It is
fundamentally wrong to offer education and schooling as a homogenized package.
It causes further
damage when it aspires to produce stereotyped human beings as if human beings
were a product in factory line.
Therefore this
allowing boy to be a boy is just not a malady which is gender specific because
the trend varies from country to country.
There are many
countries which do not allow a girl to be a girl, still worse, not even a human
being.
Therefore I am
often tempted to question as well as look into many fundamental aspects of
socio-cultural, socio-political or socio-religious systems because all of these
try to homogenize individual human beings as herds of sheep.
For certain
areas of practical social utility such homogenization is inevitable to frame
rules so that humans as social beings are able to function without being a hindrance
to others as in following traffic rules.
However,
applying too much of this homogenization while dealing with young minds leads
to lot of bad feeling because each one of them have their own dreams, their own
way of approaching life and they are blossoming
with curiosity, bundles of energy, bubbling with enthusiasm, boundless yearning
to learn and boisterously exploring and creative attitudes etc.
In countries
like India girls are subjected to many unwanted restrictions.
If we look at
the root cause rather than the resultant symptom it has to do more with denial
of freedom to children to explore, experience and enjoy life as individual
souls/human beings, of course with certain basic physical safety measures and
awareness of social obligations and humane values- not what elders or
existing socio-culture or religious milieu defines or determines as values.
So, going back
to what was mentioned earlier the whole society with all its institutions-religious,
political, educational institutions- must evince serious interest with concern
about the main stake holders i.e. children.
Then based on
that premise form certain basic structures which may act as mere guidelines and
children must be allowed to choose and carve out a life path depending on their
own interests, instincts, impulses, involvement, intelligence and the
inevitable circumstances they are in.
Of course, the
collective wisdom of experience gained over longer periods of time by elders must
be used in a very appealing manner taking into consideration the contextual
relevance and inherent attributes of each and every individual child.
These may sound
very idealistic and even as a vague utopia but then the fact is that there are
no uniform emotions, reactions or psychological conditions.
Though all
elders have, rightly so, genuine concerns about their children regarding the physical
safety, future financial security, preferred social attitudes manifested as
behavior patterns for a safe and harmonious social co-habitation as human
species.
Unfortunately
elders also adopt various methods to ensure this and in their hyper enthusiasm
bordering on paranoiac presumptive prescriptions they become extremely
vulnerable.
There are many
issues involved in this which I have written about at different times.
Broadly
indicated they are:-
1. Education?
2. Values?
3. Pampering
and parenting?
4. Perspectives?
5. Over emphasized
sense of perceived security?
The harsh
reality at the same time is that mass literacy is a must and the society has
not come up with any better or suitable or easily adoptable alternative system
of education.
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