LE01_200612: Moving against the tide

Insights into the current education system and learning by application

I am day-dreaming on a sultry summer evening when the thought comes to mind about how better the world would be where talent meets opportunity. In fact, wouldn’t that be a perfect world after all? Every human being is satisfied with rewards he or she considers commensurate with their abilities. Yet, this remains a dream and perhaps will continue to do so forever. And, quite arguably, all the fun is lost if everyone is there is no competition for resources, money, time, shelter or education. How would a state of a perfect society be capable for motivating people to push boundaries, to innovate and to transform it? So, competition is good right? It does have its own adverse consequences in terms of divisions in society, someone loses and someone else wins. But, the one who wins, has, without bringing corruption or malpractice in picture, quite rightly earned the win. We can be rest assured of this fact and hence, the people at the top are people who are competent enough to have reached there and are motivated enough to put in efforts to improve and stay there. Yet, when there is a divide which takes a wide bridge to gap, the society has to look back and introspect on where it is heading. And, that initiative has to be led by people who have won and been successful over times. Well then, perhaps the question begs, if you have read so far, about what I am really talking about by means of this article. Ladies and gentlemen, my intent is to reflect upon the state and substance of the Indian education system. In my humble opinion, the bridge between the ones who have won with educating themselves and the ones who have not has been quite wide already and perhaps has exacerbated now more than ever. And, the system needs help not just from the doctorates, scientists and engineers but from each one of us in terms of changing our mindsets to transform the system and expand its reach.

Education: A fresh start

Of course, the tendency to cliché this article as just another would definitely creep in considering that the subject is neither new for debate and nor for cultural expressions in the form of movies or music. Pardon me for verbalizing the word “cliché”, but it seemed apt to do it to convey the point. Did I do anything wrong? As per the textbook, yes! But, then not everything needs to go by the book. At least, Dhoni would certainly think so! Anyway, the point of this article is not to criticize, condemn or suggest. The point is to realize! Realize that the time has come for a “Change” in Barrack Obama parlance, a change for good. Unless this change occurs, opportunities will be scarce and perhaps others may fail to open up in the first place, for a nation brewing with as much talent as India does have.

Why can’t we just forget about marks and textbooks and learn concepts the “real way”, a way where each formula, each concept being taught is associated with a significance? Why can’t we learn Permutations and Combinations or algebraic number patterns via a Pascal’s triangle? Why can’t physics be learnt from sports like football, billiards or golf? Ultimately, a concept should be learnt to be applied not to fetch marks. And, perhaps learning the concept through its application is, arguably, the most effective way.  Answers perhaps lie in our mentality and psyche towards studies and the obsession of the system to relate talent with marks. The real irony lies in the fact we do recognize the flaws but are either oblivious to the severity of these flaws or selfish to change the system that suits a few and undeservedly debunks many others.  6 sigma project or a case study analysis anyone? J

Learning by application

For an MBA student like me, if we were to transform the system, it would not be about marks but about moolah, not about concepts of management but about concepts for making money. Did I know this before? Hell, No! It is only when I got introduced to the circle of “think and sell, sell and learn and learn and think” in my first week in B-school that I am enlightened to it. It makes me realize that opportunities need not be awaited for but rather they need to be created. What fun copying Ronaldo tricks and failing on the football pitch? Invent your own trick and let the world know about it! At the end of the day, society improves no end by innovation, by opportunity creation. There are no limits, no bounds!

Anyway, I am perhaps being rather too judgemental given my humble credentials but I do feel absolutely miffed at the same time. The reason? Well, Argentina, given the talent that they bring to the football pitch, could win every cup they participate in had they been guided by better coaches, displayed greater resolve and team spirit. They could be the Barcelona amongst football playing nations. India, today, is in a similar situation on the education pitch, per se. Given the talent that we as a nation possess, it is amazing how we are not able to set things right even when we have a fair idea of what needs to be set right! It is unimaginable to think of our reach and prowess if the education system is transformed for good and perhaps for that exact same reason, destiny does not want it to occur. Too good to be true! And, until that time I guess we would just produce students and engineers with bottle after bottle of the same old wine which, by the way, does not get better with age!