Being a student of commerce, I have heard, read and mugged Corporate Social Responsibility so many times. For the first time, I am personally being a part of Corporate Social Responsibility.
I am writing this post as a part of an initiative by Franklin Templeton Investments, named "The Idea Caravan ". Franklin Templeton Investments partnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December 2012. In this event few speakers came forward to share their innovative story which is solely in betterment of India. I believe, participation and support of Franklin Templeton Investments was a contribution towards the society, by whatever name you call it.
On this note, I want to say something, Where "we" people perceive all Finance Companies as mugger, It's not the case everytime !
Anyway, Today I am writing this blog post on a cause, Indian Education System ! How to Deal with it?
I believe, This is a root cause of each and every situation we face today, it is responsible for what we are, how we are and what we think. Here, Angad Nadkarni, is sharing his Views on Education Systems, loopholes, problems and his innovation to solve this problem. Please see the video first and then move ahead.
First of all, When I saw this video first time, I was very delighted ! I am fortunate to see, there are few people in india who are thinking differently from what crowd thinks about our education system and examination system.
Whether it might be a school, college or my office, I have been a constructive criticizer of our present system when I be a part of a discussion . Personally, When I present my views on our education system I usually get only one response ..!
"Aaj Degree ke Bina tu Koi kaam ka nahi hai !!!"
Whenever I hear this kind of statement, I say, "Everybody has their own thinking and priorities, Let's agree to disagree ! "
Well, coming to the point, I am a firm believer of what Angad is saying in his video. I completely agree with him, there is fundamental conceptual misunderstanding & imbalance in our education system.
Lots and lots of noise(unnecessary things) exists and students are struggling in sheer illusion. We are driven by some illusionary thing in the name of learning ! We don't know what we are doing !
Are we heading somewhere really? I doubt. Certainly!
Actually, We have forgotten the meaning of Education ! First of all, let me disclose some fundamental misconception that prevails in our Society about education. I will do it by explaining the definition of education !
I know it sounds blatantly cheesy ! But, give it a try !
What is Education ?Wikipedia says, Education in its general sense is a form of learning in which the knowledge, skills, and habits of a group of people are transferred from one generation to the next through teaching, training, or research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of others, but may also be autodidactic. Any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be considered educational.
I hope, everybody agrees with this definition !
Well, As a student of Chartered Accountancy, I have a habit of understanding and interpreting the Bare Acts in parts ! and hence so is the case with this Definitional as well :DThe definition talks about three fundamental areas of our thinking & conception !
"What? ", "How ?" and "Why ?"
Why we are doing it ? [The Driving Force] What we can learn ? [Elements of Learning] How we will learn ? [Mediums of Leaning those Elements]It says about driving force what make us do things, elements of learning, and mediums of learning through those elements.
As you may observe, The definition nowhere contains Marks, Exams, Degrees or Grades ! It is the illusionary concept inserted by our society(or situation), I can't figure out why ! They often justify it by saying this,
"Study Hard, get good marks, Get good job, Earn Good Salary, Get Married "!
Have you heard anything about learning in between ! I haven't !
Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.
Education basically deals which fundamental thinking and charactaral habits of a human being, education is something which make us think, on our own.
Today our education refrain us from thinking on our own and they want us to start following ! Our education system want us to become slave so that we can work as our boss instructs !
I want to cite something, please do read,
I've noticed a fascinating phenomenon in my thirty years of teaching: schools and schooling are increasingly irrelevant to the great enterprises of the planet. No one believes anymore that scientists are trained in science classes or politicians in civics classes or poets in English classes. The truth is that schools don't really teach anything except how to obey orders.
Now, as Angad says, Our education system is full of noise. Noise in the form of Tuition Classes, Schools, Journals, Tutorials, Tests, Assignments, Projects, Exams and what not ! When we look at these things from the point of view of this definition, our so called "Education System" doesn't add much value to it. In fact, It virtually fails !
Now, the question is, How to remove this noise ?
From the day I understood this, I have been always searching for the solution. There are few solutions but they are hard to apply. If one apply also, then It will raise strong critiques from the society and after all, these things affect us..!
The Society in which we live, it kicks us on ass, slaps us on face and again we are in the same rat race ! We are ultimately social animals 
So, what we have to do is," To make out way by walking through this education system only, very smartly! "
How to do it ?
Angad has solution for it. Examify.
He is thinking it from a big point of view but The concept is same, Collecting the data from past few papers, mining results from those data and preparing a question paper for a student.
Now, there will be some additional algorithms to judge whether the question is important or not, whether the question is difficult or not ?
Actually, We all do the same in exams but here it will be done by a machine, in more systematic manner and it will mine data over and over to give us the best possible result.
Long Story short, It is an applied "Pareto Principal"
"20 percent of focused effort results in 80 percent out come of results!"
Simply, You will be given only those question which are important for exams. You will be focusing on 20% of the content which will make you competent to fetch 80% of results.
It is a simple concept of Information Systems and which will work in favor of students. I think , this is the only way available as of now to avoid the noise and focus on what we have to do !
Let me clarify one thing,
This solution is not to score more marks, or get good grades. Of course you can manipulate the it to do the same, but purpose behind this innovation is to reduce noise from education system/ exam system, so that the youth can focus on those things which he/she want to do. The ultimate aim of this is to , To make out way by walking through this education system only, very smartly!
When I sat aside and thought about the same I came with some technically helpful solution which will help angad in his research, I am very sure about it. I will be writing a complete blog post on this concept.
Conclusion :
I just want to tell everybody only one thing,There is a difference between Means and Ends, Please focus on end not the means. Education is a means and Wisdom and Happiness is an end. We are not even close to our means, how will we be able to achieve that ends ? Infact, many of us are not even thinking about the end ! Many of us even don't know about what is the end !
Anyway, I am in gratitude of Angad for his innovation, I am sure this will help students to get over. I am thankful to Franklin Templeton Investments for thinking out of box and partnering such wonderful event and spreading the words around.
See you next time with another wonderful post.
God Bless,
Stay Blessed.
- Mihir 
