Educational Sustainability: Pathways from Sadness to Madness

Educational Sustainability is the ideal concept which denotes the power of learning whether in formal, non-formal or informal set ups to sustain the personal worth of the individual world which is on flux. It is the ennobling concept of empowering the dis/advantaged group fellows to create the life of meaning and happiness.

The phrase ‘Educational Sustainability of the Disadvantaged Groups’ branches out many forms of disadvantaged groups: physically, socially, economically and now newly coined ‘digitally’ disadvantaged groups.

My focus here is on the cacophony of the term disabled, disadvantaged, differently-abled, empowered and so on. The words are not just words but concepts which are replicas of psyche of society.

Brooding upon the words and presenting a nice discourse is one thing and sensitizing ourselves and others towards the actual grassroots reality are quite extreme in nature. But listening the speakers around, reading the reports and documents give the glimpses that many positive things are happening the society for the disadvantaged groups. The real question is: Are these actions are happening because of show-casing the improvement parades or real-concerns are there?   

Who is disadvantaged?

My focus is purely on the physically disabilities. Is the person with disability the same as the disabled person? These two words have created many debated in edu-socio-economic-political arena.

Who are the outliners which can be shown as success stories?

When the opportunities are provided, the prepared persons seize with the presence of mind and strength despite of his/her disabilities. The key factors are required in any success stories: the first is mindset and second is consistency.

Why does out edu-system fail to provide sustainable environment to disabled children? (Well, I would like to use disabled because of two reasons:

1) the disability is given to them/realized by them

2) yet not able to understand the concept of differently-abled. The journey from disabled to differently-abled needs right interventions at right time.

 Teaching is the act of touching the hearts and soul of the learners. But to do so teachers must reach to the hearts of learners while teaching but (it is observed) in many school is not reachable to the learners, how the subjects are teachable. If teachers are not reachable, how the students are teachable. There is interpersonal bonding is there between the reachable and teachable. 

Our edu-policies are formed basically to satisfied the more of the paper works; than of field works. Documentations are more emphasized that dedication and devotion to the cause. Demonstrations of concerns is far more highlighted than to have actual concern.

One of the causes of failure of education is over-emphasized attitude towards formal education system. In the country, demands and supplies have never friendly to one another, many schools, colleges and even ‘universities’, educators don’t literally ‘reach’ to the students (here ‘reach’ means availability). If the literal reach-ability of teachers is questionable in traditional setup how can one hope for figurative ‘reach-ability’ of teachers for reach to teach concept. Alternative pathways are required to be explored. One of most common and often sought-after options was informal education clubbed with technology.

This is the misfortunes of the country that those who are powerful are full of dogmas and those who are powerless are full of bright ideas which will remain unheard and attained. Those who are in power are so much concern with so called ‘stereo-typed model of education’ that the very idea of informal education, force them think on their own survival or control. Something is that formal is easy to govern and lucid to control but something that is informal, rebellious, radical and experimental, may challenge their status quo. This is one of the most poignant reasons to neglect informal education. We are so much dogmatic and stereotyped that alternative informal options give us jolts. The analogy of allopathy is the perfect of this case: though we respect the power of alternative medicines and therapies and healings, the doubts and hunches are always there while using those alternative healing techniques. The same is true for the formal education set up. The formal education set up is so tight SET UP that disturbing the structure is considered as bringing calamities to the world around.

BUT I am hopeful that something will change! Sooner or Later>>>