School Bharo, Learn Karo


Jail Bharo has become the new dictum of anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare at present. If the agitation against corruption moves ahead with this present mantra a sizeable number of Indian citizens will start the New Year in jails.  It seems natural to me to think that education has a greater share in bringing about a just, humane, egalitarian society. It is one thing to be concerned about the immediate results in the society by way of showing our discomfort to the culpable by way of hunger-strike and through other non-violent protests. This cannot go on. Our method of tackling the social menace also must change and take into account the future of the country. One of the best ways to work for a just society is to turn our attention to the field of education. We need to tell our younger generation School bharo and learn karo!

The Problem of Illiteracy

Soon after the independence of India the political leadership swore to achieve the goal of primary education for all by 1960. Time and again the target year is being shifted as the goal eludes us every time. Despite the fact that the number of students attending the school raised considerably after the independence, India is the abode of sizeable number of illiterate people. This is an observable reality when one takes a walk through our city squares and market places. We have little boys and girls selling eatables, newspapers, washing plates in the hidden corners of our motels and hotels.  What does it matter if the country lost Rs. 176,000 crore in a single scam? It is the peak time therefore to turn our attention to the reality of illiteracy in the country. We need to tell our little brothers and sisters, school bharo, learn karo! Illiteracy can be overcome if people realize the need for it and secondly when education itself becomes the practice of freedom. The role of media and educational institutes are crucial in our globalizing world in this regard (of course we don’t underestimate government policies and assistance).

The Role of Media in Attaining Literacy

Parents whether educated or not have a greater share in the education of their children. Parents are the first teachers and they wish their well-being and success. They offer moral and emotional support. In India, like many other developing countries, a large number of children are the first-generation learners. It is therefore important that the parents of the first-generation learners feel the need to educate their children. As a result of technological and media explosion the whole world is brought to one’s home. The impact of it is vast and beyond imagination. It can conscientize the illiterate person as much as it can help the educated to think.

The Role of Educational Institutions and Teachers
         
Teaching is an honourable profession in India. An educator’s role in the life of a student and that of the society is a serious one. There is a tendency to choose teaching profession when the other opportunities run short off. Lack of aptitude for the profession does not help the students in the first place. One of the things that educational institutions should make sure is that the teachers have the aptitude and a proper motivation for choosing the profession. When teachers are properly motivated education becomes the practice of freedom and students desire to attend the school and learn.


The disparity between the haves and have-nots is alarming. Many decry that our educational system is in crisis. Over the years we have come to realize that a dream of an egalitarian Indian society will remain as a distant dream as long as people remain unaware and illiterate.

 It is said that nations are not built by parliaments or assemblies. Nations are built in family and in school. When our prisons are overcrowded with alarming crime rate it is wise to educate our children, tell them to go to school and learn so as to make a vibrant and better India.

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