Comparing modern and ancient Indian education system
Monkpedia.com is on a journey to pursue the perfect education that can be taught to students, unlike schools where education is equivalent to rote learning. Looking at the mess that the Indian education system is today, one cannot help but wonder if this is how education has always been delivered to students. Has education always been about teachers ramming theory into students’ brains at a rapid pace so that the syllabus can be covered and students end up having good marks? Having a look at one of the most developed countries in the world and a fellow Asian nation, Japan forbids schools to take a test of students up till grade four as the students are taught to respect other people and be gentle to animals and nature during the first three years of schooling. Whereas in India tests become a tradition children become used to by the same age that Japanese students take tests for the first time. Were Indian students taught the same way before the British era when gurukulam were all around the place?
The relationship between the teacher and student is taken to be sacred because of the gurukulam system. In this system students of all background whether they were a child of a beggar or king would get admitted after which, they were required to stay with the guru (teacher) along with fellow students either in guru’s own house or in monasteries both located outside the city in
forests. The students were not only taught subjects but also moral lessons through activities such as helping in household chores like looking after cows, getting water from well, getting fruits and vegetables, etc. Children were sent to gurukul at the age of 9 and were sent back home at the age of 16. These years are significant to every person as their character develops according to
their habits and how they have been raised during these years. No child was allowed luxury as they had to live as they were told to by the guru, sleeping on a mat on the floor with fellow students and getting rid of any jewelry that they possessed. This made them learn that everyone is the same and there is no superiority just because the conditions of their families differ. Through this system, the students learned the importance of service and the act of being humble to others. They had a sense of equality within them despite belonging to the rich or poor family because of the brotherhood that was born which got stronger and stronger with as time went by. They may have been brats by the time they left their home for gurukul but they definitely returned as a young adult who had some maturity and responsibility within them.
The gurukulam system simply cannot be compared to the disastrous education system India has today where students are forced to memorize for the sake of marks while their character development has to be looked after by their parents. The schools are charging fees (which are increasing annually) for providing absolute garbage of education, whereas in the ancient times it was up to the students if they wanted to donate anything to the gurus for the valuable lessons they taught after the end of the course, as gurus never asked for fees. The reason being that according to them, education was free. Monkpedia understands the shortcomings of the Indian education system which is why it provides home tuition at affordable rates. Monkpedia encourages creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. The tutors cannot ask for more of students if the students are regularly asking them questions as that shows that not only are the students interested but curious to learn more as well. At Monkpedia.com, education is not just about contents on the syllabus that need be learned, but also the morals and skills of life as well as general knowledge that one should possess. This is why it promises to provide the education that it should be. The Monkpedia team is alumni of this absurd education system, and it wants to make sure that the future generation does not follow the same path the current generation is taking, which is towards high unemployment rates. This team wants to shut the critics from the west that say that there is not enough creativity and basic skills for Indian graduates to be employable, but we cannot do it alone. It needs the help and support from fellow Indians willing to at least try the free demo class to see if this service is worthy of their child’s needs.
