EDUCATION OUTSIDE THE CONFINED WALLS OF A CLASSROOM - STORY OF SCHOOLS IN BAHADURGARH

A child, born with curiosity, an urge to learn and grasp, an eye for knowledge, a mind for comprehension, with a gripping claw to command his future, he lands in a school in rural India. This is not just one tale, this is the unexplored tale of millions whose dream to discover through the endless opportunities of the world is narrowed down to the academic curriculum laid by the ministry.

The schools in rural India might be called the places of worship, but certainly cannot be called a place to expand one's learning experiences. At a tender age, when a child is enrolled, he is made to rote learn through the books and assimilate only the knowledge that these books are to impart.

With Science books teaching the density of liquids but nobody to show how oil settles over water, with Grammar books teaching sentence construction but no exposure to Scrabble, with no art classes, no visits to the museum, no field trips, no debate clubs, ignorance to a complete personality development schedule, it dawns the future of our country.

Holistic development, accommodating physical, spiritual, emotional, social and relational aspects, is the need we all must fulfil to pull these children out from a tradition that age old rural Indian schools have been following of building machines over rational, compassionate and significant adults of value.

Recognizing the true meaning of personality development and equipping one with skills that hold intrinsic value in all spheres of life like resilience, perseverance and co-operation is what should be focussed upon.

Sports and drama, art and craft, meditation and debate, music and dance, quiz and seminars, are all activities that settle deeper into one's mind than we think. Creativity and novelty blooms when all children are made to race their brain together towards new inventions.

A balanced schedule that contains both recreation and academics helps children perform better. The brain thus opens up and thinks than just memorize, it relaxes the mind and helps a child think beyond his books. Personality is the result of all that we see and create and delve on, and if we continue to expose our children to only books of unrevised  and stagnant curriculum, are we really focussing on progress?

No child fits into just one classroom, children with vast capability and skill, just need to be pushed into the right direction of actual learning. This world which stands on the foundation of stone was carved by a creative man, its policy written by another one, its law channelized by another one, its art preserved into poetry, history and monuments by many those who moulded their learning experience and funneled it into the world through their definition of imagination and innovation.

Before the liquid reaches the brim and their future is too dark for light to reach, their minds too rigid to learn, their thoughts too limited to expand, their dreams too shattered to fly, we should all take a flight of awareness and sensitivity towards helping each little hero realize his aspiration and work towards its achievement and attainment.