My daughter is studying 12th science. She wants to be a vet. PTAs in schools, therefore, become very important. The first thing the teacher announces is “Now your children need to start getting serious about studies and should not participate in any sports”. My question is: “why?” A parent at a swimming pool says: “My child will now not come for practice as his reviews begin.” I ask “which standard?” He says fifth, and then I ask “why?” My neighbour’s daughter who plays fantastic violin has taken a drop from violin classes because she is in Tenth Standard. I ask “why?”
What is wrong with the parents? Why is education given so much importance over everything?
After spending about 30 years in the education sector the only question that crosses my mind when people talk to me about education is “why?”
When I started looking around and what did I observe in the society around me? I saw an ‘educated’ person parking a vehicle right under the ‘No Parking’ board. I saw an ‘educated’ person throwing a beer bottle out of a BMW. I saw an ‘educated’ person drinking in public when it is banned by law. I know an ‘educated’ person who takes the law for granted.
There are ‘educated’ people who divide the society on the basis of caste, colour, gender, region, religion and language. Also, there are ‘educated’ people who fall prey to these divisive tricks. And friends, there are ‘educated’ people who plant bombs and kill people.
A lot of people will say, “You choose to see bad and not good that’s happening around.” So I look around and see what is it that separates those who make difference to the society, in a positive way, from the others. The only answer I get is everything, but education.
All those people I spoke about above were ‘literate’ and not ‘educated’. We do not educate anyone, we make them only literate.
I know an uneducated carpenter who came from Uttar Pradesh and built a house and lived with dignity, giving good education to his child. The thought that he had was “I did not get to study but I will educate my child”. The son did post graduation; he does not want to work with his father but works as manager in a private bank where he goes wearing suit and earns Rs 25,000 per month, an income his father makes in half a day. I asked him: “Why don’t you join your father?” The son said, “How can I be a carpenter after studying so much?” Had he said “I don’t like the field of work”, I would respect him but he has lost dignity of labour. Why? Because he has a degree.
I met a rich businessman’s son with the most expensive car available, working as an LDC and not joining his father because he felt it is below his dignity since he was a postgraduate.
I met another child, very innovative but does not wish to take risk. Why? Because education taught him doing business is risky. I have met a lot of people who don’t wish to take up agriculture, horticulture, pisciculture, dairy farming, goldsmith business, because they find it below their dignity, because they are educated.
Their education does not even teach them what is more lucrative.
Are the children able to face stress in real life? No. There is full focus on education which does not expose them to stress at all. The only stress children know is that of parents’ expectations but that is not what life throws them at. They know the exact syllabus and the marks allotted to each lesson. Students know the types of questions that will come for the exams. They know the weightage for each type of question. Now, the government has decided to give uniform question paper for schools.
They know the whole academic calendar in advance. All the element of uncertainty which trains them to face life is snatched away. Everything is so certain. So when they face uncertainty in real life, they are lost. Because of focus on education, they leave out sports, art and other co-curricular activities, which train them in discipline, uncertainty and unfairness. Best case was NEET results of 2025 where a change of question pattern made the results look more realistic.
Let’s also try and understand the relevance of education today. Marks in the 12th standard (especially science) are irrelevant, as students have to only pass for getting admission to any of the professional courses, which rely on an entrance test for admissions. The situation is so bad today that children are spending enormous time in attending coaching classes which make them mechanical in answering the MCQs without understanding how did they arrive at the answer stepwise.
For students and parents these coaching classes are more important than the regular school as coaching determines their child’s future course making the schools education irrelevant.
For UG course too, there will be an entrance test soon which will make 12th standard in other streams irrelevant. For PG one needs to pass UG as the admission is based on the entrance. So where is the conventional education relevant anymore? Many schools recognised this market trend and have created hybrid institutions which train children for this entrance while also facilitating passing of regular board/university exams.
Then a lot of people say “education is important for job”; my question is: “is it?” From what I have seen, very few employers look at marks the children have scored in schools/colleges. They look at the attitude of the children and train them if there are gaps.
So educational progression does not look at education, employers do not look at education, the education system does not create conducive atmosphere for starting business or create dignity of labour to continue with family business then what is the relevance of education? I think education up to 10th is fine but beyond that? There has to be focus on skill development and it has to be voluntarily decided by the child. Or else the PhD will become a basic qualification to be a lower division clerk.
With AI, the schooling needs to train children in critical thinking. The focus needs to change. “One nation, one education” is not an answer.
If the education industry wishes to keep itself ‘relevant’, so people don’t ask “why” it needs revolution. It needs to be student centric.
(Nilesh Borde is Professor (Finance & Strategy) at Goa Business School, Goa University. The views expressed are those of the author and not of the institution to which he belongs.
