I am convinced that books are the ultimate source of information. It is because of books that we come to know about the nuances of the worlds around us. There’s a world of science that teaches us to distinguish between different textures. There’s a world of art that makes our senses react. We gather information to learn how to respond to a particular situation. Individual differences may change the response but basic reactions are almost the same. Books and other sources of information add to our knowledge. We keep piling up this knowledge and believe that we have learnt all. Here lies my question, an extension to my article on ‘Where India Lagged‘.
Rote Learning – Not a Solution
School education, especially in India, stresses on gaining knowledge by memorising loads of books. There’s a little difference between learning and memorizing if you ask our schools. Students are aware that their grades are completely dependent on how good their memorizing power is. Sad. A bright student who doesn’t believe in rote learning has to accept poor grades. On the other hand, an average student with excellent rote power excels in academics. Irony. As a result of the faulty education system, students passed out of the schools with flying colours do not know how to operate simple apparatus like Vernier Callipers and Screw Gauge! When these students enter institutions for higher education, their grasping power further slows down. Result?
Most of the times, Indian students can’t compete with students from Western countries.
Vicious Cycle Of Mediocrity
Knowledge without practical application fails at one point or the other. We should be prepared to put our knowledge into action. Without action, our knowledge is meaningless. I read somewhere that India has to cater to the education of millions of people. The country tries to impart basic information (read bookish) to most of the people. Not a very rich country as India is, it can’t provide practical experience to everyone that comes with the unavoidable expenditure. If this is the severity of the situation, we will never be able to come out of the vicious cycle of mediocrity.
Where’s the Respect for the Skilled
After Independence, in the process of developing, Indians lost respect for skilled people. People who work with hands are considered inferior to those who read and write. Shocking but true. You will be surprised to know that we prepare lakhs of engineers every year. Many of them, about 80-90% change their stream after graduation. Why?
Our engineering graduates are well-read people with little practical knowledge. The reason being the same; our grades largely depend on theoretical knowledge. Practical experience is required but only a formal certificate is enough to satisfy the authorities or the companies that hire them. After all, this is India.
These incomplete proofs of experience fall flat when our students get a chance to compete with the students of top foreign universities. Failure in the education system leads to many failed lives. Pause.
Analysing Application of Knowledge
🐞We are aware that acquiring knowledge is quite necessary for us. We can’t survive the life-game if we lack knowledge. Another question pops up.
Is the application of knowledge as important as knowledge? When we talk about skill-based training, it can’t be provided in confined places. Say, nobody can teach ‘how to swim’ within four walls of a classroom. Same is the case with many more things.
🐞 Heard somewhere that a person with a lot of knowledge but no practical experience is like a library whose doors are closed. Convinced! The application complements the knowledge and strengthens the concepts learnt. Moreover, the interest in the subject increases once we are clear about the practical aspects.
🐞 By practising what we gain as knowledge, we move towards perfection. It is true that the human brain always works for perfect results. One gets better results by bringing knowledge to practice. It boosts confidence as well as raises happiness level.
We strive to bring happiness in our lives and this is going to be one impeccable effort:)
This article is written for the prompt ‘Knowing is not enough; we must apply’ as a part of the #WeeklyBlogHop hosted by Alpana http://www.mothersgurukul.com and Neha Sharma http://www.growingwithnemit.com. I would like to thank Pragnya of http://lifewithmypenguin.com/ for introducing me to this blog hop and would further like to introduce Kushal of http://www.cafewhiz.com to share her take on the prompt.
