TEACH THEM TO GROW THEIR OWN PLANTS

““Much education today is monumentally ineffective.

All too often, we are giving young people to cut flowers,

when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants.”

-  John W. Gardner

A couple of months ago, an ex-student of mine, who presently holds a good position in a corporate, had come to visit me. He and his wife (a well-placed woman, too) were having some serious differences over the issue: which Board and which school would be ‘the ideal’ for their little girl-child. He wanted the child to get educated in one of the local state-board schools where he himself had studied many years ago… The wife disagreed. Her argument was: “The times have changed… The concept of schools has changed… There is a hell-lot of competition and the child should be prepared to handle the pressure, she should have an ‘edge’… and so on.”

“Miyan biwi raazi, kya karega kaazi?”  The biwi hadn’t come to see me. This kaazi could only offer his opinion to the miyan. He was conscious of the reality, that the biwi had to be taken into confidence… she had to be convinced. Hence, all that I, the kaazi for their dispute, could do was – offer my own opinion.

The times have, in deed, changed… The concept of schools, too, has changed. But, when was ‘a hell lot of competition’ not there in this world? It was there during my great grandfather’s time, it is there now and, certainly, it will be there during my great grandchildren’s time… Therefore, I won’t buy the argument.

I was the first generation of graduates in our family… My ex-student – the miyan in this post – too, was the first graduate in his own family. So, we had to start with the available and affordable opportunities and make the most of it. People like us did not depend on our degrees alone… We depended a lot on our talents, skills and strengths. The Boards and the schools did not place this stuff – this ‘edge’ – in us… We woke up to them, believed in ourselves… and went about pursuing our respective dreams…

Any Board or any school around, which can place in our little ones this blazing something called ‘Dream’?

My student, who had come to lessen his load, knew what I was going to tell him. He was not willing to buy the fairy-tale, that Boards and schools provided us great education or edge… He had done well in life despite the fairy-tale… He believed, that his little girl, too, could do – and would do - well despite the fairy-tale…

Incidentally, when this conversation was going on, another ex-student of mine, whose parents and grandparents were highly qualified, was present in my office. This woman had studied through the Delhi Public School (CBSE) from KG to class 12. Then, she had planned to do CA; and after clearing her entrance, had pursued the CA studies along with her graduation. She was excellent in her studies till she had completed her class 12. But, once she started pursing her CA studies, she felt the complete disconnect… Her heart was in something else, and she was still struggling to find what it was… She had quit her CA studies and, after many years of her graduation, she was still trying to find her ‘dream’.  But, let me tell you this: this 27-year-old is not alone in this boat!

“What could her school or Board do in this regard?” I asked, pointing to this young woman…

It’s over two months since this conversation took place… I do not know what has happened since then. Most probably, the miyan has agreed to his biwi’s point of view, for peace at home…

Whichever way may have they gone, the child will only go where it is destined to…

Did I say ‘determined to’?

GERALD D’CUNHA 

Pic.:Pixabay

Video: The Obama White House