GSP Reflection Sheet Session-9

Changing Education Paradigms:

The session started with an animated video on Sir Ken Robinsons lecture on Changing Education
Paradigms. The video highlights the pressing need for our current educational system to undergo
some major reforms. The current practice which started in the 18 th century still separates the
school into subjects and pupil by ages. Sir Ken Robinson believes that the right way to make
children pay attention to school is not by medicating them but by bringing about some major
changes in the way education is delivered to them. The current way of modelling education
similar to that of a factory needs to make way for incorporating more flexibility into the system
to accommodate more pupil. He also believes that education needs to be more individualized.
He also believes that organizing grade by age is more of a social education philosophy.

The problem with decreasing creativity of students with age and its correlation with the current
education system is restricting us in looking at multiple solutions to a problem. When we are
young, almost all of us are very creative and do not conform any set of restrictions or templates.
We see the world as it is, interpret it as we feel fit and arrive at diverse solutions because we
have not been told if that is correct or not. The tendency tends to decrease as we start to grow
up. A study tested students of age 5 for measure of creativity and found nearly 98% of students
satisfy the threshold criteria. But when the same students were tested at the age of 10 the levels
reduced to 50%. It throws open the question whether our current system of education is actually
doing us any good or is causing more harm in the long run.

It is true that there has to be some form of maturity and conformity required for every individual
but where do we draw a line. The current academic system has only remained a measure of
conformity. The companies prefer this system as they feel that the same individuals will conform
to the rules of the organization as well and thus academic performances act as a measure of
signalling mechanism.

The academic system can be compared to a factory that is producing spare parts for the main
machine, which is the industries and factories. What we do not realise is that amidst our need to
produce conforming individuals who are aligned to a certain way of thinking, we are losing out
on the creative aspect of life, an aspect which can act as a differentiating factor and can cause
positive disruption in the workplace.

If a recruiter needs to judge an individuals prowess in academics, the mark sheet is a very good
measure. But do we have a similar measure to measure an individual on the creativity aspect?
Probably not. All that we are told is creativity is for the art side students and the core academic
knowledge is for the science stream students.

It is not that we should completely abolish the current system. But certain measures should be
taken to inculcate the creativity aspect and to reduce the conformity aspect.

This satirical video, shows how governments (UK) could take policy decisions that have little use
or makes practical sense. The issue central to the context of the video was the Royal Navys
ordering of HMS Prince of Wales (R08 and R09), an aircraft carrier at a cost 3.9 billion pounds.
The decision was made where constraints in their financial situation demanded that they could
have bought either an aircraft or a carrier but not an aircraft carrier. The video starts with Sir
George Parr, one of the 46 admirals of Royal Navy, answering questions on the decisions to
acquire HMS Prince of Wales. One questions which he repeatedly tries to avoid was What are
they for? for which the admiral clearly seems to have no answer for it; suggesting that the
governments formulate policies even in adverse financial situations without taking into
consideration the productivity or usage of the policy implications. Even the answer to the
question on the decision to buy Harriers that could be launched from sea with a striking range of
400 miles to be used in Afghanistan, whose nearest distance to a sea cost was at 1200 miles,
suggests that the Royal Navy couldnt have its Harriers landing directly into Afghanistan from sea
and put together the combined purchase deal for Harriers and HMS Prince doesnt serve the
purpose they are supposedly intended for.

Policy Process: The policy process is a fairly linear process with the elements construing a policy
being Agenda setting, Policy formulation, Decision making, Implementation and Evaluation.
following structure. The simplistic nature of the process in a world ridden with complexity, means
that this process doesnt always work. One such instance where it didnt work in India is the policy
on linking Aadhar card to Pension and Public Distribution Systems. If only the evaluation of the
process could act as a feedback to the Agenda setting for improving the process as a whole, it
could resolve several issues that turn up with the time.

According to John W. Kingdon, Agenda setting is the first step in policy process. Policy agenda
includes list of problems to which politicians/ policy makers pay attention to. Moving a problem
higher up that agenda involves Problem stream, Policy stream, Political stream. Policy Window
opens up an opportunity to take action on the subject at hand. Political Entrepreneur seeks to
further his or her own policy ends by pursuing the creation of policy that pleases the populace.
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA): It is a social security
scheme introduced by the UPA government under National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
(NREGA), 2005, to provide work to rural population for at least 100 days/ year at a wage rate Rs.
60/day. Though in the initial years the scheme stood out as a successful policy, it has failed in its
latter years due to its ineffectiveness in progressing development when the countrys growth
rate was slowing down.

In the final video of the class (Shri. Narendra Modi Making fun of Congress), Mr. Modi says he
wont stop MGNREGA, as it stands as a proof for future generations about the ineffective policy
making decisions of UPA government. A significant reason for failure of this scheme was Wage
Liability. The lead times to pay increased to more than 15 days which choked off the demand
for the work. Other reasons include ineffectiveness in the work, issues by rural and urban
private employers to pay almost equivalent of legal minimum wages.
Group B8
Altaf, Anjali, Anurag,
Gaurav, Pranav, Varun