The Destiny of a Nation is Shaped in its Classrooms | HPSC Preparation: All subjects - HPSC (Haryana) PDF Download

Politics

“Children’s minds are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression.”
Childhood is the age when a child’s character begins taking shape. This is the age of curiosity and astonishment. At this age, they learn their values and beliefs. They start forming an opinion about good and bad. They ask a lot of questions. So it’s very important that when they question things, they get the kind of morally correct answers and inspire them. Children must develop the right set of values and character. They must realize that any country needs great leaders, reformers, businessmen, doctors, engineers, and citizens who can contribute to the growth of a nation.

Why are Classrooms Essential?

Classrooms teach students to think analytically and look for problems and come up with solutions. Most of us may not need algebra in our daily life when we grow up, but learning algebra has developed our problem-solving skills. Identifying problems is a key skill that is needed in a person who is expected to do big things. How can a person solve problems if he/she cannot identify them?
Classrooms also teach us the value of handwork and effort. To excel in our studies, there is no easy way out. Just like life in a classroom, we have to make sustained efforts to achieve excellence. Classrooms teach us values like kindness, respect, empathy, sharing, group work, social skills, belongingness, and competition. These are important skills needed in life. Classrooms teach us all the important things that humanity has spent centuries learning for living harmoniously as a society.
Classrooms provide a perfect setting for a child to learn about the world he/ she lives in. They have kids coming from different cultural, regional, linguistic, and economic backgrounds. Healthy and respectful conversations moderated by an encouraging and open-minded teacher can help the students become progressive and dutiful citizens when they grow up. In a country like India, which has so much diversity, respecting every community is of utmost importance. Our constitution guarantees equality for everyone, and children need to learn that in a society, every person is equal, irrespective of economic status, caste, gender, religion, complexion, language, etc. Unity in diversity is what India stands for.

How can Human Resources Help?

Skilled workers can handle machinery to drive manufacturing growth, whereas unskilled workers cannot. Moreover, skilled workers can learn how to operate new and complex machinery resulting in faster modernization and efficiency. This skilled workforce will have better economic conditions and quality of life compared to the unskilled workforce. They will afford better education and healthcare for their own family, further contributing to the prosperity and economic growth.
India’s literacy rate stands at 74.04% today. However, the youth literacy rate is 89.7%. This shows that in the future, the workforce will be more literate than today. It shows more potential for a skilled workforce, as it will be better equipped to handle changes in the workplace scenario with automation and new-age technologies like machine learning.
South Korea is an example of this fact. After the Korean War, South Korea was an impoverished country with the fishing industry as their only source of economy. Koreans at that time realized that their country is small in size and lacks natural resources to trade for foreign exchange. They realized that their only hope is the next generation. Over the next decade, Koreans focused heavily on the education of their next generation. In 30 years, South Korea became an ‘Asian tiger’ economy with an average GDP growth rate of 8% between 1962 and 1989. Today South Korea is a member of elite groups of nations like the OECD and G-20.
An educated person possesses critical thinking. He can identify problems at the workplace and in society. Problems like inequality, poverty, crimes against women, and so on require critical thinking to reach a solution, and it is taught in the classrooms. Students who are good at critical thinking and problem solving have great potential to become leaders in business and society. They can start businesses that solve the needs of the people and generate capital, thus increasing economic growth. In addition, they can help solve a social issue and cause the upliftment of society.

Where does India Stand?

In India, enrolment in primary schools has improved considerably, and dropout rates after secondary school have reduced. With initiatives like ‘Right to Education,’ its impact will soon be visible in society as these children grow up.
However, in our country, much focus is given to bookish knowledge or ‘rote learning.’ Children in India are taught ‘what to think’ rather than developing creative thinking and teach kids how to think.’ Kids are expected to cram up their books and notes and pass the exam. The ground reality of what is expected from a student after they complete their education is to get a job. Students are expected to follow a system to get a job, just like they have to follow orders as a soldier or a junior employee. This has become the aim of our schools and colleges. In many cases, innovative ideas and curious questions are laughed off by fellow students and teachers alike. Students who genuinely have the desire to do something new and meaningful often find resistance.
Our country has multiple social issues. It is not enough to just train students so that they can get a good job. Students need to be transformed into the drivers of prosperity and growth for themselves and the country. They need to be made aware of their responsibility towards their countrymen and humanity as a whole.
To face the challenges that plague Indian society today, the foundation must be prepared in the classrooms, a place where the future of the country takes shape. Since the next generation will have the responsibility of running the nation in a few years, it is necessary to ensure that they possess the necessary qualities to deal with those challenges. Challenges like poverty, corruption, crime, pollution, and climate change require minds that have the aptitude for working out holistic solutions for them. The destiny of the country and humanity depends on the children in the classroom, and they must be given all the support to prepare for the challenges that the country faces.