The true purpose of education

The purpose of education:

• To become a responsible citizen: 
• Socially responsible and engaged:
• who has well-informed views (which are based on evidence) about various issues confronting the society and can participate in the contemporary public debates (in which he/she is able to bring a more nuanced, global perspective); 
• who eventually contributes to the development of society: learn about public life and administration for better social engagement; 
• Increasingly: who becomes a world citizen; 
• Critical thinking: who can see through propaganda e.g. avoid becoming a terrorist: unlike the technically sound individuals who join ISIS; or avoid being conned e.g. the numerous followers of Nirmal baba; or political propaganda; 
• who is a thoughtful and reflective individual: questions deeply held beliefs and existing social norms to cause social change and betterment of society; 
• who is a curious individual, whose curiosity surpasses the specific discipline he/she happened to have specialised in;
• lifelong learner; 
• who is sincere, professional, self-disciplined; is able to manage inter-personal skills; 

• To satisfy one’s intellectual curiosity; gaining wisdom about any subject from many different informed perspectives; 

• To acquire skills which help us in earning livelihood, then prosper and eventually acquire a lot of wealth. This is the most dominant view in Indian society (due to rampant poverty and unemployment) and this is the main and only aim of vocational/technical/professional education.
1. i.e. training the workforce of the future (i.e. hand down the knowledge of the current generation to the next generation); 
2. Strategy: run after the latest, hottest trend; 
3. but notice that typically employees make less money compared to professionals (e.g. lawyers) who make less money as compared to businessmen; if the purpose of education is just to make more money than most of education is useless. 
4. Acquire basic practical knowledge: bank/taxes/budget/economy etc; 

• Research: contribute to the efforts of advancement of human knowledge (about any discipline);

In this context, see the first few chapters of AICTE concept paper to find out what’s wrong with coaching classes.




"Our present day education system merely paves way to get distinction, to get a better job, to enhance the status, to claim domination and superiority over others, to accumulate wealth and to attain what is called a "prestigious" status."

- the speaking tree

literacy Scientific literacy
Social literacy (history, sociology, political science and economics),
Civic/public administration literacy
Financial literacy
Technological literacy (e.g. digital literacy),
Legal literacy
Media literacy

The importance of broad education...

https://qz.com/668514/if-you-want-to-be-like-warren-buffett-and-bill-gates-adopt-their-voracious-reading-habits/

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Shashi Tharoor's TedX talk: