Education
Beyond Rote Learning: Cultivating Curiosity in Indian Classrooms
The world around us continues to grow, and we have emerged as a society that develops, innovates, and focuses on becoming more aware of its surroundings. Whether it is inventing new devices or addressing social issues, education is fundamental to our hope for a better future.
Indian education has evolved over many years to become what it looks like today. During the Vedic period, the teacher-student bond was focused on holistic development. After British colonisation, the curriculum shifted towards creating more “clerks,” emphasising mathematics and science over subjects like astronomy, philosophy, and metaphysics.
Since gaining independence, the primary focus has been to reform the education system to help every child reach their full potential and excel academically. It’s undeniable that our country is brimming with talented young individuals. Today, our citizens hold prominent positions in international companies, engage in groundbreaking research, and make meaningful contributions on a global scale. Our system aims to acquaint students with a wide range of subjects so that they have a basic understanding of each before choosing their specialised field. This approach allows students to acquire broad knowledge, providing them with a better understanding of various fields rather than delving deeply into the specifics right away.
In the current times, the focus should be more on how things are taught to our students. Let’s imagine a history class where a teacher is giving a lecture. Many of us might envision students getting bored and yawning, worrying about having to memorise a bunch of dates. This is the problem – we have become too reliant on rote learning, and our goal of learning has been reduced to simply regurgitating information on answer sheets during exams. With the increasing emphasis on competitive exams in our country, it has become common for students to study just for the sake of it. In the long term, this takes away the joy of learning new things altogether. While exams and assessments are necessary, students should be made aware that they are meant to assess their conceptual understanding and encourage more efficient learning, rather than succumbing to academic stress. Rote learning and memorization are important tools for learning, but students should be made aware of their purpose and utility so they understand why they are studying what they are studying.
It has been 14 years since the release of the famous Bollywood movie “3 Idiots,” and the question it asked is still very intriguing and relevant to us all: “How many students are excited that they will get to learn something new today?” It still feels like a utopian dream to imagine a classroom where all hands go up. Perhaps we can integrate values from our ancient style of education and combine them with our modern ways to establish a system that harbours students’ curiosity, gives them the space to ask questions, and provides them with more opportunities and choices to learn subjects that fascinate their interest.
This article is authored by-
Vibhuti Singh,
Student