An outdated, oppressive system

The future of humankind is closelyconnected to the individuals produced by education. Education is the process ofimparting or gaining knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning, logic,rationality and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or othersintellectually for mature life.

These academic grades can only measure theones retention or memory power. But unfortunately, in present time, educationand intelligence are being measured by academic grades and marks, and how muchmarks one gets, so intelligent and creative he/she is considered; this I thinkis totally wrong. In today’s standard, good grades are the indication for aneducated person and to get a good profession, which is totally unfairindication of how a person will execute or perform in the real world. If we seethe current system of education total emphasis is placed on memory levelapproach so that he/she can print the same in examination for better resultswhich is not the real purpose of education, no doubt memorization is a significantweapon to rescue in the exams and to get good grades.

   

Educational system in Jammu & Kashmiror in any part of the country is fundamentally flawed, because it is totallybased on the outdated teaching methods and thereby relies very much on rote learning,grades and marks. Unthinking memory-driven learning or rote-learning is clearlyone of the biggest problem in our education system. It does not provide anyspace for imagination and thus fail to recognize the potential and capabilityof the pupils. Instead, it kills the creativity of the scholars and discouragesthem from thinking on their own. In such educationalsystem creativity isneither valued nor incentivized, while rote learning is highly rewarded. Thistempts students to memorize rather than understand concepts in a desperateattempt to produce results in the face of cut-throat competition. Besides that,it sets wrong notions of success and capacities in the society, thereby turningit into a meritocracy. This meritocracy reduces a student to a mere cog in amachine, thereby dehumanizing them.

If we see the current system of education,we came to realize that rote and memorization like mechanical faults are stillprevailing in our educational system. We are still in the banking model systemof education as described by a Brazilian Philosopher Paulo Freire in 1968 inhis classic book Pedagogy of the Oppressed. In this book, Paulo Freire claims the roles of teachers as depositorsand students as receptors, the banking concept thereby changes humans intoobjects. Humans have no autonomy and therefore no ability to rationalize andconceptualize knowledge at a personal level. In current times we see teachingtakes place only at memory level not on understanding level and the reflectivelevel is imagination. Such type of system hinders the intellectual growth ofstudents by turning them into, figuratively speaking, exhausted “receptors” and”collectors” of information that have no real connection to their lives and inwhich the individual remains a spectator, not re-creator. Never the less,student learning levels and trajectories are disturbingly low. Our system isknown for encouraging students to memorize rather than foster creativity andindependent thinking.Our brains are used as hard-disks not as processors.Unfortunately, to keep up with the competition, such vain pursuits will have tobe given up, where creativity is being slaughtered and excellence is beingsacrificed at the altar of expediency. The focus of the exams is often speed,success in them becomes a function of being able to do mathematicalcalculations faster rather than being able to apply what you have learntbetter. Faster arithmetical calculations only mean better familiarity (rotelearning) with the decimal number system.

Now it is time to ponder and contemplate,Is the objective of education as same as we have in current system of educationor there is something else from which we are still away. How can we eradicatethe culture of the rote and memorization so that we can realize the realessence of the teaching cum education? There must be some approaches in whichthe role of students and teachers will become less structured, and both willengage in acts of dialogic enrichment to effectively ascertain knowledge fromeach other. According to Freire:

“Knowledge emerges only through inventionand re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiryhuman beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other”

The teaching methods must put emphasis oncritical thinking for the purpose of liberation, because the learning mind isthe free mind and the objective of education is to liberate the mind.Educational system must develop those cognitive skills or strategies that mightincrease the probability of a desirable outcome and create thinking that ispurposeful, reasoned and goal directed. Students should work on understandingthe subject beyond the mere printed text. Their aspirations should move beyondgaining jobs to creating jobs. Besides this, Creativity must be encouragedbecause it enables crafting of something original and facilitates betterunderstanding and clearer analysis of issues from multiple perspectives. Oureducation system must be revamped to foster a breed of enthusiastic youngsterswho have their creativity and dreams intact. Philosophical revelations,scientific innovations, revolutionary outbursts and most things of value in theworld around us are manifestations of the creativity of individuals. Creativityhas the power to incredibly alter the ways of the world for the better. Insteadof fostering this highly valuable and exceptionally rare trait, our educationsystem ruthlessly and mercilessly crushes it. Discovering the joy of learningis essential to excel. Students working on solving mathematics problems shouldfind a smile on their faces when they finally arrive at the solution to adifficult problem. They should find it natural to spend hours or days infinding this solution, refusing to accept the help of their textbooks, peers orteachers, because they enjoy the challenge. problem-posing education should beencouraged so that the people develop their power to perceive critically theway they exist in the world with which and in which they find themselves; theycome to see the world not as a static reality, but as a reality in process, intransformation. The teacher-student and the students-teachers reflectsimultaneously on themselves and the world without dichotomizing thisreflection from action, and thus establish an authentic form of thought andaction. An important goal of education is helping students learn how to thinkmore productively while solving problems, by combining creative thinking,generate ideas and critical thinking and to evaluate ideas. Both modes of thinkingare essential for a well-rounded productive thinker. This means that truecomprehension can only be fashioned though conversation, questioning, andsharing of one’s interpretations by all persons in the classroom. Within thisconcept Freire calls for an equal playing field, or we can call it the mutualhumanity. Problem-posing education enables teachers and students to becomeSubjects of the educational process by overcoming authoritarianism and analienating intellectualism.

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