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.
