E-Paper
Spice of life: Break the box to fly high, touch the sky
High order cognitive capacities is still an alien term for a majority of Indians, who cling to grades as a measure of success in life. It’s time we cultivate innovation and out-of-the-box thinking
“Sir, I want to go for a start-up but my parents want me to join government service,” an old student confided over a meal at a conference. “Does it bother you?” I asked. I could see how he was devouring two rasogollas together rather skilfully.
His talent of shifting both of them alternately in his mouth made me believe in his managerial skills. “Arrey sir, sabhi ki naukri lag jayegi…mein akela reh jaonga (Sir, everyone will get a job and I’ll be left alone).” I was visualising a gifted and creative student succumbing to the pressure of conformity due to his parents and peers. On the other hand, I could understand that rising unemployment and an uncertain future does get to young minds and their creative side becomes the casualty.
The contemporary education system of our country is still shackling minds to conform even as we boast of free will and idea generation. The emphasis on fostering creativity and out-of-the-box thinking is the core strategy for almost all organisations but in reality, we are all juggling around mundane assertions citing directions to act, famously called procedures and regulation. The insistence on left brain traits and technical skills is so deep-rooted that right brain thinkers literally choke themselves. I feel if we look around, we still may see many Taare Zameen Par literally forgetting their real glitter. The plagiarised set-up has led to an intellectual famine that needs to be addressed on priority.
The global challenges are immense and are changing in the blink of the eye and an army of nodders and jotters certainly won’t work. The mob of disconcerted minds will be a big liability for the country projecting to be a global superpower in the near future. Creativity centres around self-awareness as well as looking beyond the obvious. But the bleak situation is that today the students’ imagination is benthic and anoxic. If we try to understand the root cause of this problem, our educational system demands a vacuum cleaning in terms of understanding finer nuances.
The New Education Policy is certainly showing a light at the end of the tunnel but the real challenge would be changing the rusted mindset of people. Entrepreneurship and unusual career paths are still not welcomed by parents who wish to see their child secure and safe in a 9 to 5 job. High order cognitive capacities are still an alien term for a majority of Indians, who cling to grades as a measure of success in life. It’s time to realise that the Indian education system should take a responsive shift in cultivating innovation and out-of-the-box thinking through empowerment and autonomy. In the waves of change, creative problem solving and big picture thinking are essentials to keep pace.
Believe it or not, we are all in a race and the game-changers are ones who figure out the shortest route. It’s high time to work coherently and in a focused manner to foster creativity among young minds. The government should also cushion them and should show a belief in their capabilities. Certainly, the staunch will to learn and evolve can address the elephant in the room and we can plant wings on young minds to fly high in the sky, and shine.
nmvets220@gmail.com
The writer is an associate professor at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University,
Ludhiana
