Yesterday, a review of the newly-released biopic of mathematics genius Srinivasa Ramanujan made me realise that perhaps, the problems with mainstream education in the late 1800s when he was growing up, continue even today. India's most inventive mathematician was self-taught and failed in every subject other than maths in school. Rather than being inspired by his teachers, Ramanujan would arrive at complex mathematical equations in his dreams. My recent musings on education have been inspired by a video I came across on Facebook, of a home-made speaker belting out soulful Bollywood airs. The speakers have been made from scrap by 12-year-old Abdul from Karm Marg, a home for children at risk in rural Faridabad.
Abdul came to live in Karm Marg as a toddler. School never interested him, and the folks at Karm Marg were always amused by the mischief the quick-witted boy would get up to. Then he started playing with scrap electrical equipment and before long, he had started repairing appliances, mobile phones and more. Last week, Abdul showed them the speakers he'd made, and also announced that he'd like to drop out of school.
Veena Lal, founder-director of Karm Marg, wasn't surprised by his announcement. "School is especially hard for children like Abdul," she told me. "The emphasis on passing exams makes it hard for them to cope. Some are great in Hindi but terrible at maths. Others just can't get the hang of science. Almost all find themselves somewhat disadvantaged compared to second generation learners." Further, the curriculum was so out of sync with the children's reality that they found it hard to be inspired by it. So, they were exploring vocational training options for Abdul, fearing that if they forced him to attend the government school in Faridabad in which he's currently enrolled, it could stifle his boundless creativity. A non-formal learning environment, followed by some training under an experienced electrician or a mechanic, seemed like a better option for Abdul, they felt.
With her permission, I spoke to Abdul to gauge what he was really thinking. "They hardly taught us anything in school," said the Class VII passout. "Even subjects like science have been made boring as they're only taught through textbooks." The only subject he enjoyed was English. "But on the whole, attending school has been a waste of time." Had he not learnt anything in school, I asked. He replied: "Nothing I want to learn is even taught in school! That's why I don't want to go there any more."
Abdul told me how he built the speakers. "I found an old speaker that wasn't working," he narrated. "After dismantling it, I reassembled its parts inside an old tin canister and an empty box of yarn. Then I connected it to a small amplifier, hooked up my phone, and now we have music." He said he wanted to make a DVD player next, and was looking for electronic waste to make it from. I asked how these ideas came to him. Like Ramanujan, Abdul said they occurred to him out of the blue.
Creativity like his could never be taught, I mused, but certainly it could be fostered and enabled by schools with the right mindset. If Abdul did drop out, as he was planning to do, he would at best grow up to be an electrician. But if he persevered in school, he might even become an electrical engineer. But Abdul had - and rightfully so, as it is his life after all - the last word on this: "I just want to become someone who makes things on his own, and teaches others to do the same. Engineer, electrician… these are just words that mean nothing to me."
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