Social cause / Students, youth

Is our education system encouraging or killing creativity/ innovation????

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education..

My 17 years old daughter is a student of class 12 (Science student). In Indian subcontinent, the future of child is based on he/ she performs in class 12th (at least a majority of us would believe it to be true). As a parent, I want to empower my child with the power of decision making, have freedom of expression and imagination and most of all I want her to live life not to just survive. She is a go-getter, full of life with creativity and innovation being her passion. As she copes with her class 12 studies we are struggling to strike a right balance between ‘Her life” and her ‘School life’.

At least five days a week, her schedule is so packed with studies that she hardly gets anytime of her own. She leaves for school at 7.30 am and comes back around 2 pm only to again leave for her tutorial classes at 3.30 pm and finally returning home at 8.30pm. By the time she reaches home she is naturally dead tired and not in a condition to interact with even parents. Its only on two days in a week, when her tutorial classes are not there, that she gets time to spend with her friends or on her favourite hobby of swimming. Every child should be encouraged to develop a hobby which will not only work as his stress reliever but also facilitate creativeness.

The students today are so busy shuttling between school and Tutorial classes, that they hardly get any ‘Me Time’ when they can just be with themselves, just doing what they want to do. They hardly get any time with parents or friends either. Kids have just got trapped in the rat race of scoring marks, passing exams. The education system per se and we as parents are responsible for this condition of the children.

The education system is supposed to mould students into good humans and not create machines/ robots. The students are to be empowered with the power of making decisions, find solutions and not just tutored. The pressure created by the prevalent education system, the performance expectations of parents and teachers and the ‘quality of a child’ being judged by the grades he/ she gets in school exams are actually killing innovation and creativity. The quality of a child cannot be judged by the Grades he/ she gets in school. The system doesn’t cater for or encourage interests/ inclination of the child. Memorizing and mugging up has taken over the old system of understanding.

We have a ‘one size fit all solution’ where every child is supposed to get an A grade in all subjects to be declared as a good student. It must be understood that each child is different from the other. Each one has his own strengths, weaknesses, dreams; no two brains are same. The system has to work on the strengths and weaknesses of the students to help them realise dreams in the long run. Unfortunately, most teachers and parents think that we have a very effective education system, but nothing can be far from truth as ground realities suggest something else. The system pitches students in competition against each other instead of helping them find passion/ purpose in life. By the time a child passes out from class 12th , creativity and innovation in most cases gets adequately suppressed. Such a system can only produce obedient workers and not innovators, scientists, thinkers or good sports person.

We have to change our mindset that only Mathematics, Physics/ chemistry are important for doing well in life. Yes, they are important but so are geography, history, commerce, music and sports. Let the child select what he/she feels comfortable with or has a liking for. Parents have to understand the needs of the children and create an environment of overall growth. Do not force them into something they do not like; do not force them to ‘just fit in’. Schools exist for the students and because of the students. We should demand what we think is best for the child, not just accept what schools offer.

‘Education system has to be such which helps the students find their passion. A system which helps young people develop faith in themselves. A system which encourages collaboration and not just competition. A system which encourages everyone to be always ready to help each other in achieving their dreams”

 

 

 

71 comments

  1. Well written! I actually remember having free time during 12th grade, but I went to private school and didn’t have as many opportunities as those in the public school system. I regret not being able to be involved in more classes and activities. I did have friends in public school and they stayed pretty busy, especially if they were involved in sports and advanced classes.

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  7. Our education system definitely requires changes… I totally agree with you… Great article…

    Reply

  9. what a great reflection on the path education in our countries is heading. In Australia the system has changed very quickly and they try to customize the activities to the level of intellectual abilities of the kids, so in one class there is a wide variety of levels between students.

    Reply

  10. This is an excellent reminder that even kids need to have a little “me” time. Unfortunately we don’t always get to pick the classes our kids get so this is a good reminder to let them be kids while they still have the chance.

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  11. This was a great read. Sadly the education system is becoming pretty similar throughout the world in terms of not allowing students to not have that “me” time. We need to excel, but we also need to have that “me” time.

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  12. I hate seeing that your daughter is so stressed and over-worked. Kids should have time to be kids, social and enjoy life. We all know the importance of education, but when it takes over their lives at such a young age, there is a problem. We have lost a balance and these poor kids are burning out.

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    1. You are right ..but then what matters is what the majority is doing ..vast majority cannot afford such institutions..
      Thank you..
      God bless

      Reply

  16. Hmm, thats very interesting. I’m sure that creativity is built in other places as well

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  17. We all know that the education system ,and by the way not only in India but all over the world, requires change. But the problem lies in the fact that we do not know what the face of change looks like and even with whatever new methods and approaches that we have in hand we are still failing at implementing them. Most of the new age educators would speak of learning through inquiry, they would believe in multiple intelligences, of letting the kids set their own goals, objectives and their own pace of learning. They would also regurgitate thoughts on encouraging the kids to acquire skills rather than teaching them concepts and filling their heads with knowledge. However , when you start implementing, you are faced with a huge number of hurdles, you still have exams, deadlines , a huge ratio of teacher/ student, infrastructure that is still based on closed classrooms and lesson delivery and the anxiety of parents. Parents that have been educated differently and still expect the same , are always worried that their kids will miss the bus or are simply doubtful of teachers abilities. So to change the education system, which is very much doable though won’t be easy, we need to change so many other things.

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    1. You are right Imane…every new beginning takes time to settle… specially in the field of education where the sole indicator if performance is the marks a student scores….we should stop tying down students in marks….we all know that the marks a student scores is not solely dependent on his own intelligence.
      Do not feed ans ….encourage dissent…encourage logic….stop the one template fits all method of testing…
      Thank you for the views…..
      God bless you..

      Reply

  19. This is a smart blog. I mean it. You have so much knowledge this issue, and so much passion. You also know how to make people rally behind it, obviously from the responses.

    Reply
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  21. Touched. Something that every parent and every kid relates to. The digitalization of revision notes, as well as online quizzes, have boosted creativity and innovation in students.

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  36. You are so cool! I do not believe I have read through anything like that before.So wonderful to find someone with some unique thoughts on this topic.
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