Giving meaningful dimension to education

It is the attitude of the edcated Indian, rather that the ignorance of the uneducated, which is acting as the main constraint in achieving a feasible solution. Our education has helped us to analyse the causes for the problems but has not given us the confidence to believe that we can be part of the solution.

THE MAJOR problem facing India today is the prevalent moral degradation of the society. The only way to fight this is through education. In the 50 years after independence, through the various schemes of the Government, we have made tremendous strides in the field of education. Our literacy level has improved. The number of schools, colleges and universities and the number of students taking higher education has increased enormously. Our technical education is on par with the best in the world.

But, have we fulfilled the fundamental goal of education, i.e. character building? Character is built through values, which forms the foundation for any harmonious society. Can we deny the fact that our education has become no more than transfer of knowledge? Knowledge without character is like giving a person a powerful weapon without teaching him how to use it. It could create more harm than good to the individual and the society.

Gone are the days when the social and education systems provided an environment wherein the individual could imbibe values though examples set by the teachers and elders. Today the pressures of materialism have pushed us into a situation wherein the teachers, parents and the students are racing against time to match their resources with the constantly changing demands of the environment. It is high time that we make conscious efforts to realign our system so that we impart knowledge without compromising on the values.

This calls for a paradigm shift in our perception of the goals of our education. We need to impart the skills and attitudes needed to achieve success within the framework of time tested values. We need to help the youngsters to understand the underlying links between freedom and discipline, independence and interdependence, commitment to self and commitment to others, material success and moral values. The system should be revamped to meet these goals from the very beginning, since the formative years are the most crucial years. The necessary changes should be introduced very gradually without upsetting the existing system. They should be implemented at the grass root level, at every school and at every college.

Will mere concern and armchair intellectualisation lead us anywhere? Do we have any right to comment about the problems unless we take some responsibility to find solutions?

It is the attitude of the educated Indian, rather than the ignorance of the uneducated, which is acting as the main constraint in achieving a feasible solution. Our education has helped us to analyse the causes for the problems but has not given us the confidence to believe that we can be part of the solution. We expect someone else to solve the problems. By changing this attitude we can achieve wonders in revamping our education system. If all of us join hands and focus on this one cause, within 10 years there will be a perceptible change in the quality of life in India. After all, wasn't it through peoples' participation that we won our freedom?

LIFE is a non-profit organisation started by a team of dedicated women with a teaching background and experienced in attitudinal and behavioural training.

Started in Chennai in 1997, LIFE's objective is to extend life skills training to educational institutions and NGOs at an affordable cost. LIFE focusses mainly on imparting value education in schools and colleges. A number of schools, colleges and NGOs have already benefited through LIFE programmes.

This change, like any social change cannot be brought about without the active participation of the people. The schools, which are already overworked, cannot be expected to initiate such changes. They need an external intervention to start the process of change. It is the mission of LIFE to play the role of the change agent in this process.

Values, as an abstract concept is too difficult for the young minds to comprehend. They have to be conveyed in the context of the right behaviours and attitudes. LIFE approaches Value Education as Training in Life skills, namely a set of attitudes and behaviours needed for leading a fulfilling life. LIFE has developed a special methodology for Life Skills training which has been proved to be effective. The teacher is a facilitator and the methodology is highly interactive. It also makes effective use of the team synergy that is available in the classroom for internalisation of the learning.

* The methodology is direct and simple. It does not require special materials or infrastructure and can be applied to all levels of students.

* It uses the self-oriented approach, which makes the learning personal and therefore meaningful for the individual.

* The activity-based methodology invokes the ``child ego-state'' in the individual, so that learning is an enjoyable and a non- threatening experience. The internalisation therefore becomes easier and faster.

* The training style is flexible. It blends the emotional and the intellectual components depending on the need of the participants.

* The concepts are discussed in the context of immediate environment, so that they become relevant to day to day situations. The training is conducted by a team of faculty members specially trained in its methodology. Incidentally all faculty members are women.

Education Quality Improvement Programme (EQUIP) in schools includes the following:

Personal effectiveness programme for teachers,value education training for teachers and LIFE Consultancy services.

LIFE offers its services to schools by working for an extended period of time. Suggestions are made at the system level so as to improve the effectiveness of learning within the existing resources. LIFE also helps the schools to implement the system by training the teachers and counselling the parents.

In colleges, LIFE works with both teachers and the students. It conducts a two-day programme for the students, which prepares the young adults to face the challenges in life with competence and character. LIFE also conducts value education programme. This programme focusses on the application of life skills in various real life situations and provides opportunities for students to practise these skills while learning.

The heads of the educational institutions should make the Life Skills Training as part of the curriculum and industrialists and philanthropists should give their financial assistance to those institutions that do not have financial backing. They can act as partners in the change that we envisage in our education system. Non-resident Indians can also act as partners by enrolling in the School Adoption Programme (SAP), a novel programme designed by LIFE.

In the era of communication, when physical barriers have disappeared, one can contribute to the society irrespective of wherever one is. Bearing this in mind, LIFE has evolved a programme called SAP (School Adoption Programme) by which the NRI adopts a school.

LIFE plays the role of an adoption agency. It helps in identifying the schools and their needs and recommends the schools to suitable NRIs who are interested in the adoption. The NRI supports the school and shares experiences, expertise, knowledge, time or funds depending on the needs of the school.

Those who are interested in knowing more about LIFE and its activities can visit the website: www.life-skill.org.

LIFE will work closely with the NRI for a year in improving the quality of education in the school. Thus LIFE acts as a catalyst in this change process by bringing the NRI and the school together.

RADHA RAJU

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