KRANTI KUMAR GUPTA SPEAKS OUT: Parents must develop a passion for care, concern, consideration and compassion, while bringing up their children and should avoid comparison of their wards with the fellow mates.(December-2011)

A true institute of learning does not discriminate between the poor and the rich, have and have nots; but it does serve the purpose of spreading does serve the purpose of spreading knowledge among the masses and moulds character in a student through a genuine process of learning.

But with the advent of modernized education system in India, which is more an imitation than a self-evolved system, the educational institutions in the country have become business centers providing opportunities for costly co-curricular activities.

In an exclusive interview with The Northeast Age, a nationally acclaimed educationist Kranti Kumar Gupta said that the education scenario in India reflected a pathetic state of affairs, where “shops are being opened, all ultra modern facilities for co-curricular actives which have virtually nothing to do with real education.”

Gupta, born to a highly educated family of Late R.P.Lal , who had a childhood dream of becoming a teacher, today suffers form a great pain to witness gradual erosion of virtues that is adversely affecting the education system as a whole.

Gupta had been engaged in a life-long struggle to inculcate real education among his pupils, their parents and also the “learned teachers” who, according to him, need to play the role of a mentor, than just being a hired person in any institution.

“Today, whatever is taught in schools, colleges and universities, come under education and is accepted as education. But in the words of Emerson, it is simply the means of education,” Gupata said.

Observing the present day students becoming intolerant and losing their childlike behavior, Gupta asserted that the teachers, parents and also the society as a whole have to share own responsibility for degradation.

“For this the students are not be blamed alone. Parents as well as teachers play a very vital role in the students welfare,” he said. In his tips for the parents, Gupta said that the parents must have a “positive thinking”, keeping in mind, six A’s “Aware, Analyse, accept, act, (right) attitude and (proper) approach road”, he explained.

Gupta, a renowned literary person who retired as the Head of regional academic cell of Atomic Energy Central Schools Tarapur (Maharastra) said that the the guidance of his father R.P.Lal as well as his elder sister Prabha Devi who was no less than his mother helped him come out successful in fulfilling his childhood dream of becoming a teacher in reality.

In his deliberation, Gupta highlighted that a child reaches its height, if all the A’s were taken care of and once the child gets the approach road he reaches the altitude automatically. He also suggested the parents to accept their child as he or she is, appreciate him or her and approve of whatever is done.

“For this, parents are required to get rid of their own aspirations and apprehensions They must develop a passion for care, concern, consideration and compassion, while bringing up their children. The parents should avoid comparison among children and distance from their children,” Gupta added.

As Gupta analysed, family tussles also affect the spontaneous growth of a child.” If parents want their children to be gifts to the society, they must make a good family life. Stay married is my message to all of them,” he said.

The family bond will enable a child to open up and share his feelings with his or her parents and other siblings. “If this trend is set in a family to share each other’s feeling and emotions, there would be no crave for the outer world, which drags children to an untimely relationship with their classmates or other acquaintances,” he pointed out.

Gupta is equally worried about the way pressure is being built up on the students by their parents, principals, including teachers. Here he pointed out that even a small child of four years was under pressure in the name of homework and class work.

“Teachers are busy completing the syllabus from cover to cover without caring least for the improvement in children.

In most of the schools teachers are restricted to content-oriented. Consequent upon these children are becoming schizophrenic,” the veteran teacher said.

“Reading a lot, understanding a jot and finally scoring a dot can be seen anywhere and everywhere in most of the schools”, he observed in day-to-day schooling.

He is strong believer in “An ordinary teacher tells, an average teacher explains, a good teacher demonstrates and an excellent teacher Inspire” it is very difficult to accept something extra-ordinary from them, ”he implored.

It is in view of this mounting pressure on small children that a new education policy was suggested by Dr. Yaspal committee.

The then chairman of the university Grants Commission and a great scientist himself, Dr. Yaspal recommended that there should not be admission of children below six years and no admission test for them.

Gupta said that the commission was of the opinion that there should not be any examination for the young children, no Corporal punishment, minimum level of learning in mother tongue and mathematics.

Dr. Yaspal had opined that the syllabus should be tailored to the local needs, aspirations and requirements and there must be value education, besides the physical education. In order to make learning a joyful experience, it should be activity oriented, Gupta quoted form the recommendations of the Yaspal committee.

These recommendations were accepted by the government of India and agencies like DAV Education Society, Atomic Energy Education Society and some other prominent institutions of the country.