Being futuristic is common to human. We anticipate; imagine: expect and dream. In the run to the virtual fulfilment of the mirage, we sometimes miss the punch of rationality. Once, this self-inflicted procrastination is inflicted upon education, we should be aware of the repercussions and the remedies.
A student of mine is pursuing graduation in Mass Communication and Media at a college in Delhi. Matching the professional education canvas of the country, that college has neither inculcated or imparted nor imported a media-focussed skill set to him. He is passionate about working in mass media and has no doubt about the possibility of a good career. The frequency is still missing though. He is still in search of an acute sense of media skills.
When you read the above accusation about the unprofessional professional colleges, I give this observation with the experience of working at such places. There are, of course professionally professional colleges. There are public and private universities and stand-alone colleges where an aspirant of professional competence shall see the availability of learning. The responsibility, however, is on the leader itself. The one is enterprising comes out empowered.
Let’s talk of the Mass Media stimuli that made me speak in a critical tone. He told me that their professors aka teachers are insisting on them to start preparing for their Master Degrees. They want them to join some coaching as soon as possible so that their prep for the competitive exams is better and they get admission.
I had to ask him to pardon me for asking again. I had to reconfirm that it was actually about Master Degree Admission at a top-notch institution by joining some coaching right now and ensure admission for a good career.
Two questions now:
- Does it mean that they whole-heartedly accept that there is no job after graduation, even for someone who is studying in 'the' Delhi, house to a wide world of tv channels?
- Are they saying that seeing the importance of the 'upcoming' entrance of IIMC or St. Xavier’s, they don't have any plans to impart media skills and expertise to them in the next two years?
I wonder how kids are being made brain-dead. I have been trying brain-wash to get them on a Life-Long Learning path. The ethical deception has always been a part of my classroom instruction strategy and has been a firmly established panacea for them. We teachers, all of us, have a two-fold task in hand in this age of bewilderment and over-choice. We first Uneducate them and then Educate. Preconceived notions and irrational futurism have always been fatal to holistic learning. But the scenario at this place in the national capital or even at a place in Kurukshetra or at Chandigarh is all the same.
The onus of responsibility isn't on the owners in all these cases. They have appointed the faculty to keep the institution running. The facilities, if not provided, are a hurdle. But in social sciences, even this isn’t a pre-requisite to start adding learning to them. Technical Skills need set-up and technically mastered teachers manage to manage without as well. They do the Best with whatever they have. But those, who procrastinate their own assignments, take-out the life out of the current opportunity.
Students’ don’t know about blogging, TP, Scripting, Editing, Film-making basics and a lot more. Basic communication and public relation sense, sensible writing skills, reading or literature. They don’t bother about the placements either. It is the placement cell which is seen running to get the chairs occupied because the poorly-nurtured graduates aren’t confident or eligible to sit in.
Without Media Literacy, the Media Education Institutions are awarding a label to them that they are Mass Media Graduates. A close observation at the Kurukshetra University’s record of making media literate professionals stands as a symbol for the whole virtual edifice. The inculcation of trademark behaviour and hunger to learn is not happening. And, if this allegation, brings some evidence of betterment, I stand corrected.
Most of the ‘Teachers’ who teach them the fundament human and professional skills are themselves deprived of these. The qualifications and numbers get them in the job, not the quality. Please pardon me for this but those 20 years experienced teachers who have been repeating their 01 year's 19 times have done actual worst if the worse go to the students' kitty.
Why Fail the Future:
In The Refugee short story, Pearl S. Buck speaks through the Old Man that “Land must be put to seed.”
Let’s not fail the approaching future and do something that our future self will thank us for. Let’s be mad about the work we have in hand; let’s be passionate and dedicate ourselves to Self-Improvement. Future will favour us if we plant seeds of knowledge and competence in this very present.
PC: PEXELS
