Notes on Education

Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buddhist_monks_%28Laos-2009%29.jpg W hile Nalanda University is regarded as the first university in the world, ancient universities were destroyed by invaders and time. When the British arrived in India some two centuries ago the concept of a university was reintroduced in India. With that came many western customs including western gowns and formal dresses worn at convocations for award of degrees. While this is appropriate for universities developed on the western concept, it is most inappropriate if it is done at the recently revived Nalanda University. The appropriate dress is the same one as must have been worn at the original Nalalnda University on formal occasions and that is the formal Buddhist Monk dress. This author intends to convey this link to the concerned authorities in the hope that the needful will be done. The Convocation Hall? Image Source: http://pediaa.com/what-is-the-historical-importanc...

Feel free to copy and use anywhere you like I n the beginning education was part of religious schools both at school and University level. However religion has now been separated from education, rightly so, because of secular values and degeneration in many modern religions. Over the past few centuries education programs have become independent of religious education in the main but at first moral education was included as a component of education. In recent years even this component has been removed. Should moral and ethical education be a part of all educational programs? Education is a tool that empowers a human to do both good and bad, to build or destroy depending on how it is used. Like a gun it can protect or kill. It may empower a good human to perform service to the world or a greedy banker to run away with all the profits under disguise of a bonus. "When you educate a man in mind and not in morals, you educate a menace to society." ----Theodore Roosev...

W hile socialist oriented countries provide free higher education to citizens that wish to pursue it, other countries have left it in private hands to various extents. In order to pay the cost of this education, students often take loans from various financial institutions in the hope that they shall be able to pay it back easily after they graduate with the help of a good job. It does not always turn out that way though. One can be unemployed or underemployed later depending on the state of the economy or the state of the person in future and repayment can become a huge stress compromising the very quality of life. In addition some of the loan givers may be predatory sharks that can harass much later. There are also many persons, including this author, that are in principle against taking a loan for any activity in life except dire life threatening or very short term emergencies (such as losing your wallet on a trip) unless the loan is a forgivable loan from a non-profit maki...

  I t goes without saying that a school that is running for profit will admit even a two month old baby to school as long as it makes a profit unless the government stops that. If not two month old children as young as two are being admitted to preschools across India. It goes without saying that the children get damaged psychologically simply because a school environment where a group of children have to be managed can not provide the love and care a child of less than five requires for an all around development. However, if that was not enough something far worse is happening. Children as young as three are being sexually molested in these schools as one was yesterday in Bangalore and more earlier damaging the child for life. The government must step in and ban any sort of school for children under age four. Just one year of preschool or kindergarten is enough before entering class one at age five or six. Parents need to be educated that very early school damages the...

Graduate of UBC An Open Letter to The Right Honorable Smriti Z. Irani, Minister for HRD Government of India Dear Minister, Please accept my congratulations at your new appointment. Many highly educated Indians and academics including myself are highly excited and pleased in finally seeing an energetic and capable young Minister for education in India. Unfortunately it has not always been so in India and as a result, standards of education have suffered. It may be mentioned that this letter comes to you from a person who has attained the highest levels of formal education, from the finest of universities as available in our world. These include the Indian Institute of Technology at Delhi for a bachelors plus masters degree (with distinction and top rank) and doctor’s degree from the University of British Columbia in Canada on a doctoral fellowship of the university. Later, there was good fortune to serve on the faculty of these esteemed unive...

W ith progress of science and knowledge one would have expected that standard of basic arithmetic of school children too would have improved. However, surprisingly, this is one area where instead of improvement deterioration appears to have taken place in recent decades. Several surveys carried out in different parts of the world indicate that while children are becoming better at electronic things like computers, their most basic arithmetic skills are deteriorating. Even fourth or fifth graders are lagging behind in basic skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of numbers. A review of the scenario by this author seems to indicate that a primary reason for this is the fact that curriculums have been expanded much too rapidly with the consequence that far too much knowledge is being thrust upon youngest of children leaving them disinterested in the subject. Attempts have been made to include algebra at elementary school level as well as concepts from s...

  A trend has been noted in arithmetic education of children across many countries around the world. It has been noted that while several fifth and six graders are unable to carry out simple addition and subtraction exercises, leave alone multiplication and divisions, there is a tendency to rush children even as young as three with too much learning by their respective school boards or private managements The need of the day is to slow down the pace at which education is thrust upon children while ensuring that whatever is taught is done so firmly. It goes without saying that the process of learning must be made enjoyable to engage a child. While many schools begin nursery education at three and include pre-primary grades such as lower KG and upper KG, the view of this author as well as several educators around the world is that preschool education must not begin under the age of four under any circumstances. A child under four is best at home under the care of a lov...

Preschool Arithmetic Experts differ as to their opinion on what the correct age is to begin formal education starting at class one of a primary school for children. Some suggest an age of five and others seven but all agree hat it should be for children five years or older. Below the age of five a child may remain entirely out of school as this author did or he may spend a few hours a day at a play school that includes nursery and kindergarten. The latter should include mainly play activities. A preschool may be considered at age four or more only if one can be found where loving care is guaranteed and if a  secure way to take the child to that play school and bring him back home in two or three hours can be organized.. Imposing any additional learning at this tender age at home or preschool can stunt a child’s mind. It must be allowed to develop at its own pace under loving care. If a local preschool tells you differently and wishes to admit a child at three please do ...

The idea for the Froebel Education Trust was launched by this blogger around three years ago, soon after his retirement from full time work. The hope was to make a contribution towards improving education at all levels in India as and when time permitted even in the retirement years, since this blogger has been involved with education at an International level throughout his career. However, soon after that some unexpected situations developed and it was not possible for this blogger to devote time to the activity nor find others who may come forward and participate as a trustee. Only one eminent scholar from Japan - Ms. Keiko Amano - agreed to be one. Therefore, the trust has not really taken off actively. Perhaps the only slight contribution it might have made is through the articles of this blog, some of which add to the pool of useful information on the topic. However, it is not as if this blogger has not made some contributions in other directions. An earlier book on universities ...

T he latest edition of my  book - How to create excellent Universities - is now published and available at Amazon.com. Check out the book at Amazon about the book. They have done a much better job of describing it than I can do here. The book is a necessary manual for any one involved in the creation of a new university. Without it they will miss out on all the important information that has been gathered by the author from universities all over the world and is not documented elsewhere.   The book begins with a history of universities and compares the two types of institutions where higher education leading to university degrees is offered. The remaining book is divided in six chapters that cover the need for universities, courses, infrastructure, layout, faculty and governance. All through the author takes pains to outline the factors that lead to excellence and those that lead to deviation from it.   It is essential study matter for those planning to creat...