While traditional schools & colleges are in Lock Down, It is time for Alternatives to Open Up
While I am a product of the mainstream education system, I have spent most of my conscious time in volunteering & help establish alternative education spaces in India. Here are few things that show deep cracks in the current education system, especially in big cities:
- Current education system is only few hundred years old based on factory model. So far students are caged for 1/4th of their life in a box (called school) and now in an even smaller box (called gadgets). Lot of experiences & experiments show that only half the time is really required to learn everything that is taught in the box and balance half can be invested in parallel for gaining world class expertise in some or other field outside the box.
- Most schools & colleges prefer to continue their outdated models and not evolve; they are praying that things will get back to normal. At best they are moving online to justify the fees and thus, even a 7 year old is being tortured online — thanks to likes of Shah Rukh Khan. And a 10 year old is busy practicing MCQ to help someone scale up his technology business. We will soon have digital detoxification clinics all over! Good that the government has stepped in.
- Many private schools are good profit making ventures. Teaching or learning is secondary objective. With my own experience I know that International Schools charge 3–5 times of CBSE/ ICSE but value is at best 1.5x. The extra charges are for providing material comforts like AC’s, bibs while making pots, GPS for buses, 3 meals in 6 hours and so on.
- Current education system is busy producing consumers who can buy more and consume more, no wonder we have polluted all the natural resources like mountains, rivers and the air. Also, we are losing the diversity — be it food, clothing, shelter or language, tradition, religion and heading towards monoculture. There are around 80,000 species of edible plants on earth but 80% people eat only 80 of these, most of which are cash crops! Same is the condition of food (knowledge) that goes in our head.
- Current education system has not been able to solve the real problems of the world or of the local area for e.g. water crisis, biodiversity loss, social or economic inequality. Most students in Mumbai know about Starbucks and coding but can’t make a perfect round chapatti (life skills) and know nothing about oceans although we are actually living on its edge!
- Many teachers are disconnected and have never practiced what they teach. They are not even updated with the current matter. But now many experts from the field are available and can teach easily, both online and offline. Thus, teacher needs to evolve and become facilitators, just like a conductor in an orchestra.
- Silos of subjects and grades have done no good. When a small spider makes a web, he uses geometry, astronomy, architecture, biology, chemistry and many more subjects all at once. It is time for learner led multi disciplinary projects/ themes instead of teacher led subjects. Also, students learn best amongst themselves when they are within broader age groups. We probably need to combines say multiple grades.
- Many experts say and through our own experiences we know that learning is most effective only when it is absorbed with all the senses (like say cycling or swimming) and not just with head alone. In recent times, we have almost stopped using heart and hands, except fingering the gadgets!
- Most parents have more time but less money now and it is likely to continue so. Plus many of us stay in nuclear family and don’t have community with whom our child can engage with. Thus, parents want the child to go to school so they can focus on their work and get a break. It is more of a crèche service.
- If students are really good in say music or sports, it is generally because of their own efforts or some extra classes or support of parent. They need challenges to channelize their energy and overcome it to emerge stronger. But in a race to become a good parent, the parents forget good parenting. Isn’t resource constraint one of the most basic ingredients to fuel innovation? Everything in nature grows best when there is stretch/ pressure — roots stretch for water and leaves stretch for sun to make a healthy & strong tree. Building the attitude is critical and that happens on a tough trek and not just in a box.
This is not to criticize the existing schooling or college systems but to caution. There are many evolved educators & schools who are working hard to radically transform instead of praying & playing to keep the sinking boat afloat. Now that most content is available for free on the internet and rest of the teaching can be done online, why we need a school where a child goes every day to study? Won’t he be better off working on the land or become an expert in his interest under guidance of a master or work on preserving some ancient tradition/ culture? Is it time to go back to Gurukul system of ancient India and abandon the western model that has done more harm than good, both to people & planet? Is it time to bring these disruptions proactively? More than knowledge, there is need for wisdom that comes from being, doing & living but we are disconnected. Researches show that for future students needs critical thinking, collaboration, adaptability, entrepreneurship, communication, analyzing information, and curiosity… are we geared up to deliver these in a box?
While schools are closed and there is limit to online classes now, it is probably best time for students & parents to take a gap year or atleast start with gap weeks/ weekends and immerse in a subject of interest and explore the world and life around… it is much more beautiful than the box.
We are already experimenting to expose city children to real world by taking them closer to nature, the ultimate teacher. Welcome to Vanvadi Forest near Neral, Karjat. The water bodies are brimming, flowers are blooming, animals are partying, and forests food is mushrooming. It is not only best time to go but also much safer than cities. To know more & to get regular updates, you can join our whatsapp group.
https://chat.whatsapp.com/GURnTzHrSYM8SAl9iBtP8j
For many years I have been a Volunteer with SECMOL Alternative School, counted amongst the most innovative school in the world. And have also served as founding member of Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh along with Sonam Wangchuk. Currently we run Me2 Kids Club, a community of over 100 families in Mumbai where we expose our children to Nature, Adventure & Volunteering through monthly activities and we are now at initial stages of establishing a Forest Eco-Versity near Mumbai at Vanvadi, Neral.
You can also read my other blogs related to education and parenting at …
https://djedconsulting.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-missing-link-in-education.html
https://medium.com/@dilipjain_46150/good-parent-vs-good-parenting-eecaa5079e25
You can know more about Vanvadi at …