SCHOOL EDUCATION - THE PASSPORT TO THE FUTURE

 

SCHOOL EDUCATION - THE PASSPORT TO THE FUTURE

(Picture from internet)

" Education is the passport to the future , for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today" 

INTRODUCTION :

I did not know much about our present school education systems in India (nor do many parents for that matter ), as my schooling was quite a while ago!

So I have looked them up in brief for a clear understanding!

THE ETHOS:

When in UK for surgical training, my mentor was Mr RCG Russel, of Middlesex Hospital,London - an eminent teacher, author and surgeon par excellence. I had to meet him in person every six months for update and advice. 

The gist of my visits to him is to think of what you wish to be in 20 years' time from today. And focus all your training in that direction and in such facilities. That is life in a nut shell . Your life in 20 years as a young adult will take you through the most productive part.

WHY SCHOOL SYSTEM IS IMPORTANT TO CHOOSE AT THE OUTSET:

For schooling, the period is even shorter - possibly 10 years go know which way you can achieve your dreams. Parents need to be totally in tune with the ambitions of the child and aid him /her.

A child can grasp whatever he is taught quite rapidly. Fluency in analytical thinking, languages, family and traditional values, sciences, morality to say a few are all imbibed  effortlessly as a child.

I don't deny that any child can adust to life in any state, any nation as an adult like most of us adults, have done. We were not exposed to different systems of school education, yet we had done higher education in India, completed higher eduction abroad and returned to work in India. So this is very possible. But with so many school education systems present nowadays, it is easier to fit in the correct groove, so that things are easier for the child when he enters college and take on higher education.

When you see a child, think of him/ her in 10 years' time from today🕺!

Because, in a moment, it will be 10 years hence, where his early adult life will start  with higher college education!!

THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS:

If you still wish to read on, go ahead!

School systems in brief of decreasing difficulty are:

1.ICSE

2.CBSC

3.MATRICULATION &

4.STATE BOARD. 

High lights of each are:

1.ICSE:

 Indian School Certification Examination (ICSE). English medium only. Arts, science, languages, and maths have equal importance.ICSE is the toughest, more western oriented. No Hindi.

United Kingdom College Admissions Board has recognized the ICSE standards as being at par with the standards of the University of Scotland in the UK.

2.CBSE:

It is conducted by the national board of India. CBSE follows a common syllabus nationally. CBSE emphaises on Science and Mathematics, but not on English.

First language is English or Hindi. Second and third languages are Hindi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Urdu; foreign languages like French, Spanish, and German are 4th language.

CBSE is tougher than State Board and has a larger curriculum. CBSE prepares the student for entrance exams related to IIT and AIIMS.

3.MATRICULATION:

Each state has its own their syllabus, tougher that State Board, but easier than ISCE and CBSE. Exams are conducted only till X std, unlike upto XII standards in other systems.

In general, there is more stress on memorizing and less on analytical thinking. 

4, STATE BOARD:

Every state has their own State Board and is controlled by the Education Minister for the respective state.There is stress on traditional values existing in the state.

Syllabus varies from state to state making comparing marks from two different states impractical.State syllabus is confined to the state whereas for CBSE and ICSE,syllabus in pan- India is the same.

The same school may offer the various forms of education systems. These can be discussed with the school authorities who will only be too willing to help!

APPA'S EASY CHAIR

 Appa’s Easy Chair

"Let's sit quiet a bit, Toady!" said the Rat, throwing himself into an easy chair, while the Mole took another by the side of him and made some civil remark about Toad's delightful residence.

1908: Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows 

In the seventies, I remember my father lying in an easy chair in the nights, a bit tired. He used to tell me about some main events, trials in his life. I was a young medical student then, not always receptive however, like most adolescent sons!

Though mostly amusing, the discussions had been educative, instructive, advisory in nature. He was a traditional strict dad.

His main words were, “Always, put in the best effort.Be wise as a serpent, but harmless as a dove”

He himself was a self made man and had worked hard during life; he took on 4 jobs after his retirement, to put me through a medical college education and my sister through mathematical higher education.

More than 2 decades had passed since his demise. 

I was looking through the attic the other day. I found a carefully packed easy chair. It was my father’s. I had not seen an easy chair, leave alone his, for many years. 

Thanks to covid, one gets a new overview of life! 

I took it upon myself to look for a cloth for the easy chair. The cloth I found was too long.With considerable difficulty,I located a tailor to alter it to fit the chair. Sadly due to my own stupidity, I had z small part of the chair cracked up, while setting it up 😷.

The furniture shop opposite to my house, glued it and gave it back. With the remark, would I be interested in selling it to them, because it was made of wood that you hardly ever get nowadays. 

I had never paid any attention to the type of wood; then I remembered my father once saying that he had the easy chair done out of rose wood as it would last a long time!

Late last evening, I finally took the easy chair out into the garden for a trial and sat out for half hour. 

It was cool, after the rains during the day. The jasmine smell was strong in the air. My new vigour in gardening had helped to blossom all sorts of flowers. I sat in a partially lit area considering the recent rains and the puddles, along with two of my German Shepherd dogs. 

It was wonderful to sit in my father’s easy chair, 25 years after he had left. And I don’t know how long he had the chair. It was in the family as long as I could remember.

It was very relaxing 😍, well, at least till the mosquitoes arrived on the scene. I beat a hasty retreat into the house!

5 minutes later, there was a knock at the door. The watchman showed me what he found at the spot where I was sitting… a large scorpion! 😳

Apparently it was moving across the floor , when the GSDs partially bit it with violent tossing of their heads. He managed to pry the scorpion away from the dogs, but a bit too late!

My father’s words rang through my mind, “Be wise ( cautious)” . I am sure he meant it in a different context. But even in this situation, I had chosen the lit area for sitting out, as the sun had gone down. I was  acutely aware of the dogs, as they always pick out reptiles around earlier than humans, rain or no rain. 

Some might have attributed this to karma!

If I had been sitting out for a bit longer, I might have picked up the scorpion in ways more than one 😩. I could not  help but thank  the mosquitos silently, for persuading me to go indoors!

So it is good to be cautious even when totally relaxed in a traditional easy chair, covid or no covid!😊