Our much-vilified education system is in the throes of some much-needed reform. Soumabha Nandi finds out whether this change is really reflecting in the attitude of the students towards their careers, their lives...

The structure of our education system, the way it stands as of now, has been steadily gaining infamy for a few years now, mainly for its unrelenting academic syllabus, its emphasis on rote learning, the immense pressure it puts on students by way of homework and exams, and the larger irrelevance of its bookishness to the changing, excellence-oriented world we live in. It would be pointless to rehash in detail the major critiques against organised mass education in India, the taxing burden it imposes on the developing minds and its tendency to transform the youth into “well-trained data pool robots” rather than independent-minded, well-aware, sensitive individuals. These potshots at the system have already been well-documented by news reporters, authors, columnists and nationwide parent-teacher organisations. Lately, even Bollywood has addressed the pressing concerns related to education — commercially and critically successful movies like Taare Zameen Par, 3 Idiots and even regional films like the Mahesh Manjrekar-helmed Shikshanachya Aaicha Gho have done their bit to open up a debate about these issues. The impact these movies have is a matter of another debate but change, has surely begun.

Just very recently, the state board SSC declared a no-fail policy for its secondary schools and went as far as to favour a common grading system over the traditional unit test pattern. Evidently, the strong criticism by various sections of the society is working. As the sub-continent appears to be finally poised for some much-needed shift in its attitude towards education, what are the thoughts running through the minds of students? Has the newly adopted flexibility towards an orthodox system encouraged youngsters to take on lesser explored fields over the conventionally-preferred streams of medicine, engineering and commerce? We spoke to different generations of literate Puneites, including students,  professionals, teachers and psychologists to see if the change we are talking about is already reflecting in the classrooms — is the education system finally opening up to allow more diversity of careers?

Gauri Biswas, who was a student in the ’80s, offers some perspective through comparison. “Pre-schools follow a different style of teaching nowadays. It is very interesting and effective. The examination system has changed a lot. Semester system is good for students as well as teachers. Teachers are better groomed and some schools offer more comfortable surroundings to enable learning. But most of the time, it is quite expensive which it should not be as education should be for the masses.”

Dr Sheelan Sengupta Chowdhury, parent and professor of Computer Science, Pune University, notes that though the basic problems remain as they were 10-20 years back, there have been some improvements — the changing attitude to corporal punishment, being one of them. “In our days, teachers had the right to punish students in any way. Nobody would make any complaints against the teachers. It has changed now. But if we ban corporal punishment permanently, then we should have alternate ways for handling students who misbehave.”

The biggest difference, between then and now, remains the degree of competition amongst students. Says Geeta Shetty, a homemaker and a parent, “The syllabus in those days wasn’t as taxing as it is now. Also, the competition wasn’t even close to today’s and the admission process was far simpler.”

Breaking grounds

Increasing competition, blinkered vision of life, set career choices, lost childhoods... we’ve all heard the tale. But somewhere, amidst this dark scenario, lies a glimmer of hope. And it comes in the form of those who’ve dared to break stereotypes, challenge popular norms to follow their hearts.

RJ Anurag Pandey was brave enough to shun a conventional course against his parents’ wishes and follow a path less trodden.“My parents wanted me to become a doctor, so I applied for medicine”. But destiny had something else in store for the 104 FM RJ, “I didn’t get into a medical college, finally. I made it a point to accomplish what I do best, which is to make people laugh. Ultimately, I ended up being a radio jockey. In my opinion, in order to encourage diverse talents amongst the Indian youth, we need proper career guidance. My school played a big part in helping me decide my professional course, giving me ample opportunities to showcase my passions — mimicry and stage artistry”.

While some are grateful to their schools and colleges, others owe to it their unconventional parents. Says Hanish V Tejwani, “I am currently pursuing animation as a profession and my father fully supported my choice. He himself is from the field of photography. Animation supports me in my dad’s business, and helps me be creative at the same time.”

However, not all students are that lucky. Rahul Bhansal, a student of Computer Science, explains, “I was interested in doing something in business but my parents cajoled me into taking up computer science. I obeyed them half-heartedly. I have regretted that decision ever since. I was never able to generate a true interest in the subject and my apathy towards computer science has had a direct impact on my grades”.

Making new points

At the same time, we can take heart in the fact that alternative voices are building up and are making themselves heard. Books like Why Schools Fail by Bruce Goldberg and Making Schools Work: Improving Performance and Controlling Costs by Eric Hanushek or in that case our very own Chetan Bhagat’s Five Point Someone speak a lot about the way our educational system works and the effect it has on today’s youth.

Movies, too, aren’t far behind. We have the famous French film, The Class by Laurent Cantet — a 2006 Cannes winner — speaking about the inadequacies of the contemporary educational system. Director Cantent says, “The schooling is definitely the grassroot level of development and the process of alteration has to start there. Movies at least help in acting as an eye opener.”

They might not be the instruments of change, but eye-openers, movies truly are. Says Syamala Gorthi, “I don’t know how much films have been of help but there has been definite change now. Parents respect their children’s interests and let him or her pursue them as careers, whereas earlier they used to enforce on them the typical fields of engineering or medicine.”

 Many think that movies have only latched on to the ongoing process of change. Bhairavi Joshi, assistant teacher of Kalmadi Shamrao High School, “Films and news articles do not help much. They are very shortlived in public memory. But if you speak beyond films, yes there has been a change in the education system and people are more open to new and different careers than they had been earlier.”

Like everything else in the universe, educational policies and career choices are not set in black and white. That a change is needed is well established so far. It’s just that the governmental authorities and the students themselves have to open up their minds and promote this change — a process that’s already happening. Looks like “Run behind excellence and not success” will be the mantra sooner rather than later.