Pushpa Priya

Queries about life-relevant education that should teach students the art of living strike to every human mind. This emerges at the time when any intellectual aspirant fails to resolve the riddles of life.
In fact, what is education? Whom should we call a real educated person? And what kind of education system is applicable to our daily practical life? Why dozens of students undergo depression due to the pressure of examinations? What are the roles of parents and teachers in context of teaching survival skills? These basic queries regarding education have left me with one sure conviction about education system.

Broader Meaning
The term "education" has broader meaning and concepts. It is manifestation within and journey of positive transformation that makes one best of the best in society in terms of acquiring knowledge with peace and stable mind. The moral values based education are life-relevant that enables one to explore self-identity. Real education begins from our home and that shapes our future personality.
Today, education has become suppressive. The whole education system as it is right now could in many ways be totally destructive to human being. Why dozens of children commit suicide, not being able to get good grades? It is simply because of the way education is delivered.
Some Teachers have strong judgmental attitude and they discriminate the students on the ground of grades. Similarly, parents are comparing their child to others and consistently put them in facing unhealthy competition in stressful environment that results in depression and low self-esteem.
As a result, children start developing negative self-image. The most important thing to understand in this context is, every child is special and talent, whether he/she is introvert or extrovert in personality; teachers and parents both should internalize this.
In addition, they should recognize children’s subject of interest and encourage him/her pursue in that particular field. Most importantly, parents should brush up their children's intelligence without too much suppression. Somewhere inspiration is needed, not just information.
We should make education very life-relevant that helps humanity in experiencing healthy blissful life in soil of freedom by preventing negativities like unhealthy competition, comparisons, jealousy; etc.
It must be an exploratory process where the child should feel like he/she is discovering things, and as though something is being handed down to him/her all the time, which he/she supposed to remember and write exams on. If you create thirst of knowing or curiosity in the mind of your children, you will see they will effortlessly pass examinations with good grades.
According to Steven Muller, president of Johns Hopkins University, Universities are turning out highly skilled barbarians because we don't provide a framework of values to young people, who more and more are searching for it.

Scholarly Teaching
Scholarly teaching influences values-based education with fundamental traits of character-such as honesty, compassion, courage, persistence and responsibility. A person who is morally educated will be a lot better equipped to move up in life than will a morally bankrupt person, with excellent qualification.
In a nutshell, educated persons are those who remain wise and courageous under any circumstances. If they choose between wisdom over foolishness, good over bad, virtue over vulgarity, regardless of the academic degrees they have, then they are educated.
Education does not mean only to get good grades, higher qualifications and high intelligence score. This concept is well demonstrated in the essay "What Is Intelligence Anyway" by American writer, Isaac Asimov.
The demonstration that the writer did in the above mentioned essay is powerful enough to make people realize that every profession is equally important and deserves equal respect.
He believes human beings cannot be placed on one-dimensional scale as they are made up of a unique mixture of intelligence and stupidity. A mechanic has a great capacity to handle and fix the machinery things or equipment but in the intelligence test, his knowledge does not work. Hence, the degree of intelligence does not lie on special knowledge of particular field.

Intelligence Is Wide
Intelligence is not a narrow term; it is something wide. Academicians may think that a mechanic is a fool having no idea at all but mechanic may also think that academicians know nothing related to machine repairing. In this way, human beings can't be judged by grades, higher qualifications and not be placed on a one-dimensional intelligence they have both intelligence and stupidity.
Moreover, value based education influences the heart and Intellectual education influences head. In fact, education that does not train the heart can be dangerous.
If we want to build character in our offices, home and society, we must have qualities like: character, commitment, conviction, courtesy, courage and most importantly positive attitude. Real education teaches to cultivate our strength, self-discipline, curiosity towards learning, listening, showing respect and gratitude to every profession, helping to remain down to heart. Educating the people without morals creates a maniac in society.

(The writer teaches English at Orchid International College)