Material Education – A Universal Phenomenon
Never mistake information for wisdom. One helps you make a living; the other helps you make a life. ~Sandara Carey Material Education is a universal phenomenon and it exists in all life forms though it is of informal nature in other life forms. A kitten learns from its mother the art of chasing a rat. A bird hatchling similarly learns the art of catching an insect. A tiger cub masters the art of hunting by watching the adults and a tiger brought up in captivity will lack that finesse. Unlike these species, human beings have a highly advanced system of education, spread over a network of schools, colleges and universities. There are world-class universities and there are run down village schools. But some form of ‘formal’ education exists in human society in sharp contrast with other species. Animals, birds, insects or reptiles never admit their wards in an educational institution. Life itself is their school where they get firsthand training on how to survive in this world of harsh realities. Modern Education - Information And Subsistence Oriented, Lacking Transformational Aspect If we objectively see, education in human society, however sophisticated , is also geared towards the same end as that of animals. An average person goes through schooling and earns degrees just to grab a job or to start a business. Purpose is the same – how to make ends meet and how to survive in this world. But that much is being learnt by animals also. What about the higher intelligence that humans are endowed with? Should it all go for discharging the basic functions of eating, sleeping, mating and defending? Shouldn’t it be that some portion of this advanced intellect is directed towards enquiry into the mysteries of life and universe. This inquiry, or in other words, philosophical contemplation is what differentiates human beings from others. Therefore, purpose of education, atleast in human society, should not be just information but transformation. Let us reform our schools, and we shall find little need of reform in our prisons. ~John Ruskin |