Getting children educated is a big enigma in these prevailing times. We spend a good amount, 10 to 15 years, of our life worrying about getting children educated. Battles are fought at home on which good school the child should get enrolled in to; advice is sought from various educated circles on what coaching the kids need to get; temples are visited for miracles to happen; grand plans are made on the what the future of kid be. To summarize, no stone is left unturned to make the child educated i.e., the journey is craved out, the goal is set. However, during this whole process the intent of education is lost.
So, what really is the intent of education ? What should be the role of the parents/teacher in it ?
The intent of education is to understand the principles and elements of problem solving instruments, which could be applied to ever changing and evolving complex problems. The intent of education SHOULD NOT be to solve the same problem again and again.
Every individual is unique in one way or other, it is a mystery and beauty of nature. Hence, individuals take unique ways or routes, based upon their talent, to achieve success. The roles of parents and teachers should be to participate actively to help kids discover their inner most talent and their unique way to achieve the goal.This philosophy, though hard to practice, has better chances of success as it is extension of the individual's natural self, which includes their thinking, body structure and philosophy. So parents should avoid participating in the rat race of education, which emphasizes individuals to choose their path that is monetarily lucrative or socially acclaimed ( e.g., engineering, medicine, management) and which is not a natural extension of their self.
As rightly said, "nature always take the most efficient route". Similarly, extending natural self of kids by honing their natural talent is the most effective and efficient way to help them to be successful in any profession chosen by them.
Finally, education is a path to attain wisdom and not the only path.
