Who will Educate the Education System?

The Schools, the modern ones, aren’t like the ones before. I had to get my son admitted to Nursery and it was more challenging than my Master’s admission. I did reach out for some schools nearby and here is long story short!

• There are schools that have entrance test
  • What do they really test from a three year old? I am adding some yay’s, as parents have entrance test too
• There are schools which mandate to use their food, bus service, etc
  • What’s the agenda?
• There are schools that claim to follow Blooms’ taxonomy in teaching learning process
  • That’s insane! we follow it so-so at engineering
• There are schools that have regular tests and exams
  • Aren’t they supposed to be playing and learn few things on the go?
• There are schools which don’t take kids who aren’t rota-virus vaccinated
  • Its costs 10k+ and is not a mandatory vaccine in India

The hilarious part is that I was almost petrified hearing the fee structure as it was more than what my entire engineering degree costed. No, it’s not about money. The question is – is it really worthy for a Nursery Education? Aren’t Nursery kids supposed to play, get social, make friends and sing some rhymes? When did education get this formal?

Well, with no guilt, my son is admitted to a nearby government school where the fee including school, books, uniform, etc is less than five thousand. No, like I said earlier, it’s not about the money.  It’s like a play school. They have a simple uniform. There are kids from all kinds of family backgrounds. It looks like a play area. They have seats which get four students seated per bench. There are peers who help each other. Most important of all, my son is happy! He loves going to school. He will be in the same school until he finishes his UKG atleast, for the next three years.

We want him to learn that life exists in its simplest terms and conditions. It’s not a competitive environment. It’s not about exams and results. Education exists beyond books, exams and protocols.

The rush in the morning to get him ready to school, he kissing bye to his little sister before leaving to school, dropping him to school in the mornings, he being clueless during prayers (prayers also include regional songs, day details, birthday song if any celebrating), he running around corridors in the school, that different face when at school, being excited to talk to friends, well, truly said – Happiness is in little things!

We read and talk and discuss and complain and cry over modern issues but when will we take action against it that makes sense? Are we constrained by our own temporary solutions and limitations? I know there are lot of things that hold us back, but do we need to stay back? I have not been able to answer to a lot of my neighbors on asking why we not got him admitted to a better school. Well, we all have our own definition of ‘better’, don’t we?

While my daughter is curious enough to understand the world and people round her, her brother understands it enough and now has a hundred questions on per day basis to comprehend.  Amidst all the professional and personal commitments, life moves on. At the end of each day, I ask myself,

“Did I hug my kids enough? Did I love them enough?” I don’t think am ever going to find answer for that.