LITERATURE-LIGHT AND DELIGHT
62. ADVENTURES WITH 'EDUCATION'
In the 80s, I developed a sudden itch to switch over to education! I had a good, steady job and was fairly senior in the hierarchy, but was dissatisfied with the whole field.I had always had a liking for teaching, and after some personal exposure to real good educators, for running a real good educational establishment. I had then read a lot on the subject, from Ivan Illich to Rudolf Steiner to John Holt to J.K to Mahatma Gandhi to Vivekananda, and all others in between! I was full of idealistic enthusiasm. I felt that education in India had become a tool in the hands of politicians and some independent efforts were called for. I thought a true educational institution should be totally free of govt control or influence, and be devoted to preserving, teaching and spreading pure wisdom, undiluted or untouched by job-related considerations. Two or three friends were prepared to go along with me and we were looking out for an opening.
One day, I saw a full-page ad in The Hindu, announcing just such a venture! I thought it a good omen and got in touch with the promoters, going all the way from Bombay to meet them. I found a couple of idealists, really devoted to the idea, and with some theoretical and practical exposure. They were quite sincere and I was impressed, and thought we could work together. But then I found they had accepted donation of a large tract of land from some liquor baron! This was totally repugnant to me! I did not pursue the matter with them.
I was still brimming with enthusiasm, convinced that this was the only way we could really help society. So some time later, I approached the Minister of Education in Karnataka, and discussed my ideas with him. I said I had a good job and good prospects, but wanted to so something for education; that I wanted to promote education free from both commercial considerations and govt. control; that I did not expect any support from the govt in any way, but only the necessary clearances. He was a fine gentleman, really interested in education, highly respectful of teachers. He was brutally honest! He told me that he liked my idea, and also appreciated that some one like me with over 25 years of executive experience was interested in education, and to do something without seeking govt help and demanding donation. He told me that he would clear my file within ten minutes when it came to him, but that it was for me to get the file to move to him! He told me plainly that in the prevailing atmosphere, he could not take initiative and call for the file as the opposition would attribute motives! So I had to get the file moving! I suppose you realise what this means!
Later, I met some officials- but I could do it only through intermediaries! Then I came to know all the devious ways of the devils infesting the secretariat: only Kannada medium would be 'officially' allowed, but there were ways to get round this. One of them was a stunning revelation: on the eve of the legislation enforcing Kannada medium, many English medium 'schools' had been sanctioned, on paper! Most of them had minority sounding names such as St.Martin's School, St.Michael's School, St.Vincent School, St. Valery School, etc. I actually went round and saw two of them. They were just single-room entities, operating out of disused garages, with nothing else, other than a name board! All I had to do was get in touch the 'promoters' ( often, officials from the dept itself), buy out the outfit- which would be recognised by the dept as 'change of management'. Of course, big money was involved for every one. They told me that sanction would be given only up to the 4th standard in the beginning, and I would have to approach them for the higher classes again- up to 7th std, and then up to 10th, and so on! ( which meant bribes at periodical intervals) They also told me: 'Why worry sir about the money? You start a nursery and KG section for which no permission is needed, and for which you could collect donation and easily earn the money!' One official told me on an aside: Why bother about such lower classes! Just start a junior college- all I needed was an acre of land, with areas earmarked for lab, library, play ground etc neatly shown on the plan. The official himself would come for inspection, and 'take care of everything'. But this too had a price- I had to 'take care' of the official!
No need to say, I took a Ganga-snan and completely banished the idea of education, school, etc from my mind! Over the years, I had known bureaucrats from Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nad, Karnataka, Andhra- but could not find a genuine coin among them. The good , honest ones had been dumped on inconsequential depts ( like fisheries or sheep development) or taken premature retirement The only sincere minister I met other than the above education minister was Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra. He was thinking of nothing other than the welfare of the state! But how long could such people continue? Now I am convinced that in this country, nothing could be done about education-except floating with the stream. I would not touch it with a barge pole.
Even in my organisation, I had been asking juniors to study in their spare time and acquire some formal qualification, where such facility was available in the form of external candidature. I used also to coach some of them . More than 8 fellows obtained their degree qualifications, with two of them even obtaining university ranks! I really felt proud. I had read a lot and had my own collection of books- as I hated the idea of sharing a book with others. On subjects such as philosophy of education, educational psychology I had more than 50 books, read over a period of 20 years.Most of the books were actually followed in the universities in the UK and US. Some friends asked me why I myself did not obtain any formal qualification with so much of study. I said I studied for the pleasure of it and did not think much of formal degrees. But the suggestion had its effect. I could do PhD, instead of just getting one more degree. But I found out that there was lot of politics involved in it. Most universities insisted that one should have a masters degree from the same university to register for PhD. But the real rub was that the UGC had recently made PhD qualification necessary for university teaching jobs, and there was a spurt in the award of such degrees! One had to do all sorts of things to please the 'professors' who would be guides, and I also found that money could buy the degree, via ghost writers and plagiarism! Who would bother if the thesis was not published? And brilliant researchers told me how the professors themselves stole the original ideas and made money or degree out of it! My own neighbour, a brilliant mathematics fellow from Andhra was a victim! With such information, what attraction could PhD hold for me?
I next thought a humble BEd would do, just for fun and formality! I enrolled in the open university course of Annamalai University. There were funny rules. I had to obtain a TC from the last educational institution I attended- which was over 25 years before! ( even though I was employed in a statutory organisation for over 25 years ). Then, I had to buy the 'reading material' from them, on payment. I paid and got the material: a set of badly cyclostyled notes and a couple of badly printed books! The material was so pathetically elementary, so badly written with so many errors of every conceivable type, it was disgusting and nauseating! I literally tore them to pieces, poured petrol and set fire to them. Thus ended my engagement with formal education!
All over the world, education is linked with big money. The glamorous universities of the world are stinking with bad money, if you knew. No university can be run with honest money any more- they all need funding. And those who fund call the tune and set the terms, be it govt ( mean, politicians) or others like church groups. It is tax-payers' money, or ill-gotten commercial funds or military budgets which support most of education and research. Pure academics is pure fiction. There are many real philanthropists, but they can't change things. Education is business, but plain bad business. Real education can only be found outside the establishment, just as now you can find true spirituality only outside the official churches and ashramas and temples and Maths.
Amidst all this gloom, "Home Schooling" offers a ray of hope! After all, what is real education, except the three old R's? Our Valluvar reduces it to just two: Numbers and Letters are the two eyes of the really living ( Kural: 392).If you think deeply, you will find most of us are really more qualified than most teachers in schools! Most of the subjects taught in the formal schooling system is not at all necessary or relevant or elevating.
Just one example. I found in the science book of a 9th/10th standard student of Tamil Nad a lesson on some of the nervous diseases, one of them being a rare condition known as Mayasthenia Gravis- complete with the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, including names of the medicines: neostigmine and surgery: Thymectomy! Is this science? Is this necessary for a 9th std student? Don't you feel some fool had been bitten by a mad dog to prescribe such medical issues in the name of science to general students? It is one thing to say vitamins are essential for health as their absence may cause illness: A-anaemia., B-beriberi.,C-scurvy, D-Rickets etc or that sunlight will provide vitamin D; but it is just plain silly to detail medical conditions in the name of science.)
James Thurber provides a hilarious example of how thoughtless the biology professors could be. Thurber was asked to examine a flower for its cells under microscope. Somehow, Thurber could not bring himself to do it! He thought such observation distracted one away from the beauty of the flower, and told the prof. so! The professor coolly told him that they were not concerned with the beauty of the flower, but only with its mechanics! So you see where the academic education in the formal school system is leading our youngsters! Is it any wonder that we have lost all sense of beauty and awe and admiration for the flower and the sun and the moon and the raindrop on a leaf or the rainbow? Everything is some cell, some chemical, some DNA or some such darned stuff! Where is life and its wonder? Nature and its beauty? Man and his majesty? The monster scientist has destroyed all idea of life! It is the supreme irony of life that the whole world celebrates the genius of a Thurber, his wit and wisdom, while the biology professor lies buried in some obscure corner, deservedly forgotten! I only wish someone plants a nice flower on his grave!
I did start with some experiments in home schooling with my own children, about 30 years ago! But my wife got alarmed, and thought I was going insane! I thought of my poor father in law, who had entrusted the future of his dear girl to my care and good sense in good faith! I did not want to offend his memory. So I gave up the attempt.
But I had been ahead of times, and lacked tact and technique! You need not be a loner now! "Networking" is possible, and great communities of homeschoolers can be accessed on the Net! They can help and support each other! At some stage, integration with the mainstream is possible, so that even formal qualification and recognition can be obtained. Vast resources and vital help are available on the Net. We can educate our children in a more leisurely, lively and humane way!
We of the Indian middle-class, especially from the Brahmin community have been one-eyed jacks, one track minds: thinking of educational qualification as a gateway to job, which is our only source of livelihood!
In the quest for a degree, we have given up education! But now, the degree too does not get us a job-especially govt.job: Brahmins are reserved out! Our people have been resorting to private sector, but now there is demand for reservation there too! Our people have been going abroad in greater numbers! But how long before a recession or change of technology ( remember Who Moved My Cheese?) or ethnic strife ( remember 'dot busters' of Chicago?) or some such thing forces them home? ( I am told parents with teen-age daughters are finding it difficult abroad: but I tell them things are no better here- we are equally 'advanced' now, or the world is uniformly hopeless everywhere, if you please!) I feel homeschooling is very useful and relevant and we cannot lose! But it takes some convincing to do, and some concrete examples of success!
I was still brimming with enthusiasm, convinced that this was the only way we could really help society. So some time later, I approached the Minister of Education in Karnataka, and discussed my ideas with him. I said I had a good job and good prospects, but wanted to so something for education; that I wanted to promote education free from both commercial considerations and govt. control; that I did not expect any support from the govt in any way, but only the necessary clearances. He was a fine gentleman, really interested in education, highly respectful of teachers. He was brutally honest! He told me that he liked my idea, and also appreciated that some one like me with over 25 years of executive experience was interested in education, and to do something without seeking govt help and demanding donation. He told me that he would clear my file within ten minutes when it came to him, but that it was for me to get the file to move to him! He told me plainly that in the prevailing atmosphere, he could not take initiative and call for the file as the opposition would attribute motives! So I had to get the file moving! I suppose you realise what this means!
Later, I met some officials- but I could do it only through intermediaries! Then I came to know all the devious ways of the devils infesting the secretariat: only Kannada medium would be 'officially' allowed, but there were ways to get round this. One of them was a stunning revelation: on the eve of the legislation enforcing Kannada medium, many English medium 'schools' had been sanctioned, on paper! Most of them had minority sounding names such as St.Martin's School, St.Michael's School, St.Vincent School, St. Valery School, etc. I actually went round and saw two of them. They were just single-room entities, operating out of disused garages, with nothing else, other than a name board! All I had to do was get in touch the 'promoters' ( often, officials from the dept itself), buy out the outfit- which would be recognised by the dept as 'change of management'. Of course, big money was involved for every one. They told me that sanction would be given only up to the 4th standard in the beginning, and I would have to approach them for the higher classes again- up to 7th std, and then up to 10th, and so on! ( which meant bribes at periodical intervals) They also told me: 'Why worry sir about the money? You start a nursery and KG section for which no permission is needed, and for which you could collect donation and easily earn the money!' One official told me on an aside: Why bother about such lower classes! Just start a junior college- all I needed was an acre of land, with areas earmarked for lab, library, play ground etc neatly shown on the plan. The official himself would come for inspection, and 'take care of everything'. But this too had a price- I had to 'take care' of the official!
No need to say, I took a Ganga-snan and completely banished the idea of education, school, etc from my mind! Over the years, I had known bureaucrats from Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nad, Karnataka, Andhra- but could not find a genuine coin among them. The good , honest ones had been dumped on inconsequential depts ( like fisheries or sheep development) or taken premature retirement The only sincere minister I met other than the above education minister was Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra. He was thinking of nothing other than the welfare of the state! But how long could such people continue? Now I am convinced that in this country, nothing could be done about education-except floating with the stream. I would not touch it with a barge pole.
Even in my organisation, I had been asking juniors to study in their spare time and acquire some formal qualification, where such facility was available in the form of external candidature. I used also to coach some of them . More than 8 fellows obtained their degree qualifications, with two of them even obtaining university ranks! I really felt proud. I had read a lot and had my own collection of books- as I hated the idea of sharing a book with others. On subjects such as philosophy of education, educational psychology I had more than 50 books, read over a period of 20 years.Most of the books were actually followed in the universities in the UK and US. Some friends asked me why I myself did not obtain any formal qualification with so much of study. I said I studied for the pleasure of it and did not think much of formal degrees. But the suggestion had its effect. I could do PhD, instead of just getting one more degree. But I found out that there was lot of politics involved in it. Most universities insisted that one should have a masters degree from the same university to register for PhD. But the real rub was that the UGC had recently made PhD qualification necessary for university teaching jobs, and there was a spurt in the award of such degrees! One had to do all sorts of things to please the 'professors' who would be guides, and I also found that money could buy the degree, via ghost writers and plagiarism! Who would bother if the thesis was not published? And brilliant researchers told me how the professors themselves stole the original ideas and made money or degree out of it! My own neighbour, a brilliant mathematics fellow from Andhra was a victim! With such information, what attraction could PhD hold for me?
I next thought a humble BEd would do, just for fun and formality! I enrolled in the open university course of Annamalai University. There were funny rules. I had to obtain a TC from the last educational institution I attended- which was over 25 years before! ( even though I was employed in a statutory organisation for over 25 years ). Then, I had to buy the 'reading material' from them, on payment. I paid and got the material: a set of badly cyclostyled notes and a couple of badly printed books! The material was so pathetically elementary, so badly written with so many errors of every conceivable type, it was disgusting and nauseating! I literally tore them to pieces, poured petrol and set fire to them. Thus ended my engagement with formal education!
All over the world, education is linked with big money. The glamorous universities of the world are stinking with bad money, if you knew. No university can be run with honest money any more- they all need funding. And those who fund call the tune and set the terms, be it govt ( mean, politicians) or others like church groups. It is tax-payers' money, or ill-gotten commercial funds or military budgets which support most of education and research. Pure academics is pure fiction. There are many real philanthropists, but they can't change things. Education is business, but plain bad business. Real education can only be found outside the establishment, just as now you can find true spirituality only outside the official churches and ashramas and temples and Maths.
Amidst all this gloom, "Home Schooling" offers a ray of hope! After all, what is real education, except the three old R's? Our Valluvar reduces it to just two: Numbers and Letters are the two eyes of the really living ( Kural: 392).If you think deeply, you will find most of us are really more qualified than most teachers in schools! Most of the subjects taught in the formal schooling system is not at all necessary or relevant or elevating.
Just one example. I found in the science book of a 9th/10th standard student of Tamil Nad a lesson on some of the nervous diseases, one of them being a rare condition known as Mayasthenia Gravis- complete with the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, including names of the medicines: neostigmine and surgery: Thymectomy! Is this science? Is this necessary for a 9th std student? Don't you feel some fool had been bitten by a mad dog to prescribe such medical issues in the name of science to general students? It is one thing to say vitamins are essential for health as their absence may cause illness: A-anaemia., B-beriberi.,C-scurvy, D-Rickets etc or that sunlight will provide vitamin D; but it is just plain silly to detail medical conditions in the name of science.)
James Thurber provides a hilarious example of how thoughtless the biology professors could be. Thurber was asked to examine a flower for its cells under microscope. Somehow, Thurber could not bring himself to do it! He thought such observation distracted one away from the beauty of the flower, and told the prof. so! The professor coolly told him that they were not concerned with the beauty of the flower, but only with its mechanics! So you see where the academic education in the formal school system is leading our youngsters! Is it any wonder that we have lost all sense of beauty and awe and admiration for the flower and the sun and the moon and the raindrop on a leaf or the rainbow? Everything is some cell, some chemical, some DNA or some such darned stuff! Where is life and its wonder? Nature and its beauty? Man and his majesty? The monster scientist has destroyed all idea of life! It is the supreme irony of life that the whole world celebrates the genius of a Thurber, his wit and wisdom, while the biology professor lies buried in some obscure corner, deservedly forgotten! I only wish someone plants a nice flower on his grave!
I did start with some experiments in home schooling with my own children, about 30 years ago! But my wife got alarmed, and thought I was going insane! I thought of my poor father in law, who had entrusted the future of his dear girl to my care and good sense in good faith! I did not want to offend his memory. So I gave up the attempt.
But I had been ahead of times, and lacked tact and technique! You need not be a loner now! "Networking" is possible, and great communities of homeschoolers can be accessed on the Net! They can help and support each other! At some stage, integration with the mainstream is possible, so that even formal qualification and recognition can be obtained. Vast resources and vital help are available on the Net. We can educate our children in a more leisurely, lively and humane way!
We of the Indian middle-class, especially from the Brahmin community have been one-eyed jacks, one track minds: thinking of educational qualification as a gateway to job, which is our only source of livelihood!
In the quest for a degree, we have given up education! But now, the degree too does not get us a job-especially govt.job: Brahmins are reserved out! Our people have been resorting to private sector, but now there is demand for reservation there too! Our people have been going abroad in greater numbers! But how long before a recession or change of technology ( remember Who Moved My Cheese?) or ethnic strife ( remember 'dot busters' of Chicago?) or some such thing forces them home? ( I am told parents with teen-age daughters are finding it difficult abroad: but I tell them things are no better here- we are equally 'advanced' now, or the world is uniformly hopeless everywhere, if you please!) I feel homeschooling is very useful and relevant and we cannot lose! But it takes some convincing to do, and some concrete examples of success!
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