22.EDUCATION AS HUMBUG
Education/ Learning has been highly valued in all societies since ancient times. But it was not always equated with or mistaken for mere literacy and a paper degree as in modern times. Education precedes invention of writing, just as books precede the invention of printing.
Education: old systems
The main purpose of education in ancient times was the cultivation of character. To this end, the subjects taught were religious lore, histories of the people, their philosophy and mythology. The main role of education was to preserve and pass on the culture to the next generations, on which they could build. In the history of every people there were some remarkable men and periods during which education especially advanced. An educated person was necessarily a cultured person. The education which informed the mind also helped form character. Arunagirinatha says this tellingly in Tamil:
மதியால் வித்தகனாகி மனதால் உத்தமனாகி
which can be roughly rendered as 'enlightened in mind and noble at heart'.
Learning was mostly informal, as the education necessary for most occupations was imparted while learning the trade or craft which were mostly inherited. This we can see in India even today in certain branches. The fine arts of music and dance modern universities may teach and certify. But the real concert artistes are those who have learned the art from a personal teacher (guru) in the traditional way. The greatest names in our classical music never attended a music college.
The same can be said of temple architecture. Even today, these artists/engineers [ traditional stapatis ] imbibe the technique and the necessary theoretical knowledge from personal teachers in the traditional way. Not a single one of the modern engineers churned out by the mushrooming engineering colleges anywhere in the world can erect a temple like that. Ayurveda, the Indian system of medicine was also taught in this manner till recently.
In the ancient world, learning concentrated on language (grammar), effective speech (rhetoric), correct thinking (logic), law, and philosophy which included natural sciences in the name of natural philosophy. It also included learning the old mythologies and epics, which dealt with basic truths in the form of allegorical stories. Most books on any subject were in verse. It required precision in presentation and ensured ease in learning (memorisation).
Indian Experience
India was noted for vast learning since ancient times. However, so called modern western academics and following them our own copycats do not provide a proper picture. For instance, the coverage in Wikipedia which generally advocates a pro-western view gives some absurdities. It states that the Vedic Age was from 1500 to 600 BC. It says it was a pre-Hindu tradition. Only an imbecile or intentional liar can be capable of such distilled nonsense in the light of available evidence and living tradition. It was Max Mueller, who could not follow spoken Sanskrit, nor had learned the Vedas properly, who first stated some such date arbitrarily; but when challenged by more competent scholars, he said no one could fix the date of the Veda. For understanding these matters clearly, one should study the talks of former Pontiff of Kanchi Shankara Mutt and the works of Sri Aurobindo.
Vedic study
Before the invention of printing, learning was mainly oral. This automatically ensured that only the serious aspirant could enter and persist in the field. And it also indicates why they gave so much importance to language. For instance, Veda only means "knowledge or wisdom". It could not be confined to or equated with any book. Even now it is transmitted orally. This is accomplished without distortion of the sound, due to the rigorous methods followed to fix the sounds. In this , the learning of the Veda is accompanied by six hard disciplines:
- Siksha = phonetics
- Chhandas = prosody
- Vyakararana = grammar
- Nirukta = etymology
- Kalpa = ritual
- Jyotisha = astronomy
These are known as Vedangas- limbs of the Veda. It takes a minimum of twelve years to learn these, and upwards of twenty five years to attain real competence. It involves full time study and reflection, accompanied by disciplines of body and mind.
Though initially connected with the Veda, these systems of study and analysis are now adapted to many other disciplines. Sanskrit is a very unique language, and the meaning of its words cannot be fixed by a dictionary in hurry. Besides, Veda is not in Sanskrit, as the classicists know and study it. Vedic language is special.That is why a Max Mueller or his grandfather ( or grandson, for that matter ) cannot fix the meaning of Vedic expressions. On this, one should study the writings of Sri Aurobindo. [ The Secret of the Veda; Hymns to the Mystic Fire.]
Six Darsanas
Following and accepting the authority of the Veda, sages propounded six approaches to understand Reality, [astika darsanas] which are known as six systems of philosophy though the word philosophy is not correct.
Due to the fertile Indian mind, and the creative freedom it had in matters of faith, each one of these developed subdivisions in course of time. The really learned do not see them as competing systems, but as complementary steps in the path of spiritual effort and realisation, suiting the unique competence and meeting the specific needs of each aspirant.
For instance, Nyaya or logic is used by all systems! The Yama and Niyama propounded by Patanjali's Yoga form the basis of ethics and morality.The practical discipline involved is almost the same in all systems! [ Those interested should study them through authentic Indian sources and not through the works of vain western academics.]
Before the British
Six Darsanas
Following and accepting the authority of the Veda, sages propounded six approaches to understand Reality, [astika darsanas] which are known as six systems of philosophy though the word philosophy is not correct.
- Sankhya = matter and consciousness
- Yoga = Unity of existence ( Yoga means union, which implies 'viyoga' or separation. So the effort is to seek unity through control of mind, meditation etc)
- Nyaya = Logical analysis of the sources of knowledge
- Vaishesika = Atomism- analysis into basic units
- Purva Mimamsa = ritualism, based on Vedic authority
- Uttara Mimamsa or Vedanta = Experiential knowledge of the Absolute, Non-dual Reality.
Due to the fertile Indian mind, and the creative freedom it had in matters of faith, each one of these developed subdivisions in course of time. The really learned do not see them as competing systems, but as complementary steps in the path of spiritual effort and realisation, suiting the unique competence and meeting the specific needs of each aspirant.
For instance, Nyaya or logic is used by all systems! The Yama and Niyama propounded by Patanjali's Yoga form the basis of ethics and morality.The practical discipline involved is almost the same in all systems! [ Those interested should study them through authentic Indian sources and not through the works of vain western academics.]
Before the British
Priests had to be learned in the religious ceremonial rules, and it was hereditary. But anyone could learn other subjects, including religious subjects. Just look at the sheer number of saints and sages who do not come from the orthodox Veda-learning sections. Till the Macaulay system was imposed on India, we had a fine system of indigenous education which served all communities.
Mahatma Gandhi called it a ''beautiful tree".
Dharampal has written a beautiful book with that title. ( The Other India Press, Mapusa, Goa.) It deals with the state of Indian education in the 18th century.
Gandhiji said in this connection:
I say without fear of my figures being challenged successfully, that today India is more illiterate than it was fifty or a hundred years ago, and so is Burma, because the British administrators, when they came to India, instead of taking hold of things as they were, began to root them out. They scratched the soil and began to look at the root, and left the root like that, and the beautiful tree perished. The village schools were not good enough for the British administrator, so he came out with his programme. Every school must have so much paraphernalia, building, and so forth. Well, there were no such schools at all. There are statistics left by a British administrator which show that, in places where they have carried out a survey, ancient schools have gone by the board, because there was no recognition for these schools, and the schools established after the European pattern were too expensive for the people, and therefore they could not possibly overtake the thing. I defy anybody to fulfill a programme of compulsory primary education of these masses inside of a century. This very poor country of mine is ill able to sustain such an expensive method of education. Our state would revive the old village schoolmaster and dot every village with a school both for boys and girls.
(MAHATMA GANDHI AT CHATHAM HOUSE, LONDON, OCTOBER 20, 1931)[ Incidentally, so called school education has become even more expensive- atrociously and unconscionably so- in Independent India.]
Cover of the Biblia Impex edition.
The British ignored the indigenous system, imposed European-centred education, imposed English as the language and made its knowledge compulsory for jobs! Thus with one stroke, they made India poor in education, and made education expensive! As the old economic arrangements were also changed by the British, education in Indian knowledge systems became irrelevant for earning a livelihood, by the mere logic of events. These trends continue even today. Our own Indian govt has imposed Hindi imperialism . And the primary motive of this kind of formal schooling [ it cannot be called 'education'] is to get a job! But it does not ensure even that, as more than 50% of Indian graduates are reportedly found unemployable.
Confucius and Analects
If people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but have no sense of shame.
If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become good.
The superior man thinks of virtue; the small man thinks of comfort. The mind of the superior man is conversant with righteousness; the mind of the mean man is conversant with gain.
Thus, we can see that noble minds have been concerned with virtue and righteousness even while training people for political offices. The Greeks and the Romans too held that while happiness was the aim of human life, it was the result of Virtue. In India, this sentiment is expressed in the concept of 'Dharma'.
Modern trends
All this is a far cry from what modern schooling and colleging aim at and provide in the name of mass education!
Both the aims and the contents of what is considered education have changed over the centuries. We now have so many 'subjects' and any number of areas for specialisation in each. PHD is the stamp of official approval on the highest level of university education, but it can be on any subject approved by authorities ie those who control the funding and confer the degree.
Since the early 19th century, "the three r's " - reading, writing, arithmetic- were considered the basic skills to be imparted to every youngster. They were supplemented by Classics- languages like Greek and Latin and the works of ancient masters. In the last century, education was reformed and modernised. In spite of such efforts, we now have lakhs of school-going Johnnies who cannot read or add!
Tiruvalluvar on education
Tamil poet Tiruvalluvar laid down his definition of education :
கற்க கசடறக் கற்பவை கற்றபின்
நிற்க அதற்குத் தக. 391
Learn what knowledge is required to be acquired.
Thereafter, conduct your life accordingly.
But what is to be acquired?
எண்ணென்ப ஏனை எழுத்தென்ப இவ்விரண்டும்
கண்ணென்ப வாழும் உயிர்க்கு. 392
Two are called the eyes of the living: one is called Numbers; the other is called Letters.
கண்ணுடையார் என்பவர் கற்றோர் முகத்திரண்டு
புண்ணுடையர் கல்லா தவர். 393
The learned alone can be said to possess eyes.
The uneducated have only two sores in their face.
ஒருமைக்கண் தாம் கற்ற கல்வி ஒருவர்க்கு
எழுமையும் ஏமாப் புடைத்து. 398
The learning that one acquires in this birth will exalt him in the subsequent seven births.
கேடில் விழுச்செல்வம் கல்வி ஒருவற்கு
மாடல்ல மற்ற யவை. 400.
A flawless and imperishable wealth is the learning one acquires. Others are not wealth at all.
Education and seven births
Here in verse 398, Tiruvalluvar provides serious food for thought. Indian philosophy and religion are based on rebirth. What merit or demerit one acquires in this birth- his own effort now, here- will shape his future births. The education he acquires now will also influence his future births. This probably accounts for the phenomenon of child prodigies. But will any kind of learning or subject so accompany one for seven births? To day we have hundreds of subjects of specialisation. Are they all relevant for rebirth? Yesterday's Newtonian physics is superseded today. Every branch of science is undergoing such drastic changes. Will they not become irrelevant in the centuries to come? This is the fate of all secular subjects.The kinds of learning that will influence us in future births are what are called the 'eternal verities'- related to the unchanging core of human nature, the fundamental truths of classical philosophy and religious studies, and not the hundreds of secular subjects, or the speculations of modern philosophers and scientists. This really explains why education was considered 'sacred'. In this one respect, Indian traditional wisdom scores over everything else in the world! However, modern India has already lost sight of this truth.
Reading, conference, writing
Reading maketh a full man;
conference a ready man;
and writing an exact man.
Since those times, each of these propositions has become difficult of fulfilment. Millions of books are in existence, millions more are getting published every year. What to read? Where is the time in these hurly burly days? Even if one is a dedicated practising professional like a lawyer or medical doctor, one cannot hope to fully cope with the new material available. It is said that a research paper in a subject is read by just 3 persons on the average. C.P.Snow said that scientists do not follow the language of humanities, and those in the humanities do not follow the language of science. Smithsonian.com notes:
There are a lot of scientific papers out there. One estimate puts the count at 1.8 million articles published each year, in about 28,000 journals. Who actually reads those papers? According to one 2007 study, not many people: half of academic papers are read only by their authors and journal editors, the study's authors write.
[Report dated: March 25, 2014. Accessed 3 May 2017.]
So, what can be said of general readership? Most people test their literacy only against newspapers, that too by just skimming it!
Modern technology has reduced the charm and power of learned conversation. People do not even discuss the weather or politics or cinema. Cell phone, Internet, Facebook etc have killed all meaningful and pleasant conversation.
In the era of instant wireless communication, who writes anything, unless compelled?
It is the absence of all three that is the norm today, especially among youngsters. Almost every youngster is looking into and talking on his cell phone while walking on the road.He doesn't give way to children, seniors. He doesn't address others properly. Such misbehaviour is a worldwide phenomenon.
Sulking, arguing, lying, and rebelling are just a few of the ways teens misbehave. There's a good explanation for these bad behaviors. As teens become more independent, they still lack the emotional maturity they need to make informed, thoughtful decisions. The parts of the brain that control decision making and impulse control haven't fully developed. The combination of autonomy and immaturity can lead to risky teen behaviors, like drinking, smoking, and having unprotected sex.
[webmd.com Accessed: 3 May 2017]
A growing lack of adult authority has bred a 'spoilt generation' of children who believe grown-ups must earn their respect, a leading psychologist has warned.
The rise of the 'little emperor' spans the class divide and is fuelling ills from childhood obesity to teenage pregnancy, Aric Sigman's research shows.
Attempts to 'empower' children and a lack of discipline in the classroom have also fostered rising levels of violence, at home, at school and in the street.
dailymail.co.uk. 14 September 2009.
Do we call such 'schooled' youngsters 'educated'?
Traditional education fostered respect for authority, and stressed responsible behaviour. Today, teachers can't discipline the students, nor can parents; such attempts will be construed as violation of some rights!
Education: for what purpose?
With all the hype about modern education, and the hole it puts in the hearts and pockets of parents, there is no clarity as to even the very purpose of education:
What is the purpose of education? The question came into stark relief when Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker recently tried to quietly change the century-old mission of the University of Wisconsin system by proposing to remove words in the state code that command the university to “search for truth” and "improve the human condition” and replacing them with “meet the state’s workforce needs.” Walker backed off when the issue became public and sparked intense criticism from academics and others, but the issue remains a topic of national debate
By Arthur H. Camins
Debate about the purposes of education never seems to end. Should young people become educated to get prepared to enter the workforce, or should the purpose of education be focused more on social, academic, cultural and intellectual development so that students can grow up to be engaged citizens?
[ Washington Post: February 12, 2015 ]
Should we not simply say the purpose of education is to make us better human beings , and modern education has failed in this mission? Man is missing in all schemes of modern education!
It was Swami Vivekananda who talked of 'man-making' education!
www,gettingbusy.ch/category/education
It was Swami Vivekananda who talked of 'man-making' education!
