Education Only Teaches Us To Be Competitive

Education in today's world has become a word with many connotations.

Some confuse it with literacy and some with technical knowhow. For some it means 'knowledge which itself is an unlimited word. The aim of education is also a subject of debate. Some take it to be important for economic survival whereas for others it provides the basis for moral existence.

But the question persists. What is education?
Is it a means or is it an end? Does it teach us to win a race regardless of methods or focus only on participation.

Parents : Lets add pressure

Competitiveness in education is an unintended consequence of the system of examination. This whole marks oriented rank system makes the child obsessed with securing the maximum marks. The parents expectation adds to the pressure on him. This desire can get so strong that the child may use the "by hook or by crook" technique without any moral compunction. The various instances of cheating in exams, examination paper leaks, fake certificates and mark sheets bear testimony to the increasing level of competitiveness in schools and colleges. Moreover extra-curricular activities are discouraged as being a waste of time and energy. They are seen as additional engagements which will hamper a child's academics and affect his/her mark sheet adversely. Thus the system isn't at fault- the social perception of education itself is very shallow. Education is measured in terms of examinations passed, number of degrees and certificates secured. These are considered the indices of knowledge.

However, there is another dimension to the formal education experience. It is related to ethics. After all, as has been said, "Education has for its object the formation of character". Moral education is provided through opportunities for team work, collective action and project partnerships and
shared investigations. Cooperation, being the basis of any social activity becomes an important part of the moral educational scheme. Since our preschool days, there's a consistent focus on our moral development. Our report cards always showed a column on our cooperative tendencies. Education systems worldwide since their inception have devoted themselves to the creation of cooperative social beings who would live peacefully together. There has always been a focus on the grooming of the virtues.

Survival of the fittest

Nevertheless the realistic picture has shades of grey as well. In today's Kalyug how much of this
moral upbringing of ours is deep rooted enough to be retained is another story. The fact is that in today's materialistic lifestyle, the principle of "survival of the fittest" has become the mantra of life. Hence unintentionally or unconsciously. competitiveness overshadows the principle of
cooperation. In such a social and economic context education has molded itself accordingly. Perhaps
this is the reason why values related to educational reforms have remained quite unsatisfactory.

Need of the hour.

Thus, the need of the hour is an educational reform which will strike the right balance between competitiveness and cooperation and prevent healthy competitiveness from turning into a dirty and immoral competitiveness.