The Importance of Being Earnest

Does the title ring a bell? Of course it should. How can the literary world forget this farcical comedy that kept the audience of the St. James’ Theatre in London, roaring with laughter? It was indeed Oscar Wilde’s satirical treat to the custom bound society of London on the eve of Valentine’s Day, 1895.

If an SBOAn stops me here to probe, “Hello, we do have all this information online. What have ‘You’ got to say on this title?” I would say I am none to review the work of one of the finest stalwarts of theatre that the English world ever produced. But I do have a point to ponder for the students of this current generation. Hence, with due credit to the genius of Oscar Wilde, I use His title to share a piece of my mind to you my brothers and sisters.

Education today is far different from the education that I underwent. Do not mistake me to be a veteran; I have just crossed the threshold of the generation that you now conquer. But still numerous indeed are the changes that I witness in the relationship between the teacher and the taught. The veterans of the teaching community would surely agree with me that in the yester years education was indeed a serious business, meant to be pursued by students with utmost dedication and devotion. The Gurukula tradition of our country accorded utmost importance to the role of teacher in the life of a student and hence a student was made to go in search of education, i.e., to the place where the guru lived. Education was an equivalent term for sacrifice, as the students were to forego the comforts of their homesteads and undertake with no regrets the errands spelled by the guru to satiate their thirst for knowledge. Knowledge was restricted to the precincts of the guru’s ashram and it remained the “be all and end all” of a student’s search for knowledge.

But today the situation stands reverse. Even the sky is no limit to knowledge. ‘Home Tuition’ brings the teacher to your cozy parlor. The endless pages online, throw before your face, knowledge of both terrestrial and extra-terrestrial. Information is a mouse-click away to any. Virtual Classrooms help the students’ quest for information grow beyond the physical confines. The modern Smart Class infrastructure brings within the four walls the entire universe for the students to explore and experiment. Smartphones have become capable of throwing open numerous windows of knowledge within a display of a few inches. Android, Windows, Apple & Blackberry, when complemented by 3G perform miracles in the way one accesses knowledge.

All have changed and We with all. The means to education are modernized, sophisticated and standardized. The eligibility criterion for the teaching profession is upgraded to meet the modern day challenges. Educative ambiances on the whole are well set and well-maintained. The curriculum is formed with expert guidance, focusing primarily on the ability of education to transform individuals. Educators approach education from a holistic perspective, complementing the knowledge impartation with the teaching of life skills, unearthing of latent talents through co-curricular and extra curricular activities and providing them with opportunities that make the students ‘market ready’.

My mind tells me that despite these colossal changes, something is extremely lacking in the way the modern education stands evolved. “What is lacking?  “Don’t we boast about our impressive school campus in FB?” “Don’t we have as ‘status update’ our recent academic achievements?” “Don’t we broadcast to the whole world the photos of the Golds and the Silvers that we bagged in competitions through ‘Click and Share’ technology?” “Of course, we do.” “Then what else is missing?”

It did not require the ghost of Oscar Wilde to reveal to me the missing element. The truth dawned on me through the words of an illiterate farmer during my recent trip to my hometown. On knowing that I am a teacher he told me “Sir, in our days, information was limited but the thirst for it was unlimited but today the information is unlimited but the thirst for it is poorly limited”.

“Wow!! Here is a simple man pronouncing wisdom with no membership in Social Websites, no knowledge of blog writing and with no affordability towards Galaxy Grands, Apples, Blackberries, HTCs, Canvases, Titaniums and Moto Gs.

Yes. The missing element is “Earnestness” and hence, the title “Importance of Being Earnest”.  If asked, “Have the modern day contrivances created in us a thirst for knowledge or have they mostly helped us waver?”  The answer would be the latter.

In the past, even amidst limited facilities, students approached education with reverence. “Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom” – education and moral fear balanced the scales.  The teachers and the taught shared a respectful cordiality. Obedience to teachers was implicit and they were looked upon and looked up to. Places of education were treated equivalent to places of worship. In short, there was perfect seriousness or earnestness in one’s attitude towards education. Education was viewed as the only tool to elevate the life of an individual and was spoken of as the ultimate wealth; the parents can gift the child with.

            Today acute materialism has brought education under its brutal power. Education is viewed merely as a tool to achieve the end, i.e., a decent job, full purse, lavish life style, secured and sophisticated living. Hence, we either ignore or are unmindful of the other eternal values, such as, sharing, team work, friendship, being sensitive towards others needs, self-discipline, obedience, sociability, reverence to authority, etc., that education imparts in us.

            The modern day students, I am neither biased nor wish to generalize but merely express my opinion, are a bit arrogantly proud about their wealth of the parents, their media-savvy lifestyle, the classy gadgets they own and about their fashion statements. The thought ‘I am rich’ in a way blindfolds them to explore school life in its fullness. Many tend to believe that education can be bought with their wealth. But it is not true. A seat in an educational institution might be bought and not education. If intellectual prowess and discipline – the two major complementing constituents of education, can be bought, every State Rank Holder must surely be a millionaire. But history has a different story.

            My dear students, I wish to end by placing before you all a request. “Education for Education Sake” – education is not a means towards anything; it is an end in itself.  It is an end that makes you complete as a human being. Let us not view it as a guarantee card to wealth and prosperity. Further, education does not end with merely rote memorizing the facts and figures in books and vomiting them on the exam papers. It has much more to it. It is a comprehensive package. Being punctual to class, abiding by the rules of the institution, sporting the prescribed uniform, completing the day’s task regularly, being perfect in homework completion and notebook submission, maintaining record notebooks with absolute care, being attentive in class, being studious and meritorious, having due respect for the teachers and those in authority, all add to the joy of education. Every activity has an educational value imbibed in it and education is not complete unless you relish the ‘kick’ in performing to perfection every activity mentioned above and more. Education starts from the very moment you step into the precinct of your institution but ends only when you breathe your last.

              Forget everything as you step in for the day and fix your focus only on the tasks of the day. Let us deal with education day by day and when the year ends you would see that you have stamped your due presence. Remember you are the privileged lot, many in our nation do not savor still the taste of education. “Being Earnest about Education” is the need of the day and if you succeed in carving in your minds a ‘niche of earnestness’ for Education, there is no doubt that none can restrict your jubilation. I wish that every one of you succeed in your educational pursuits and get shaped as the leaders of tomorrow. May the divine be with you all.