* Coup on Education - 01 [Important of Attitude in Education]

Recently i.e. on 05-09-2007 I read short article written by famous professor Dr. E.V. Subba Rao on the News paper Enadu. In that, he narrated about the position of schools, now and in once upon a time. In past, the educational institutes were famous by the name of teachers, which were called as Gurukulas. People used to refer such educational institutes as so and so guru was so disciplined, knowledgeous, ethical, capacitive and the man with moral values, good speaker, so let us keep our child in his Gurukulam. But now by watching result [Marks and rank] and the name of school we are sending our children to there we don’t know the teacher’s name even until the moment the teacher step into the class room. And more over we don’t know whether the same teacher will continue or not in the class. What type of education is this?

How much true it is? If the teacher is not eligible to teach, how can he make the children to learn? If the teacher is not having a strong personality i.e. psychological personality, if the teacher is not having a stable character, if the teacher is not having capacity, if the teacher is not having morals, if the teacher is not having the habit of telling truth, how can he insert and inject such qualities in minds of children? Is it no need for us to verify or at least think whether the teacher has such good qualities or not in him? Because how can a blew off candle en light the other candles?

We are thinking that education is in printed matter of class books. We are thinking that knowledge is in Alphabets i.e. literacy. Did you check up what our children are studying from 1st to 10th class? I don’t know on which grounds the government prescribed the syllabi, revised it and changed it time to time. It is only grass with out juice. It is just dry sugar cane after the extraction of its sugar juice.


The knowledge of surroundings like roads, fields, types of houses and relations among family members like grand mother and grand father and who is called an uncle or an aunt is just depends upon common sense. With playing & singing children can get familiarity about them and joyfully they can learn them. Instead of that, the present education system is insisting them to bihard the common sense. Knowledge is not supplying them through stories. It is only through lessons, questions and answers. So naturally, children are, in such attitude the prescribed syllabus, i.e. knowledge is meant only for bihard and to get marks, so they are keeping it in short memory and after exams, they are forgetting it. No 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th student remember imports and exports of any country as they studied in social studies. Off course, nobody can remember it. But if we make them to learn morals, behavior systems how to control mind from evil thoughts, how to imagine any heard or read issues in visiuality, how to speak meaning fully, how to hear carefully, how to do a work with concentration for long time, without getting disturbance by any means, how the child could be grow? On behalf of education we must make them to learn life truths, how to get motivation to do any work, how to determine mind to complete a work once started without giving up in the middle and capabilities. In one word, education must make the child with a perfect personality and with a defined & complete character. That means after grown up the child must stand for truth, fight for truth, must be adventurous, enthusiastic etc. etc. etc.

Are we getting such products from our education? Are we allowing our kids to learn how to love nation, how to practice morals, and ethics, how to decide goals and how to achieve the goals? I’m not saying 100% students are useless. But I’m asking the proportionality of success i.e. not in the terms of marks or ranks, or earning rupees. I’m asking the proportionality of success in the term creative, constructive and inventive events.

In past, in our society in India, the educational institutes were called as Gurukulas. Some Gurukulas were patronized by kings and some were by people themselves. All the students including rich and poor, irrespective of their parents position in society, that means the parents might be kings and peasants, all the students must obey their teacher and must do physical industry to convince teacher, to please teacher, and must do begging in nearby villages to get the food for all resident of Gurukulams. By the way they must face the toughness of life, the struggle to earn life food, the humble hunger of life and practical facts of life. Definitely, they could know how to overcome ego, how to get rid off ego, and how to eliminate ego. Serve to Guru, paying obedience towards Guru only the fee to Guru. After completing of education the student have to full fill the wish of Guru as fee i.e. Dakshina.


The ultimate goal of education is such. Only an egoless person can love others, think for humanity and does for the faith of universe, can have thrust towards knowledge.

In this context, I refer you a small story which narrates you how the education must be. I read this some where.

అనగా అనగా ..........

One day a student approached a Guru i.e. teacher who was famous for the art of sword using fight. When the student approached the Guru and prayed [i.e. requested] him to accept him as a disciple, the Guru didn’t express his acceptance or refusal. The student was waiting for Guru’s reply. Paying silence towards him, the Guru allowed him to reside in his Gurukulam. He was provided food and shelter.

But the Guru was beating him whenever he saw the student, whatever he was doing by that time. While he was cleaning the floor, bringing water with pots, preparing fire to cook food, watering plants, plucking the flowers and fruits in the garden, whatever he was performing the ashram’s duty, the Guru was beating him suddenly from possible ways and directions.

The student was puzzled, didn’t know, why Guru was beating him. If the Guru didn’t like his presence, he could call him and send him out by saying the same. If the Guru hates the student, directly he could say it. No need to beat like this with out saying any reason. But the students didn’t give up the ashram duty. He didn’t turn to home. He didn’t give up his determination to learn sword-playing talent in the middle of trial. But to protect himself from the beating of Guru, he was more alert and active. Whatever he was doing he was very careful about the sounds in surroundings, watching actively all corners and very sharp in body movements.

Like this some months were passed. One day the Guru called him to near and said “My dear boy. I’m pleased with your determination. To learn sword playing talent, the soldier must be quite alert & active. Now you acquired it. So with in short period your course can be completed. You will become perfect warrior. Bring the sword. Now I’m starting your coaching to handle your sword, God bless you.”

With glad and high spirits the student learnt & while learning he could enjoy the learning and he could love the art or subject whatever he learnt.

Actually, we have to make the children to learn how to learn. Not any subject up to certain age except how to write & read languages & minimum maths. Within the early years of the childhood, only concentration should pay in the formation of their character & personality. They must become strong psychological & physical. They must grow with human values. They have to become perfect human beings who can live for truth & love and who can die for truth & love. They should not live for food & money and should not die for food & money. They should know how much valuable are the knowledge, love & truth.

If we love a costly car or expensive building or any other wealthy object, it won’t wish our faith, it won’t smile to us, it won’t feel our love and it won’t express its love towards us. More over its eyes never glitter with the tears of love. So that at any cost, by any reason, the wealth is not valuable than living being and human being. This truth, the student must realize in the childhood it self.