OVERLOOKED
Is the scope of humanities fading? Or, is it just a rhetoric? The oft-repeated remark is that practical value of humanities is fading and science and commerce are opening up a whole new vista of opportunities in knowledge-based economy.Being a humanities student it’s painful to hear the slandering comments people do about this subject. Such remarks are heard when students pass their school level exam. . No doubt many will capitulate to their parent’s wishes despite having their own reserves to climb the career ladders.
The current trend suggests that without exploring their own future path, many students end up internalizing their parents’ values. Many sway discriminately into the so called bright prospective field viz science or if that doesn’t fit into their option their last resort will be commerce. And for those who do not fit in either of the disciplines must choose humanities as the last resort. Looking down on humanities with such resentful disdain is painful to a student like me who is pursuing the course with utmost prominence.
A state of feverish excitement grips students in the transitional phase of their education — usually after passing SLC and before joining the college. The science-commerce euphoria puzzles even a die-hard student of humanities as to what course he/she should pursue. Then they are caught between their parents fancy and the paranoid of the uncertain future. In this state of dilemma, students tend to forget their own aspirations and latent talents and fall victims to their parents’ fancy. Who is to be blamed for this? Isn’t our own education policy responsible for this state of affairs? The present education system, which disproportionately distributes quality education to a few elite while marginalizing the large segment of poor population, elucidates this. The education system is largely responsible for the division between the haves and the haves-not.
The rote learning is coming as new trend. Irrespective of the contents of the course, the knowledge and the competencies or their applicability in everyday life, they have been studying for the sake of studying. The whole learning process has now fallen through for the want of radical reform.
The mania for science is sweeping. Students blindly pursue the science stream even without considering their own calibres and those who are dubbed as ‘less intelligent’ seem to shiver upon hearing the word ‘science’.
I have found many people and students who take the humanities field as a hopeless field and the field without good prospects for career. They demoralize the students to come into this field. Very few students are committed in this field otherwise many students are making the mere means of just getting +2 certificate. One can conclude that the main reason for this field being overlooked is the students themselves as they do not seem to aspire in this field and the commitment and determination of those kind of students are almost nil. They choose this subject as they think it’s easier to pass out the exam. Sincerity towards the subjects is almost rare object. This field can only be highlighted only when the pupil in it pursue meticulously for some firm objective.
What we have to bear in the mind is that countries overall needs cannot be fulfilled only from doctors, engineers , CA likewise. Side by side the country needs honest leaders, enthusiastic bureaucrats, skillful painters, writers, musicians, social workers etc. As a house cannot be built only from bricks, there should be proper combination and placement of bricks, cement, sand ,rods etc likewise the combination of every human resource make the society complete, comprehensive and inclusive. So, if we stop overlooking humanities field and prioritize it in the main stream of development then we can no doubt have a well managed and balanced society that we desire for.
( It was published in republica on 20th November, 2010)
Thoughts and Reminiscence 