Coaching centres, ‘dummy schools’ & schools

A TEACHER of a reasonably progressive school recently told me: "In my school, nobody from Class XI is willing to opt for the humanities and social sciences." I could feel her angst and pain. Possibly, she was worrying about the danger confronting the realm of education, or, to put it more specifically, the way this generation is growing up with a fractured and fragmented understanding of life and the world.Before we reflect on this danger, it is important to understand why liberal arts and humanities are not attracting this generation of young students. There are three reasons. First, in the age of techno-science, with all sorts of grand narratives like "development" and "progress", it is easy to get carried away by the idea of what I would regard as a carefully constructed hierarchy of knowledge traditions — 'hard' sciences vs 'soft' humanities, 'logico-mathematical reasoning' vs 'imaginary/subjective fictions' and 'economically productive' technology vs 'non-productive' social sciences.With the internalisation of this hierarchy, many of us begin to think that science is for "intelligent" students, whereas those who cannot do physics or mathematics are forced to opt for humanities and social sciences.Not only that. Our children grow up with a belief that not to opt for the science stream is a sign of failure; it is almost like carrying a stigmatised identity! Hence, it will not be entirely wrong to say that whether or not a student is inclined to science, many parents force their children to opt for the science stream.Second, as techno-capitalism is the most dominant variant of modernity, there is a tremendous appeal of science for its instrumental and utilitarian value. Science, as it is perceived by many, is essentially a bridge one needs to pass through in order to acquire the "skills" needed for expanding the "productivity" of the rapidly expanding techno-corporate empire.Whereas your skills in science, engineering and management can fetch you a lucrative job, there seems to be no 'economic utility' of liberal arts and humanities. No wonder, as the market-driven metrics decide what is worth learning, we see the accelerating decline of enrolment, funding and cultural value placed on arts, literature and philosophy.And third, the appeal of techno-science is so strong that even many well-meaning teachers of humanities and social sciences tend to get demotivated, lose their zeal and confidence, and fail to inspire young students to fall in love with what enriches the inner world — say, literature, fine arts, history, sociology and philosophy.In fact, it will not be wrong to say that in India, the PCM (physics-chemistry-mathematics) syndrome has almost colonised the minds of young students, and robbed them of their creative surplus.Yet, despite these "pragmatic" reasons for justifying the prevalent hierarchy of knowledge traditions, it is high time we began to acknowledge the intensity of psychic and aesthetic impoverishment of young minds this sort of instrumental and one-dimensional education has caused.In this context, let me make three points. First, we are witnessing the way even one's approach to science is getting distorted and purely market-driven. Where is the ecstasy of science as a realm of critical thinking, a way of living and a process of emancipating one's mind from all sorts of dogmas and prejudices?If you study science only to become an engineer, join a corporate house and earn a huge 'package', it does by no means indicate that you are evolving as a responsible and democratic citizen with critical thinking. In fact, it is not uncommon to see many techno-scientists becoming an integral component of a system that promotes environmentally destructive neoliberal global capitalism as well as the violence implicit in the discourse of religious nationalism.Second, we should not forget that for many students, science is often a 'forced' choice as their parents pressure them to opt for it. No wonder, as we see every day in India, these students, instead of engaging with a great pedagogue, and studying physics and chemistry with wonder, joy and curiosity, begin to rely heavily on coaching centre strategists for mastering the "techniques" required for cracking the standardised tests like IIT-JEE and NEET.In fact, the other day, while conversing with a brilliant teacher of physics, I could sense his frustration. "My students are not interested in attending my classes; instead, they prefer to go to coaching centres" — his helplessness indicates that not everything is fine even in the science stream of our schools.Is it the reason for the normalisation of "dummy schools" in the country? Or, is it the reason why our schools do not have sufficient money to improve their libraries and science labs, whereas, as a report indicates, the net worth of the much-celebrated "PhysicsWallah" founder is Rs 14,510 crore?And finally, when students escape from humanities and social sciences, they miss something very deep and profound — say, the power of critical thinking to comprehend the dynamics of society, or, to put it specifically, the dialectical play of power, privilege and dominant politics; the sensitivity needed to understand others with empathy and the art of listening and the sharpening of the spirit of democratic citizenship; and above all, the quest for what is essentially non-measurable: art, music, spirituality.When do we realise that a good society needs not merely engineers and techno-managers but also poets, historians, philosophers and, above all, great teachers who can inspire the new generation to see the world beyond the STEM (science-technology-engineering-mathematics) fixation and walk with the likes of Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Rabindranath Tagore, Charlie Chaplin and Satyajit Ray or Karl Marx and Martin Luther king Jr? Or, when do we realise what social philosopher Martha Nussbaum says so convincingly: "Not everything is for profit; democracy needs humanities"?

Coaching centres, ‘dummy schools’ & schools

When students escape from humanities and social sciences, they miss something very deep and profound — the power of critical thinking.

Avijit Pathak

Coaching centres, ‘dummy schools’ & schools

When students escape from humanities and social sciences, they miss something very deep and profound — the power of critical thinking.

Avijit Pathak

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