The true essence of education
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: July 06 , 2013 -

Mass rally taken out at Thoubal to send out the message for a disturbance free education :: Pix - Hueiyen Lanpao

On the true essence of education, the German-born theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, who was best known for his theory of relativity and received Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 ‘for his services to Theoretical Physics, and specially for his discovery of the law of photoelectric effect’, once said, ‘Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything that he learned in school.”

The July 4 ruling of Supreme Court of India on the need to bring about immediate reformation in the existing education system of the country has come very close to this.

Noting that the education system in the country has failed to achieve its objective, a bench of justices BS Chauhan and FM Ibrahim Kalifulla has observed that the even though literacy level may have increased over the years, it has not resulted in better human value, and thus, it calls for immediate reform.

It’s true that education is not merely about reading text books and getting high marks in the examination.

It should be something that leads us to become a complete human being in life. The light of education should help to be able to differentiate between what is good and bad.

In short, the true essence of education is all about inculcating the spirit of humanity, which could be possible only when the system of education in place is refined and free from any undue pressures.

Against this backdrop, it is disheartening to know that thousands of students in the four valley districts of Manipur have to come out from their respective class rooms to participate in a mass rally to send out the message for a ‘disturbance-free education zone’ in the State on July 5.

The latest rally held under the aegis of Democratic Students’ Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) may have come in the wake of a series of recent attacks on schools by suspected arms persons who hurled hand grenades or planted bombs over monetary demands, but conducive atmosphere for academic activities is one that has always remained elusive in this strife-torn State for the last many years.

If it is not for monetary demands of the UGs, normal functioning of the schools got affected from frequent imposition of bandh and general strike in the State by every sundry organization.

Even if educational institutes were said to be exempted from the purview of such bandhs and general strikes, shut down of oil pumps and restriction on vehicular traffic on roads, which inevitably included school van services rendered claim of such exemption meaningless.

In such a situation, talk of true essence of education and inculcating human values in Manipur sounds so hollow and absurd.

So, let education be free from all its attached chains and allow the students to explore and discover their own uniqueness. Only then, there is can be true meaning of education in the State.