Ideal Education

The span of life extends from birth to death. A part of this duration is available for efficient productive work. At least about 24 years are used for education and training to attain professional level in any field of specialization. Normally after 60 or 65 years one gets retired from service either voluntarily or the efficiency tends to decrease owing to deteriorating health conditions. The productive work should benefit individual evolution, social well being and national advancement with dignity full of human values. Each one should establish personal goals to be attained with in a given time limit. Once it is reached fresh goals will have to be established in the same direction if the same ideas are maintained and are expected to continue upward trend. The efficient creativity in physical, mental and spiritual levels indicates personal evolution, development or advancement. The same may be said of a society, an organization or a nation for that matter. Elimination of poverty, material and spiritual, is possible only by this means. So also the physical and mental slaveries could be eliminated.

The abundance of raw materials available across a tropical country like Bharat should be properly made use of by professionally trained personnel. The beneficiaries in the first place should be in the same country. When their requirements are met with satisfaction the living conditions become uniform with least class difference. National well being is based on sustainable society with least unattended demands either in food shelter or social justice. The formation of professionals is an individual approach. The existing system of education based on foreign components, both in the form and its contents, is of no use in a tropical country with a different custom and culture.

Education starts at home. A traditional household is an ideal set up to initiate a child to prepare one self. In fact the education starts with the parents who want to get a child in order to perpetuate the noble heritage that is at our door steps for the past several millennia. The food and living habits of the future parents play significant role in the constitution of a child. The quality of the gametes which go to unite to establish a new organism is of great importance. No toxic residues should be there which damage the components of the gametes. The auspicious moment for conception should permit a healthy, intelligent noble child to start with. During pregnancy the woman should enjoy special attention to guarantee good food, rest, exercise and comprehension so that her physical, mental and spiritual health is maintained at an optimal level. The fetus develops interest for special vibrations in the form of classical music or natural sounds. The sound vibrations play important role in the proper development of a new organism. The daily traditional prayers with Vedic texts, for example, are suitable for the purpose. The universal vision to receive good news, noble thoughts or well being of the entire world is of much importance in the proper development of the fetus. Let peace and happiness rule the world.

Soon after birth a baby becomes partially independent but needs help in many aspects. This is an excellent opportunity to educate the baby. First of all let the baby grow in an environment free of evil thinking, sonic contamination, air pollution, dirty water or garbage strewn land. A natural set up with fresh air, pure water, clean soil, flora and fauna compatible with human beings is an excellent environment for child education.

An education to identify and enjoy the raw materials available in the tropics before its use is a good initial step. Little by little the child is guided to enjoy and utilize the resources with least damage to the environment and to the user. Implementation of this system of education requires an over all change in the concept and contents, call it a revolution in the correct constructive sense.

First and foremost stands the selection and preparation of open minded efficient teachers to lead the program. The age old system of education in Bharat has maintained the need for a permanent self study in order to become a good virtuous teacher. The discipline and flaw less character are indispensable factors to become a teacher candidate. A teacher never gets tired teaching and guiding the ever enthusiastic student population.

A fully qualified teacher should understand the abstract concepts, the objectives of any kind and the words and their significances with all the range of variables. The teacher should lead a simple but exemplary life style along with high thinking standards for others to see and if possible, to follow. For all problems of the society the teacher should indicate suitable solutions with in his capacity or at least should be prepared to discuss the problem with the affected people to arrive at proper conclusions.

Administrative support should be available for the teacher to maintain his body and mind together with proper security. The organizational aspects like infrastructure, finance, physical space, surroundings, logistic in general are all administrative responsibilities. An able administrator should work in complete harmony with the teaching staff. Only gifted few can become such good administrators. Merit and capability alone should decide the selection for such post. When required, special instructions may be given to such selected candidates in the form of training or administrative orientation.

Sustainable agriculture includes cattle farms, horticulture, orchards, medicinal plants and ornamental plants with fodder and any additional fruit trees or timber trees. The forest canopy serves as shade for animals as well. Only selected persons with keen interest in this field should take up this venture. After obtaining sufficient education and training in different aspects of this project they should be permitted to handle these sustainable farms. They should provide harmless vegetables, fruits, cereals and other farm produce for the entire society. These are the basic requirements for every one in the form of food and beverage. Milk and milk products may be consumed for those who require such raw materials. Manure may be prepared with the help of earthworms, cattle dung and green leaves or even the dry leaves. Those engaged in this profession should know how to manage such a program to meet the possible demands with quality products in time. Such arrangement solves problems like the hunger and food shortage or nutrient deficiency. The trained hands should lead the project with learners following their foot steps for the next generation.

At all levels manual labor becomes a key point and all able bodied persons get opportunity to contribute with their might in solving the problems of the entire society. The material needs of the constituent families are looked after by the agricultural production which should be coordinated at several levels to maintain free flow of the process. Extra care should be taken to maintain supply to the weaker sections like elder citizens, pregnant women or physically or mentally disabled people. Preventive measures should be taken to avoid diseases and disasters like famine. Medical help should be available at all times with no additional burden on the sick. The society should make provisions for such situations. The administrative team is there to look after different security measures and implementation just action at the time of any social unrest. The planning body has to evolve strategies and measures before other organisms in the society act.

At the outset any baby is exposed to a family life full of love, harmony and faith in the Almighty. This is to recognize a supreme power that looks after the entire affairs of the mankind amidst a dynamic nature. Such an eternal power eludes verbal description of any kind. It is just the subtle vibration present in every object, animate or not. It represents a silent witness for every action every where by every body. This faith is just in case we have to surrender ourselves to some body some time.

Side by side the child is invited to train its own capacity to improve the sensory perceptions so that all the input is clear, precise with least ambiguity. Simultaneously the observations should be systematically arranged for storage in accordance with individual taste and convenience but with least prejudice. Incidentally simple reasoning and logical arguments are conveniently introduced in to the collected data which helps to process the observed facts in a better manner. Collective games are conveniently organized to imitate social problems and practical solutions are obtained. Of the possible collection of solutions the best or most effective one is selected and the problem gets solved. It is a child’s play to educate to become a responsible citizen in the future. Proper soft technology should be selected to minimize the efforts or to save time, labor and energy. Able and experienced adults from the society, whether teachers or parents, participate in the teaching game suggesting convenient technologies to their knowledge, to make the same more attractive and meaningful. Every household becomes a research center in the true sense to look for collective solutions to social problems. Any conclusion and the efficient solution are recorded and maintained for future reference.

Throughout the education process care must be taken to ensure that a child enjoys full freedom to use all the five sensory perceptions. A coordinated use of motor organs can train the corresponding organs. The mind and body get trained simultaneously to solve social problems. Step by step any sensory perception may be improved and made more complicated so that the assimilation capacity increases. For example, to improve the hearing capacity the simple vibrations and natural sounds may be combined with musical notes, combinations of these notes with intonations and extensions, different melodies, significant terms and meaningful messages may be included in successive classes. When it comes to the vision, simple colors, forms of objects, fruits, flowers, domestic animals or natural flora and fauna, a pond, river under flooded and dry conditions permit association of many factors for analysis. Timely programs should be envisaged in the nature when things or happenings occur without previous notice, all on a surprise the teacher should be alert to make use of the situation. Any analysis and logical reasoning to explain the natural process should be promoted. Similar experiences provide ample opportunities and training to face surprise problems in the society. Once the curiosity is aroused the child is capable of maintaining the trend for a while. Constant supervision and guidance is required to sustain such interest for longer periods. Finally the mature youngster can defend one self.

When the process of observation of the nature and the analysis of the collected data their interpretation to arrive at obvious conclusions is complete further creative thinking sets in. Opportunities should be open to the interested youngster in the society so that the young mind is engaged in constructive activity.

By the time the youth is grown up involved in solving social problems with efficient solutions there is a new leader ready to guide the destiny of the companions. Now the real life commences exposing the real problems them selves. Problems are of two types, those with no solutions at all and those with possible solutions. One has nothing to do with the former category, not even engaging oneself in emotions or sentiments since there is no solution at any cost. Meanwhile no time should be lost in solving the situations. Stitch in time saves nine say the proverb.

While solving a problem several other aspects become automatically incorporated into the education program. For example, trying to answer the questions related to the problems one should ask why, where, when, how, who in a coherent manner to get respective answers. A systematic approach leading to the discovery of a specific pattern is the science. Science is the true knowledge explaining all the factors involved without supposing anything at all. Such precious pieces of information when accumulated become future science, a useful tool for the society as a whole and not just for a few elite scholars to deal with.

Any problems or their solutions have aspects that can be expressed quantitatively or qualitatively. Here enters the mathematics. The four operations of mathematics involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division become useful and practical. This opportunity should be made use of for improving the mathematical skills. Higher mathematics imagining or supposing abstract conditions may be suitable for specialists as hobbies. Games such as chess provides for intellectual evolution. Interested persons may indulge in similar games to maintain intellectual rapidity.

Working in groups or in a society youngsters have ample opportunity to cooperate, sympathize and put into practice good brotherhood. Compassion for the weaker sections of the society with love and affection are attributes to be developed or fostered right from the child hood. The concentric circles including oneself at the center and the family, community, village, state, region, country, the world at large forming successive circles represent a reasonable society. A social science of this type is suitable in the education preparing the base for a noble citizen.

Physical education is part of day to day activities at the school involving jumping singing running walking making acrobatics and what not. One gets sufficiently exhausted at the end of the day. After a soothing fresh water bath one gets a deserving rest at night. Physical education not only makes the lungs stronger but also other organs of the body become equally trained and educated. Violence and erratic competition should be avoided at the physical education. All are winners when they finish the play. Games like athletics, swimming, kabaddi or khokho are ideal for such purposes. Games should be played for its own sake. Sportsmanship is the real spirit with which one participates in an event. Such events may be maintained as part of cultural program in any society. Appropriate use of physical activity for gardening, tree planting or maintenance of social forests is a positive step in the education. Whenever possible, as in the case of coastal areas, tree climbing is a very good useful exercise worth practicing.

Traditional yoga becomes part and parcel of the education process involving all the steps of social and individual disciplines and duties fit for an interested student.

Artistic expressions may be part and parcel of every educational activity. Each person may develop proficiency in the form of theater, dance, drama, painting, sculpturing, imitating birds and animals, or any other good activities. Each one may develop individual taste for specific options and may require orientation on selected fields. Creative minds should be recognized at once and given facilities to continue in the field.

All through the education process one will have ample opportunity to express in clear terms experiences and feelings as and when they come to mind. The thoughts get physical expression through vocal box in a systematic manner. The pronunciation and precision in word selection, orthography or grammatical constructions are fundamental components of language education. Further specialization in poetry, metrics or essay writing, story telling and the like is possible with proper guidance and recognition. An efficient communication is part of a good education.

This type of education has to be set up at diverse environments to suit individual locality and should not be generalized or made alike for all ecological environments. The rigidity of form or contents normally associated with generalized text books may thus get reduced with this type of education in mind. Chronograms to suit the local weather conditions also will have to be incorporated in to the teaching syllabus. They should include activities related to their environment and social, cultural or other factors.

To reduce the burden of weight in the school bag a new system is proposed. In this system numbered cards are elaborated for students, their parents and their teachers. The numbers are identical in all the three cards but the contents are totally different. In one card corresponding to the student instruction is given as to the objective of the day’s activity. The card to the parents carrying identical number informs them about the activity and suggests the requirements for that particular activity. The way the child should be dressed, the foot wear, the head dress, additional towel, pair of glows, a knife, a wooden board, fruits or seeds, or any such requirements are indicated mentioning the quality and quantity. The parents will take active part in the home work and evaluation of the child’s activities. This step maintains close contact with the child’s progress through daily observation. Again this is yet another way of involving the parents, in addition to the teacher in the orientation and evaluation of the taught. The other card carrying the identical number given to the teacher explains the work to be done at the school keeping in mind the level at which the child learns and the ability of the taught to grasp and dominate the contents.

The card for the teacher explains the objective to be attained, the methodology to be followed, the number of students to be involved in each game and other details. This being an individual record depending upon the progress shown by the pupil the teacher should plan quite in advance to organize activities at the school. The teacher is always at liberty to involve the parents to guide the taught so that the home work becomes part of the school work. The individual action, the reaction of the group, the interaction among students, teacher and parents finds its expression at the final results in the form of a trained or educated new citizen of the world.

About 252 activities are included in one year’s program to be completed in 365 days. A student should take up 12 full years of study to complete the course and be prepared to face the world with thousands of problems. The outgoing student should have acquired physical abilities and mental aptitudes to solve any problems of the society. There is no need to go in search of any job. The person is well prepared to make use of any given opportunity to solve social problems.

In a sustainable peace loving society citizens of this kind become key figures in the future. They are leaders, they are protectors and providers. They are social assets. At that stage all are equal and precisely the desired social uplifting in a sustainable society. There will be no poverty, inequality or dominance. There will be no class struggle. There will be no competition. A new civilization is born by the people, for the people and of the people.

Other details as to the implementation of this system, its implications, the financial commitments, training facility for the pioneers are all to be defined at a later date.