Monday, October 26, 2009

On Education [Part 2]

Well, was into microblogging andtt couldnt invest much time into this blog. You can see such excuses in almost all of my posts. I'm trying to break the habit of one post per month. Hopefully, I'll break it in the near future...

P.S: No point I mention here about myself is self boasting but a matter of fact.

After the formal, usual apology, lemme dive into where I had left in the last post. Things go a bit personal in this post. May be thats the way to continue explaining tution system...

I had seen some of my schoolmates going to tutions right from my first standard... (May be in the KGs, can't recollect exactly) There was one strict female whose name i refuse to take was one of our school teacher. She never took any classes to us in my whole tenure though but we used to hear her loud voice all day long in school coz she was the class teacher of the class nearby...
I saw ppl running from school to tutions where they were taught almost the same.

I had never bothered what they taught in the tutions coz i wasnt going to any, neither did I wonder what they teach over there. I was happy with my routine of getting educated in the school, comeback home, do homework in 30 mins, go out, play something and spend sometime chatting with sister and dad in hotel. Things were pretty simple and happening [So are now!]

I was experiencing the tution fever when I came to the high school, particularly in the 10th. Many of my peers were discussing topics which werent covered in the class much before in hand. I never cared for such things. I was in my own pace and way... Though I had a few companions who didnt go to tutions.

When it came to II PUC, it all began, Aaah! PUC PCM coaching, some also took for Bio/Comp/Elec too. Dont get surprised to know that I was the only person in the class (may be our college) to not go to tutions. I never found a reason to go. There were these Gururajs, Rameshes, Parthasarathis, Muniyappas who used to boast in college that we covered such n such a portions so fast... Everyone used to boast like anything...

Some used to come to me and ask, hey do you have any monetary problems? We can help you out (Duh!! I pity explaining them, me? Monetary problems?? Hahaha!). I wasnt finding a need to spend extra money on getting taught on same things what they used to teach in college.

Things started getting worse. Lecturers were never bothered to cover portions (as they were saying) as they felt that every pupil used to attend tutions. Many hilarious incidents took place.

I was called 'Gandhi' not to bunk any classes. I was staying back when almost 98% of the class were absent, everyone used to curse me to attend classes as they used to get shortage of attendance. Gradually, to exempt themselves from getting shortage, they used to attend classes just for the heck of it (cursing me of course). My intentions were not attendence but to attend the interesting classes by our lecturers. I should write each post on every lecturers who had handled us. Each of them were a different experience.

Some hilarious incidents:

1. Chem lecturer, Jayalakshmamma used to call names of me and another student, vasanth and compare both of us like, he is the bad one, i'm the good one. Reason, I concentrate in class while he goes to tutions and is never attentive. (Everyone were jealous of me for this issue, even girls used to curse me like hell for this)

2. One female, N3+#rani, came and spoke to me personally (when I was alone in the class, don't think dirty!) to bunk classes as she had serious attendance deficiency (busy chatting with American and Australian chatmates which I got to know later). This was spot by many of boys later and you know the obvious. They started teasing.

3. One of our math lecturer, Gururaj, known for his humour, asked us to bunk classes as he was not interested in taking one. (Studs took this point and asked me to bunk later)

More n more n more...

By then, enquiring some of my friends, they were paying 3K per subject making it a total of 9000 for 3 subjects, 1000 for CET special coaching. 10K totally.

Enquiring the current tution fares for II PUC, (my sister, Uncle's daughter is studying) the norm is 26K for 4 subjects... Help the parents...

Its a loot. These PU lecturers get paid in the college for teaching as well as tutions and the only investment is time. (May be a bit of fuel to travel if tutions arent arranged in homes)

There are scams too in tutions. Some lecturers are too greedy that they take multiple tutions in multiple batches. one in morning and other in the evening. Dont they get any personal time? What do they do earning so much if they don't have time to enjoy? May be their way of fun is different. Many lecturers were caught taking illegal tutions which you might have seen in papers 3-4 years back.

Previously, going to tutions were a matter of shame. Parents used to hesitate that their ward is going for tutions. Now, they boast in parties that their ward is taking tutions in such n such a prestigious academy. Bah!!

I was mentally strong(hope so) when I said no to tutions. but what about those who are monetarily insufficient? They getted bogged down and force their parents to admit them to tutions. Thanks for the pressure created by CET and COMED-K.

After all the drama, you just settle down in one pathetic, idiotic job which you don't like... Most of the cases atleast. I've never seen a person who is satisfied with the job.

All this struggling to study, crying to get good marks, crying for the results when you get what you don't expect, attempting suicide... All for a simple job? You get lots buddy! relax... No recession/depression can deny if you stay calm.

On top of it, I've seen lecturers taking classes negligently in college and teaching extremely well in tutions. Institutions should ban such lecturers.

All the education system present is doing is create more and more competition and with that more chaos...

Okay... What is the alternative? In simple words, isn't gurukula a better solution?

If you know a bit of Vedas/Upanishads there are instances where teachers made the students wait for a year before admission. You know why? It is for mutual observation. The teacher should grasp what the student is good at so that he can teach him corresponding subjects in more detail. not only that, he says, even the student should observe the teachers' work. He can join only if he is satisfied the way teacher explains things. If not, he is free to go to another teacher. Isnt is something great?

To add onto this, personal interest was shown on each and every student which is lacking today. I feel that we have gone many steps backward accepting the western style of education. There might be some merits/demerits on either way, but I feel Gurukula is better in any case.

[Will write more in the next part]