Opinion
Dilution of Academics!
Academics is the most diluted and abused human endeavor in India. Every one enters it not to learn, gain knowledge, be a scholar, scientist, philosopher, intellectual, bright academician or guiding knowledgeable individual to the society and nation. All are in academics only to get a job; which is not even guaranteed by this endeavor.
The very assumptions of many non-academic persons about and expectations from academics are misconceived, damaging and false. Only lots of disproportionate amounts of money are spent with exaggerated hopes. It is time every one realizes that academics cannot cater to the job-demands of the clientele. Academics is there for learning, knowledge-gaining and creation and imparting. Any other expectant must join skill-training. Skills mostly assure a living and livelihood. Academics is a burden to aspirants of jobs.
Academic life is always less money-oriented and more knowledge-oriented. Let the intellectuals, educationalists and the related know this simple truth and relieve many students of false hopes and unnecessary waste of money and time. At least parents must realize this. Blind spending of money as fees to corporate and money-oriented and money-spinning commercial establishments is pouring money into the sea. The courses they do are not worthy of the money expended to get them.
A thorough over-haul of mind-sets is necessary. Students and parents must start thinking. No one else will think for them. We can only counsel. Actual observation and decisions are to be taken by by parents and students by analyzing their interests, attitudes, aptitudes, financial ability and the return they get for the money expended. It is the responsibility of the children and parents.
The money they are spending on job-non-fetching courses is very valuable and much and only they have to take care of their money. They money they are spending can guarantee some self-profession; but the degree they get by spending equal amount of money is not a job-guarantor. But parents who are super-rich for various reasons are buying medicine and engineering seats for exorbitant amounts which becomes one crore or more when one finishes medicine. Other courses are costly at their level.
Many super-rich parents showing off their gotten or ill-gotten money by buying academic seats for their children even by paying to pass each paper. Other influential people are also seeing to that that their children pass the examinations in flying colors not because of their inherent academic merit but because of their parents' influential positions in society. And the pampering the state is providing to certain sections of the society is already there from the dawn of the independence and will get perpetuated because of vote-bank politics. No one is concerned or worried about the damage being done to academic standards by all these money-expending, nepotism-exercising and being state pampered people are causing.
Academics is for learning and spread of knowledge. Creative minds alone must pursue academics. Rest as said above must buy skills and not academic degrees. And as skills cannot be bought, they are buying degrees and are diluting academic learning and dignity. Let us spare and spend time for this, our problem.
01-Jul-2012
More by :
Dr. Varanasi Ramabrahmam
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