Having been having conversations with various people on children and their education. Matter of fact ones, with no intended result.
The needs of parents sometimes amused me. But caused a lot of concern. One of the chief drivers seems to be, “he should go to a good school. A school which will give him a great pride that he is going to such a big school”. By then, I was sure that it wasn’t the child’s need. But the parent’s need.
I shudder to think of what would become of such a child, living out his parent’s needs. I don’t know. I hope things will all be fine! To me education is mired in capitalism, and children are so closeted in fragmented learning and competition which is not leading them anywhere in the right direction.
Coincidentally, I stumbled upon a book “Education & the significance of life” by J. Krishnamurthy. I have just commenced, but it seems to offer a world of insight. I am capturing the first paragraph of the book over here.
“When one travels around the world, one notices to what an extraordinary degree human nature is the same, whether in
We need to provide our children with education. To listen. Learn. Discern. Love. Talk. Hold hands. Build. Build on their passions. Grow as individuals and human beings. That will lead them to sustained, holistic & long lasting fulfillment. When I put these on the table, a good friend and a parent began “it depends.”
Yes. I thought. The future of our civilization depends!
this is called “neththi adi”..
🙂
sad but true! but think about it. we do what our parents taught us and we pass it on to our kids. this includes our opinion on what constitutes a good education!
great post…alot of the parenmts forget to teach those very imp lessons.
Keshi.
Kavi,
Good that you have started reading K’s books. His books and thoughts on education and child are excellent and I have been following it for many years with my children. My son studied in a school which was run similar to Krishnaji’s thoughts. There is a school in Bangalore too.
Your post is a good one.
The parents like to show their prestige between their relations and well known circle that their child was studying in big school that was said to be in good position. Except good education they really need to learn more about them first and discipline is much needed.
Though JK was called ” The Star of the East” his school of thoughts never materialized. May be he himself was a prisoner of the fabrication and solicitation of the Theosophical society. Anyways, that’s not the crux of the post.
Education should be to bring out the potential with in the kid rather than stuffing the parent’s or teacher’s ambition.
Creative and innovative system of education should evolve, rather than stuffing the minds with abstract theories, formulae, derivations etc. The concept of competition and comparison is watered from when we are born. Any type of competition is violent deep down, and creates people who are unloving. Their whole effort is to be the achievers — of name, of fame, of all kinds of ambitions. Obviously they have to struggle and be in conflict for them. That destroys their joys and that destroys their friendliness. It seems everybody is fighting against the whole world and amongst themselves. Competition and comparison are deeply rooted in our minds because we have been taught so, right from when we are kids, in the family, in the schools etc. Probably, we should change. Nobody fails, nobody passes, because the idea of failure creates a deep wound of inferiority, and the idea of being successful also creates a different kind of disease, that of superiority. Nobody is inferior, and nobody is superior. One is just oneself, incomparable!
Well Kavi it does really ‘depend’ you see! I am reminded of my dad’s lines…’any school and anywhere will do for a good child and leave him alone and he will enjoy learning and grow to be happy! Dont torture children’.Not sure if I agree with this today but definitely some food for thought!
This is such a YOU post!