Witgyaan (wit+gyaan) is another of my phrases which I came up with to manifest the missing trait that today’s education has become. One erudite person I interact with says,”Education is not knowledge, it is the capacity to gain knowledge” – how true!

If we look at our education system, starting from the KG to PG, even in the Ph.D, the whole notion of education is contorted. While laurels in academia is what is given immense importance to, there is very little understanding, or even cognisance about the true purpose of education.

Creating narrow automatons out of the inherently versatile humans has off late become the well sanctified notion of education. Well beyond killing the curiosity of learners, it is also in a slow poisonous manner killing the society itself.

Because I am deeply aware of the system in India, I am critiquing the flaws as I perceive them to be present here. Unless I myself do not experience the education systems elsewhere, I’ll have little to either support or discard the systems outside our own.

The joy of learning has been systemically replaced with monotonous and excruciating practise exercises. Attempts at breaking this monotonous stagnancy is, as expected, welcomed with hostility and conceit. A pristine vista of what education could be has been made oblivious, and a foggy, futile perception is being perpetuated.

Adding to this contortion is the imbalance: courtesy of commodification of education. For instance, the newer ‘international’ schools which boast of alternate means of learning are so exorbitantly costly that it is even beyond the imagination of a common working Indian. This being the case, I have nothing but disgruntle against these market gimmicks and will of course be concerned about the public education system. It is of quintessential importance for us to strengthen our public education system from its roots.

Without portraying this post of mine to be a mere crib-log, I do have some macro suggestions which when I am faced with the right opportunities will be implemented, to reset and amplify this contortion.

Firstly, a paradigm shift in the perception of education and equalising the importance of all domains is necessary. Technology might be driving the world (and to chaos), but it doesn’t mean we neglect arts, literature, sports or other non-capitalist domains.

The cliched ‘system must intervene’ holds true even here, but that only after we have played our roles. The society must endorse all the organs of its intellect equally, and nuture them for the benefit of common good. It must provide incentives for non-technology pursuing learners so that the imbalance is normalised.

My own personal decision of wanting to turn towards academics has been and still continues to be digested with grave skepticism. The domain I now have passionately chosen – teaching, unfortunately in India is taken up rarely out of passion, but mostly due to compulsion, and for many as recreation. This is unhealthy, of course. And what else could we expect out of a rotting tree – blooming flowers and refreshing fruits? Of course not! Brace more villainy .

Providing impetus to all the domains, holistically, and making learning as the incentive for education, and not other secondary ramifications are some of the grand and grave requirements of our times.

Education system is the neural network of the society and we are voluntarily dumbing it down!