The Present System of Education

THE word Education is very much in use these days ; almost everybody has something to say about it. The schools — whether Government or private — are packed with students. So are the colleges. But despite this increasing desire for education, hardly anyone ponders as to what education really is. Has the education we have so far received done us any good ? If so, is it proportionate to the labor and money spent on it ? Since scant thought is paid to the meaning of education, even less is paid to its aims and objects ! For most people, the main aim seems to be to qualify themselves for certain types of Government jobs. Usually, people belonging to different trades or vocations give up their traditional modes of earning a livelihood — after being educated — and look for jobs instead, which, they feel, will give them a better standing in the eyes of others of their community. In our schools, there are boys belonging to various vocational castes, such as masons, black-smiths, carpenters, tailors, cobblers etc. But, after receiving an education, instead of bettering the standards of their traditional skills and promoting their vocations still further, they give them up as something inferior, and consider it honorable to get a clerical post. The parents, too, share this false notion. Thus, both from the point of view of jati and karma, we are getting more deeply entangled in slavery. To my sorrow, I have found this condition prevalent everywhere in India in my tours round the country, and it has often brought tears to my eyes.

An Instrument

Education is not an aim in itself but, rather, an instrument, and that type of education alone can be called real education which helps us in the building of sound character. No one can truly claim that the present system of education in our schools produces this result. On the contrary, there are numerous examples of young people having lost the good qualities of their character in the schools. An impartial English writer once stated that as long as there is no concordance between the schools and homes of the students, they will continue to suffer in both ways. What they learn at school is totally incompatible with what they learn at home. Since life at school is the exact opposite of the life at home, the inst-ruction imparted through text-books is like the spurious teachings of those who are competent only at preaching and not practicing. We cannot put the knowledge so acquired to any practical use in our home-life. The parents are ignorant of what is taught at school ; nor do they care about it. The labor spent on studies is considered useless drudgery which has to be gone through for the sake of the final examination, and once this is over what was learnt is forgotten as quickly as possible. The charge leveled against us by some English critics, that we are mere imitators of Western methods, is not without truth. One of them has likened us to a piece of blotting-paper. He believes that as it absorbs the superfluous ink, even so we take in only the superfluities, that is, the evil portion of Western civilization. We must admit that, up to a point, this is a correct summary of our attitude and behavior.

Medium of English

Thinking about the reasons for this condition, I have felt that the chief fault lies in our receiving education through the medium of English. It takes about twelve years to obtain the matriculation certificate. But the general knowledge acquired over this long period is pitifully inadequate ! Besides, we do not strive to integrate this knowledge with the work we have to do. In other words, we do not put it to practical use. Instead, most of our efforts are directed towards gaining a mastery of the English language. Scholars, qualified to speak on the subject, have expressed the opinion that if what is sought to be taught to the students up to the matriculation class, was imparted to them through their own mother—tongue, there would be a saving of at least five years. At this rate, on ten thousand matriculates, the people are put to a loss of fifty thousand years ! This is a very grave situation and should cause serious concern to all. Not only that, we also impoverish our own languages in this way.

The present system of education has created a gulf between us and our families. To our parents, to others in our families, to our women, and to our dome-stics—with whom we live for the greater part of our time—our school education has become like hidden wealth. It is not of any use whatever to them. We should realize from this that where conditions are so far removed from the needs of reality, the people can never hope to rise. If we were not mere pieces of blotting-paper, after fifty years of education we should have witnessed a new spirit arising in our masses. But, we have no contact with them. And they keep away from us because they think we are advanced and civilized and look down on them as an uncivilized lot.

College Education

The same holds good about our college education. During the years at college, we are supposed to cement and further strengthen the foundations of knowledge. But, in fact, it is otherwise, for we begin to forget our own language. Many develop a feeling of contempt towards their mother-tongue. We start carrying on our dealings in poor English—full of grammatical errors. We have not yet coined correct technical terms for various sciences, and we do not fully understand the English terms. By the time we have finished with our college education, our intelligence loses all vigor and our bodies are weakened. Weak and diseased in body, we become victims of tonics and stimulants for the rest of our life. And yet the people think, and we too, that we are their leaders, their saviors and the makers of their future.

Although I have drawn a very gloomy picture of the state of our education, yet in this gloom lie seeds of hope, too. I am not suggesting that no Indian should know English. Let us do what they have done in Russia and what they are doing in South Africa and Japan. In the latter country, a few selected people acquire a higher knowledge of English, translate whatever is worth having into their own language—in an easier form—and thus save the people from the useless labor of themselves having to learn English. Quite a large number among us are familiar with English. They may further increase their knowledge of it. And those whose health allows it and whose mental vigor is still intact may undertake to translate such ideas from English and other foreign languages as are likely to do good to our masses. If we strive long enough, we can change the present trend of education.

-The Problem of Education : p. 3