Random Thoughts

Lack of Real Education

The Indian culture, logic and preferences are many times very strange; consider these examples: a film actor's son becomes a film actor; so also in the music world. A politician's son necessarily enters politics. Well, but a farmer's son does not want to be a farmer. A fisherman's offspring is educated to become a professional. A weaver's son wants a different profession and not even textile technology. A barber prefers his child to be a leather technologist than take up his profession. Prima facie the dreams of the farmer or fisherman or barber sound genuine. Everyone wants his /her son or daughter to become an engineer or doctor. That is what is considered as 'real education' in the present society.

But, why there is differentiation? Music, Films and politics are professions but not like the essentials like farming, cultivation and hairdressing. Unfortunately, these jobs are considered of very low grade and so they prefer to send their sons and daughters for 'quality education'. Education, in the real sense, should make one a literate and thinking person. Does the education imparted by the innumerable engineering colleges do that sincerely?

Once cooking and hotel jobs were considered inferior. But, today, food industry is the only industry, which thrives not only here but also abroad. Catering courses are in demand with jobs in five star hotels spread out all over the world.

The madness for computer education and IT jobs is very high. This is because of the simple reason the white colored nature of the job. Overseas appointments with dollars to lure, people had gone really crazy and spoilt the whole future of many students. Languages, Art subjects and pure science subjects do not command the respect of some vague engineering college or its course. What a sad situation? Without these subjects, can engineering, or for that matter any life will exist? Today every student and parent wanted to go in for Electronics and Communication Engineering. How long this also will survive if this type of overkill continues? Is it the mistake of these courses or the psyche of the people?

Recently, I was amazed and distressed by the number or engineering graduates especially chemical engineers appeared for a walk in interview for a purely temporary post. Most of them are unemployed even after completing the course and those who are employed also seem to earn a paltry sum for salary. This has clearly resulted in the present situation of umpteen private engineering colleges with no takers. It is not because the lack of students. Opening a private engineering college had become a profitable proposition at one point, but now the colleges outnumber the students to be joined.

Does this be called real education?

I read somewhere that a country, which neglects farmers will not be successful. India a basically agricultural country is now invaded by the craze for consumerism, modernization and engineering education. This is not actually helping the uneducated; but only exploits them to the extent possible. Sadly, nature also plays its role; draught and floods hit our country frequently so that the agriculture is affected terribly. I will not be surprised if India one day imports rice and wheat also from the US and feel proud about it.

Unfortunately, India and Indians still discriminate jobs and a lot of dignity of labor tags is attached. The concept of education had grossly been misunderstood, misinterpreted and communicated. The students from different backgrounds just study these engineering courses for the sake of it loosing the benefits of the family/ father's profession and the course studied. Does it worth really all the money and trouble just to remain unemployed or unemployable?

Only our educationalists and blessed society can provide a reply.

25-Sep-2005

More by :  G Swaminathan

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