POLISHED CLERKS

The world has become so dynamic and competitive that there is many a slip between the cup and the lips. So are we educating our kids for the real world. The world has become so dynamic and competitive that there is many a slip between the cup and the lips. Competitiveness is a big buzzword these days. Everyone need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world. But in this race, instead of making the children innovators, they are producing Polished Clerks and students who learned to do things in new ways are often despite schooling- not because of it. Failures are the stepping stones of success. But in the race of being the best, de finitions have changed and failure is penalized at every stage: bad grades are considered as a foundation stone for a bad future. The system has become so stiff that there is no room for trial and error. Where learning should be real time hands -on experience, it is a passive experience in most of the educational institutions. It would be wrong to blame our system as it is just a small part of the equation; its us who have developed the system. Hence, the root of this problem lies in our approach. Study hard, get good grades and one will get good job with good money this is what we all have been hearing and taught since childhood. The bitter truth is The key element FUN which cultivates innovation has disappeared. More so, innovation cannot foster where there is no space for trials and errors. In this era of growth and development, the system is doing everything to make every child educated and fit for survival but we fail to address that every child needs a different approach in education. Ex: Most of the B schools teach how to manage money but no one teaches how to create money. Money is the best employee an employer can have as it can work restlessly and for generations. We been studying models and theories developed long back that tells how effectively we can create something new but they are obsolete with time. In this race of becoming the best, we all have been transformed into what I would interpret as Polished Clerks People who are presentable and can sustain value. But there is one question- Do we have the competencies to create, to bridge the contextual validity as time is changing? This social issue needs a careful analysis and demand rational solution to help the society grow in all possible ways. Transforming schools funding more or introducing courses would not help. New ways should be introduced to evaluate student performance and investment in education i.e. training the professionals so that they can create evaluation systems, hands-on, application based, and interdisciplinary courses. Creating new schools which focus on producing smart students and training teachers will take a little time taking process, so emphasis should be given on educating the parents to be open minded and involved, encouraging their kids to pursue their passion to take risks and to be innovative. For this parents must be educated and aware about the need of the world ahead. Parents teach their kids from their experiences but are unable to prepare kids for unforeseen future. This approach is necessary because teaching is done at school and learning happens at home. Schools only focus on scholastic and professional skills. The approach of parents needs to be shifted as one parent might say -I cant afford it but there is a better approach i.e. by asking how I can afford it. All parents tell kids to prepare impressive resume to get good jobs but no one tells to write effective business and financial plans to create jobs.