Uneducated Literates
BE EDUCATED……NOT LITERATE
Birthday celebration occupies a special place in my heart (even if it’s not mine!). Last summer I was at one such celebration. It was the birthday of my neighbor’s daughter who had turned one. Her parents had thrown a grand party. It seemed as if they had invited the whole town. The birthday girl looked adorable; she surely deserved the grand party. I was really enjoying myself until I heard the little girl’s grandma talking to my mom, I quote-“I had always wanted a grandson but God doesn’t seem to have his blessings on our family lately. Hopefully the next time he’ll answer my prayers.” I was dumbstruck! I assumed her to be one of those uneducated women who clearly have a hard time accepting the changes and adapting to it. So I chose to ignore her, but clearly I was wrong. The woman had a Ph.D. in History and that too from one of the reputed colleges in India, Unbelievable! And here we are, wondering why India is still a “developing country”.
I think the problem arises at home. A child looks up to his family members and learns what he sees. Schools play a major role in building up a person’s character as well. In today’s world a person is judged by his financial status or by the number of degrees he’s acquired. Every year, the survey shows more number of students graduating or more number of children getting enrolled in schools, but does it really make a person educated? No, definitely not. Being ‘educated’ and being ‘literate’ are entirely different. One does not need to go to school to be educated. This is the reason why corruption, dowry, female infanticide, rape, murder and such terrible crimes are still taking place. People still have irrational beliefs and thoughts which never tend to change. Parents pressurize their kids to score well, teachers do the same. Either swipe out the rest or get swiped out in the crowd. ‘Educational
Birthday celebration occupies a special place in my heart (even if it’s not mine!). Last summer I was at one such celebration. It was the birthday of my neighbor’s daughter who had turned one. Her parents had thrown a grand party. It seemed as if they had invited the whole town. The birthday girl looked adorable; she surely deserved the grand party. I was really enjoying myself until I heard the little girl’s grandma talking to my mom, I quote-“I had always wanted a grandson but God doesn’t seem to have his blessings on our family lately. Hopefully the next time he’ll answer my prayers.” I was dumbstruck! I assumed her to be one of those uneducated women who clearly have a hard time accepting the changes and adapting to it. So I chose to ignore her, but clearly I was wrong. The woman had a Ph.D. in History and that too from one of the reputed colleges in India, Unbelievable! And here we are, wondering why India is still a “developing country”.
I think the problem arises at home. A child looks up to his family members and learns what he sees. Schools play a major role in building up a person’s character as well. In today’s world a person is judged by his financial status or by the number of degrees he’s acquired. Every year, the survey shows more number of students graduating or more number of children getting enrolled in schools, but does it really make a person educated? No, definitely not. Being ‘educated’ and being ‘literate’ are entirely different. One does not need to go to school to be educated. This is the reason why corruption, dowry, female infanticide, rape, murder and such terrible crimes are still taking place. People still have irrational beliefs and thoughts which never tend to change. Parents pressurize their kids to score well, teachers do the same. Either swipe out the rest or get swiped out in the crowd. ‘Educational