examinations, internals, irritable children, mental health issues and so on.  We must understand that our children must become resilient so that they can handle life’s challenges and develop an outlook of appreciation and acceptance towards life. 

Let us focus on an education where our children can face life head-on and can find value and meaning in things that truly call out to them, rather than spending their valuable time and energy pursuing one goal after another.

 

“One impulse from a vernal wood,

May teach you more of man,

Of moral evil and of good.

Then all the sages can.”

-William Wordsworth, Books and Nature

Dr. Suhasini Das. MD