WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH EDUCATION?

Imagination is more powerful than knowledge. - Albert Einstein

Youth education: school dropout rate is 80%

“I was born intelligent but education ruined me”- many times I have seen this status at facebook, print at t-shirts. My question, is really our education ruing those people? Not too much pessimistic but matter to think.

The problem my generation facing regarding studies, learning and teaching patterns. My experience, I never thought of doing my intermediate level, I just wanted to pass S.L.C only. After that, fathers business. But what to do with fate, I got first division marks, and was suggested to study science. So after, enrolled my bags and ran to Kathmandu for higher studies. Dream of businessman never left my mind, so thought to finish intermediate level and leave study. Again, aggregate distinction, mind suggests study further; u can do business whenever you like. Presently, engineering college, bachelor degree.

What exactly I learned is the matter to discuss. Got a tag of best student from early childhood. Was I best, tried to figure out? Mathematics, I loved to do, science(PHYSICS)?? .A question mark? (Till today). I mug up all the definition, solved the numerical so got good grades at S.L.C. same thing I practiced at intermediate level. Got distinction, no doubt, because questions were almost fixed what was to be asked? (Past question practices makes students to get first division marks easily, if have a little concept also then distinction is nothing)

Frankly speaking, I doubt myself, am I able to understand physics? Did I try to understand it? The entire thing I did, just copied the notes, read all those stuffs. Never tried to be imaginative, or thought about being it. Teachers were busy just finishing course in time, explaining those things that are all.

Was it my fault or teachers or the education methodology? This question was in my mind. So tried to solve it (believe myself as a learner). So my research proceeds.

I used to have questions regarding the physics mystery. When I asked them got the tag of “nonsense questions.” Also, one interesting fact, I used to see aboard writers books and asked the numerical from those, books to teachers, got another answers “no need to see such tough question just practice from the books we subscribed”. I don’t want to say all teachers are alike that, but I am talking regarding the most cases.

The concept that I found among teachers is just making student able to pass the exams. The course time is totally designed in view of exam importance. I believe that my generations’ friends are receiving knowledge but the power of being imaginative is being degraded.

Nearly half of the 3 million people who enroll in the university in the U.S. dropout within 6 years. In Nepal, school dropout rate is 80%.

Why really my friends quit the exams? Why their grades are always low. The answer was simple, they were not getting what teachers were teaching, their catching capacity was too low or the methods of teaching were not appropriate. They don’t find a vision on studies. Studies are not too interesting. Either they are studying forcefully. Why it was so?

Our teaching methodology is one dimensional. From primary level only we are receiving one dimensional study. Living in a world of three dimensional and studying in one dimensional? Ridiculous things always happen. Till today I am having the problem of understanding terms of science.

What actually one dimensional education gave me?

Simple example

What is weightless?

One dimensional study: A teacher come to class and gives a definition of weightless. A student hears and just note down the definition.

having no weight, especially by virtue of being in an atmosphere in which there is no gravitational pull

Two dimensional studies: a teacher shows a man falling freely on a projector. A student gets information in two dimensional (listening and seeing)

Three dimensional studies: a group of students are allowed to play in a big balloon where they experience falling of a body and shouting weightless.

Three dimensional is not possible while teaching in all cases, but two dimensional concepts are possible. (Campion College has implemented it from this year)

Creativity and imaginary are the matter of concern.

Roger Sperry (1981 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine.) research showed that the two hemispheres of the brain control different mental and perceptual functions.

BRAIN HEMISPHERE

— RIGHT HEMISPHERE — INSIGHT — 3. D. FORMS — IMAGINATION — MUSIC — PAINTINGS — SCULPTURE

— LEFT HEMISPHERE — MATHEMATICS — LOGIC — WRITING LANGUAGE — SPEAKING SKILLS — SCIENTIFIC SKILLS — RESONING Source: Microsoft ® Encarta ®

Discoveries shows that, right hemisphere efficiency of performance is 90 percentage, remaining 10 percent for left hemisphere. Also, right hemisphere is active and works up to 13 years of age from birth, after that left hemisphere starts to perform its work, also the work of right hemisphere is performed by left hemisphere after 13 years of age. The efficiency of human brain is 100 percentages but scientists have found that up to 3 percentage of brain is only being utilized.

My point is that, from early childhood students are receiving the education to develop their left hemisphere. Creativity and imaginary power are not developed. If activities required for development of right hemisphere are developed, then student will get a chance to be creative and imaginative. The point is that, whether to train the students to be creative, imaginative or leave them on the environment as we are having now? Music, sports, art are the education that helps to develop our neurotransmitter for making right hemisphere of brain active.

Till today, we are judging the students by their marks and performance, we never planned to make them creative and imaginative, just we provide them knowledge and they just share the knowledge that they save in their mind. I am also the same fellow among all who got a same tag.

Madam Curie, who took out her 2 daughters from school and started to give the knowledge of music, horse riding, climbing, art,.

Her daughters are known as great writer and great scientist (Nobel Prize winner)

Sabin Adhikari

Kathmandu Engineering College

Electronics &Communication

aderants@gmail.com