Are we producing noble and able citizens?

No matter what the system of education is, the measure of its success should be just one and that is — ‘is that system producing noble and able citizens’. If a system fails to produce good citizens, irrespective of all its other achievements, it is inappropriate to call it a good education system.

In order for a human to be humane the two essential qualities are intellect and vivek (sagacity; discerning attitude; reason; rationality). These two are beyond sentiments; beyond, not in context of importance but in context of field or realm. Sentiment belongs to the inner realm and wisdom to the outer realm. Vivek plays the role of a guide in both the realms. It also plays an important role in coordination and assimilation of these two.

Education comes within the scope of wisdom or intellect whereas creativity falls within the scope of sentiments. Thus in growth of a child an assimilation of both is required. As sentiment is the controlling power of humanity and human beings it is very important to pay attention to its direction and development. This microscopic division is not being done for the purpose of developing or controlling these faculties. It is just a part of the effort to properly understand these. First we will have to understand the pieces than the whole and then think of control and development.

Sentiment is the primordial power. Its direction is vitally important. We will have to first understand the expectations from a human being in context of society and then the direction of sentiment will have to be evolved accordingly. This is the field of samskar (intrinsic attitude). The combination of samskar and education helps create a humane human being.

Education facilities have three basic components -- primary or basic infrastructure, teachers, and curriculum. Once these three facilities are available the institute comes into existence. After this the popular yardstick of the performance of the school is the examination results. The primary requirement for a healthy change is that this yardstick has to be changed. There is no dispute about the importance of passing the examination. But the popular or prevailing form of examination is the written examination. We have to understand that education is not limited to the written mode. Education is the endeavor towards all round development of the student or the receptor.

Our educational institutions will have to change the yardstick of measuring their success. It should be the number of able and upright citizens produced by the system. The conventional examination results should form only a component of this scale.

It is the responsibility of the managing organization of the school to ensure that disciplines that have no direct bearing on the examination results but are certainly useful for all round development of the student should be taught with the same zeal and sincerity. And at the time of evaluation equal importance should be given to them.

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