End of critical pedagogy

Avijit Pathak

Sociologist

Who can resist the growing devaluation of humanities and social sciences, particularly when the society we live in is intoxicated with the glory of techno-science, and the aspiring class conditions its children to believe that the only meaning of existence is to pursue a career in medicine and engineering, and hence, except physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology, there is nothing worth learning? And the process of this devaluation has further been accelerated by the emergent politics of knowledge that in the name of rationalising the syllabus and reducing the ‘academic burden’ has deleted several significant topics from NCERT textbooks of classes VI to XII. Hence, as these new experts chosen by the ruling regime told us, our children should not know about, say, the Gujarat riots in 2002; nor is it required for them to be aware of the Narmada Bachao Andolan or the Naxalite movement. They also believe that it is not a good idea to enquire why women and sudras were prevented from studying the Vedas. Or for that matter, it is not necessary to know about the Mughal courts. And why should youngsters bother to know about the impact of globalisation on agriculture?

History must arouse a learner’s interest in the major socio-cultural and techno-economic transformations that characterise the journey of the human race.

Well, no great pedagogue would deny that the bombardment of the young mind with a heavy load of information is not a sign of meaningful education. Moreover, the NCERT texts are certainly not perfect; and the liberal-left intelligentsia that wrote it might have their biases. Yet, the way these texts have been damaged through a politically motivated process of deletion of select themes and issues would frighten every sensitive educationist. Indeed, it is an attempt to kill the liberating potential of critical pedagogy. This can be understood only if we recall the forgotten truth — the way disciplines like history, sociology and political studies have the capacity to open one’s eyes, and make one see beyond the dominant commonsense of the age, and probe into the discourse of power. A reflexive mind endowed with a creatively nuanced critical consciousness is what social sciences ought to cultivate.

Hence, the goal of history is not to force the child to memorise the dates of wars and treaties; instead, a sense of history should arouse a learner’s interest in comprehending the major socio-cultural and techno-economic transformations that characterise the journey of the human race. And sociology is not about knowing a set of discrete facts about tribe, caste and family; instead, it is about asking critical questions — say, the way patriarchy, Brahminism and organised religions have often legitimised the subjugation of women, Dalits and the toiling masses. Or, an introduction to political studies does not mean that you ask a class XII student to memorise the Preamble of the Constitution, and vomit it in the examination; instead, it ought to encourage the young learner to ask why the spirit of the Preamble is denied every moment amid the might of majoritarianism and gross socio-economic inequality. Have we forgotten the way some of our finest historians and social scientists — Irfan Habib and Ranjit Guha, Rajni Kothari and Ashis Nandy, or Irawati Karve and Vina Majumdar — wanted to expand our mental horizon?

Who would tell these experts who have damaged the NCERT texts that it is important for a school student to know and feel disturbed about the Gujarat riots because it was a severe blow to the cherished ideals of secularism and cultural pluralism? Who would tell them that children must know about the Narmada Bachao Andolan because this nonviolent environmental movement raised serious questions about the devastating consequences of what the nexus of the political class and the corporate elite regards as development? These experts have to be reminded of yet another fact: a true learner — a wanderer with freshness — should have the capacity to say that the Emperor is naked even if the sycophants all around think otherwise.

From Hitler to Stalin, the taboo on critical pedagogy is inseparable from the cult of narcissism and authoritarianism. In fact, authoritarian masters all over the world, as history has demonstrated, are never comfortable with the kind of education that nurtures creativity, self-reflexivity and critical thinking. In a way, they need moral and intellectual dumbness. Or, in the name of education, they need just a set of technical skills to run the techno-corporate machine. Or, they need ‘disciplined’ loyalists always ready to sing in tune with what the ruling regime dictates. Hence, what these experts have done with the NCERT texts seems to be in tune with what we are seeing everywhere — the arrogance of power and castigation of every dissenting voice as anti-national.

Is it possible to resist this trend and save education? Even though I loathe to be a pessimist, I must say that the obstacles are enormous. The fact is that in an atmosphere that continually breeds the ideology of toxic nationalism, it is not easy to celebrate the spirit of free enquiry. Moreover, when children’s education, for all practical purposes, has been reduced to packaged ‘success manuals’ that coaching centres sell, and a bunch of toppers sponsor, why should you and I bother to think about emancipatory education? Yet, I would like to believe that there are still some teachers and parents amongst us who continue to inspire the youngsters to find the treasure of real knowledge in a different domain — not in the official curriculum, but in a living and vibrant mind that echoes with Rabindranath Tagore: ‘Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high/Where knowledge is free…’

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