Whether we reply “Intermediate” or “Class 11” to the routine question of “What are you studying”, the most obvious next question is “What subjects did you choose?”
What is funny about the question is that we don’t actually choose.
There are usually three or more ‘branches’ or ‘streams’ that one has to pick after being dropped into the world of pre-adulthood, after school. And for most, the branch is predefined years before coming of age; by others who are uncertain about holding you tight when you are about to fall.
If you reply “Sciences”, your enquirer may reply “oh! Doctor!”
Say “Mathematics” and you get a matter-of-fact statement- “Engineer”.
Even “Commerce” is not left untouched by bias, with a reply of “Accountant” coming your way.
Any other reply, and you may have a longer, more imaginative conversation, where you’d have to explain the subjects and your future plans.
But honestly, are three or maybe four main subjects really giving us flexibility?
Once you’re on one of these roads, it’s incredibly hard to turn back.
“I hate the subjects I am studying. I want to just do arts.”
“I feel so wasted. I was forced to do these subjects, because my parents believe I am ‘unsuited’ to study hard enough to become a doctor.”
Ask any one our age, they’ve heard a number of their friends, and classmates saying something like this. They were left mute on the plans of their own future.
Some may wonder, how anyone really knows if someone can or cannot do something. But no two stories are ever truly alike.
“I am studying BiPC, but I want to learn mathematics” one of my friends told me on the day of our Zoology exam. Her grandfather seemed extremely distressed, as it was the final and she openly declared her lack of interest in the subject.
“Make her see sense! It’s too late now! She’ll have to do the year again to do math!” he told me, with desperation in his eyes. “She was the one who chose to study science in the first place.” She lived with her grandparents, and her parents were in another country all together. I could imagine the words they are likely to listen to from their child and his wife, as they were her ‘caretakers’ and were supposed to guide her. I could also imagine the thoughts in their head, starting with “A wasted year” or “What if she doesn’t like that either?”
Although she was given the ‘freedom’ to choose, it was a hard decision for her, and she was obviously too young to make a choice. “I like math, and botany, but I can’t tolerate the other subjects”, she told me. “I’ll do just math, as I can’t do both”, with a rather bleak expression on her face. This unconventional combination of subjects isn’t available in our state in a majority of colleges. And anyone who would choose these subjects would probably have to pacify a swarm of unhappy relatives wondering about the prospects of a career after such a pursuit in education. But the choice in careers is also endless, and new arenas open every day with the development in technology, communication and research.
We should be able to choose more than the number of subjects we can now.
Were the syllabus slightly non-detailed in the un-necessary areas, then we could accommodate the increase in the number of subjects, without worrying about the increase in work load. Prioritizing the topics to accommodate more ‘neutral’ ones where anyone who may not or may pursue a career directly related to it will feel like it is worth learning. Or maybe actually adapting a couple of the methods used in the west. After all, we try to adopt and adapt just about everything, but somehow don’t think their educational system deserves the flattery?
Change is never easy, and if Kapil Sibal were to suggest these massive changes, he will face far more criticism than ever before, but also impress and gain the hearts of many more.
The long awaited “right to education” bill has finally been passed. But there’s always room for more refinement in the system.
If a child can choose subjects he/she likes, along with maybe a few suggested by the parents (they will have their say, of course), then at least the interest in education won’t be drained, and the choice is far more than it ever were before. There are so many courses available, so many professions waiting to be recognized and so many lives that can be changed.
We were all born free. But most of us don’t have the power to chose the things we’re supposed to set our lives to and we’re victim to others, or just the lack of choice.
And if you can’t make a choice, then you’re deprived of your fundamental right. The right to chose. To be free. To be one self.
