At a very early age, we are used to sending kids to kindergarten schools when we can barely have a grip of a pencil with our tiny fingers. We even don’t know the meaning of schools until & unless our parents teach us that it is a giant building where we have to go in our particular uniform & our responsibility will be handed over to some appointed people, nearly of our parents’ age to look after us. Then gradually our teary eyes & flushed faces go through this typical mechanical process of upbringing and we become grown-ups. Meanwhile neither we question to this strange process of the peculiar cycle of several exams and promotion to the next standard, nor we think once of the motive or purpose of this processed education we are provided in our life. We only become toys & schools or the educational institutions become the manufacturer which have the assurance of making us so-called ‘civilised’ or ‘better human beings’. But are all these worth it?
Do they succeed in making us true humans in all walks of life? If we look into this aspect, we will learn that this truly isn’t worth it & such a monotonous system disappoints us in every aspect of life.
In this age of ‘rat racing’, we may overcome the hurdles like gigantic board exams & somehow make entries to the colleges but what should be the basic purpose of college course has never come to our mind just for the unnecessary pressure of exams & the same old circulation of gobbling our textual studies. Moreover, mediocre students only study to qualify for the next level without any growth of interest to the course they admit & toppers cover the book only to observe the highest mark in their mark sheets. In between this moribund education system, some loses their interest from the education & gets dropped out & some who don’t result good after putting a lot of hard work gets disappointed and opt for suicide after suffering a lot of mental breakdown & stress.
Besides, such mishaps & depressing facts, we also can see the cracks of our arrogant education system which is unable to give a student his/her ultimate need which is a placement or employment after completion of a certain degree.
The primary things which we lack while we are into a course or an educational process & stumble upon to the canyon of failures are
1)to think about the question of what to study is to reflect on contemporary issues and ask what lessons we have learned.
2)to develop a place of imagination in our mind. The exercise of the imagination permits us to see patterns, to see where they diverge and when they converge. It requires us to listen, to understand, to tolerate the silence, and to comprehend before we respond.
3)to make a place of compassion in our mind, the ability to listen, hear, comprehend other’s perspective & keeping an opinion showing absolute respect to others’ views. We should never discriminate others based on their knowledge & should acquire the basic qualities to be able to judge what is just, fair & rational. Too many adults seem to lack self-awareness and any preparation in critical reflection and thinking: they are those for whom answers hide questions, both about themselves and about others.
These are the faults we are carrying with our blood which we need to change rapidly to make an environment of ‘liberating’ education.
A liberating education should be the education which provokes the ability to distinguish between what is true & what’s false without any hesitation or fear in mind. A student will be properly educated when his/her character will reflect several analytical perspectives: scientific, artistic, humanistic, quantitative, qualitative & moreover confidence will always be his/her companion & that person will have the courage to air his voice at any cost. This education will help a student understand that to measure something indicates it is valued, but that not everything of value can be measured. The liberating curriculum is a program for citizenship. It is liberal in its form of inquiry; it honours not revealed the truth but intellectual growth.
Liberating education is not something that pressurizes a student with loads of books & clogs the way of the brain to think freely & have a sightless opinion. It is about to make a student independent; independent to take initiatives, solve problems, be a questionnaire, formulate ideas & be innovative towards his/her education. Loads of subjects like domestic and foreign cultures, languages, literature, history, geography, mathematics, science, and technology etc should never be a burden to the students, it’s better they enjoy it through their heart & develop their skills in language, learning & leadership. This broad approach of vast knowledge can be used appropriately among students if practical knowledge gains more priority than the theoretical one. Environment should not be a mere subject or a dominant one people will opt for a day to read the chapters & clear exam, because this following thing is pathetic, our course should emphasize on its importance on a human being to make a broader mind & healthy soul, to be aesthetic, ethical & of course to look after the things why our environment should be protected for the sake of our existence.
A liberating education aspires to teach students to be cultured people; to develop in students the capacity to check assumptions and to understand the value-laden choices that await them as consumers, decision-makers, and arbiters of ethical choices at home, at work etc. The curriculum of this education is likely to include the students surely know about other cultures & civilizations & gain competence in communicating with other people. The goal of this education is to make students aware of global understanding & competence. These are the benefits of an education that liberates students from their provincial origins and prejudices masquerading as principles, no matter what their nationality, socioeconomic status, age, or religion.
Moreover, a liberating education should be composed wise enough to build sympathy & helpfulness in every student no matter what. As we know, jealousy & selfishness only lead us to get separated, alone & prone to fragility.
This is the way we should be preparing students for the world they will enter upon graduation. We should make students study what they are passionate about, as that is most likely to lead to success. After all, our mission is as much about the development of good character and the encouragement of engaged citizenship as it is a preparation for careers, life & welfare of our society & nation.