Let's Act and Make a Call for ‘Shiksha Yatra’

A few days back, I read a very well-articulated blog focusing on Education 4.0 by Professor Debashis Chatterjee, DG IMI, New Delhi, and a renowned author in the Times of India. The article was like a fresh breeze in the present polluted environment of education in the country. If implemented, it can act like an anti-vomit tablet that students need to swallow, rather than purging their minds of all ideas that they have accumulated in their semesters in the three-hour exam. This article forced me to think - Do we really not have curious Shishyas (students) who are keen to learn? Are we actually facing a dearth of Gurus?

Being in teaching profession and among students for the last two decades has helped me to see the ray of light. I could see shining letters of hope and inquisitive eyes. The spark and optimism of those eyes told me that, if we look carefully, we can find many curious minds and inquisitive souls in the form of innocent Shishyas and overflowing pools of knowledge and energy in the form of Gurus but we must have a sharp eye to identify them.

In this case, action speaks louder than words. So, let's not talk much but act instead. As an academician, let's adopt some students who are struggling to find the answers to the unasked questions of their hearts and minds. Let’s share some Life Mantras in addition to Leadership Models and Concepts. As an administrator, let's recruit academicians who can share the journey of their knowledge and relate how they could achieve it, despite the rampant exploitation and lack of guidance and facilities, rather than those who present themselves covered in the fa?ade of fancy work in a 15-minute interview. Are we really keen and capable of looking beyond the PhD degrees to meet a person and see the fire of giving and contributing in their heart and mind? It requires courage to go beyond highlighting the faculty degrees on the website and showcase human values and work. Do we have time to read the value-based stories of great personalities?

Let’s organise ‘Srijan Ki Pathshala’ where the Guru and the Shishya can laugh together, where students have the space to breathe and express. They must write, read the stories and poems of life through which the Guru can undertand the actual state of mind of the students.

Let's help to give them alternative solutions to exterminate their stress rather than a solution of death. The authors of educational blogs in newspapers, on Facebook, the videos on YouTube and the eminent speakers at international conferences, Education Conclaves, learning workshops, and academic leadership forums, gave me this confidence that we are keen to contribute.

However, I do wonder why we are confining ourselves to writing books or discussing such issues on the huge platforms or functions organised for an academician visiting India from a foreign country? Let's start a Shiksha Yatra which would reach institutions that can't think of inviting and approaching eminent people by taking academicians who are doing their bit sincerely even without enjoying any facilities. This Yatra should rest at various Padaavs (stoppages) at Education Ministry Offices, Universities, Colleges and Schools. Let's take their views and hope to see the outcome in the form of our dream education. So let’s begin this Yatra.