To serve, not to be served

Education and literacy are two totally different things, albeit many people don't know the difference between them. Literacy refers to the ability to read and write, while education is the whole process of imparting or acquiring knowledge and skills. Though it's a very limiting definition of the word education, but you must have understood the basic difference.

Now , for understanding the situation in context of our country, lets go through the census results. The total population of India as at 0:00 hours on 1st March 2001 stood at 1,027,015,247 persons. With this, India became only the second country in the world after China to cross the one billion mark. The population of the country rose by 21.34 % between 1991 - 2001. The sex ratio (i.e., number of females per thousand males) of population was 933, rising from 927 as at the 1991 Census. Total literacy rate was returned as 65.38%.



In the light of this census report, let us take a closer look on the literacy statistics.

Number of Literates: Persons 566,714,995 Males 339,969,048 Females 226,745,947

Percentage of Literates to Total population: Persons : 65.38 % Males : 75.85 % Females : 54.16 %

Once you understood the basic difference between two words, you can figure out the percentage of educated people in India. Surprisingly its very less compared to the literacy rate (Some citizens may not agree to this.). We also know that education is one of of the most effective tool for the allround development of any country. That is why our ministers used to put a very large amount of money for the education in different five-year and ten-year plans. But it is the misfortune of us that due to various other infamous reasons we were never able to achieve these targets.

Now what are the agencies which impart the education to the people. Traditionally middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities are involved in this process. In some distant past, people used to go to GURUKULS. Being a teacher was supposed to be a honorary thing in the society. In those times the process of education did not involve the discrete give & take actions. There were much more ethical and emotional angles associated with the education. Gurukul were the places where teachers used to work hard for preaparing the bright future for thousand of students. In return they only want the knowledge to be spread all over the world. Their motto were not only related with the well being of the teachers and gurukul only, instead they strive to impart the knowledge to as many people for earning a respectable and meaningful life, which can also help their society and country to prosper.

But in our times, there is a genuine lack of such educational institutes. Going back to Gurukul system of education is not my point here, as it will not be feasible as well as fruitful in modern times. But yes we should try to inherit the mottoes and the principles from our glorious past. Though there are still some good institutes in term of quality education which help people moulding there professional as well as their personal growth in the most desirable form. But the present rate of Dollarlization (This word is coined by me right now to define the excessive involvement of money or dollar in anything) is leading us to a situation where we have to face a serious dearth of good education centers.

You must have come across various one liner mottoes of the different educational institutes. Some of them are really eye catching and will lead to a very good upbringing of the students, if followed in ethical sense. Now these institutes should try to lift them from a level where teachers are involved only in money making and students are involved only in getting degrees. Sometimes it doesn't seem reasonable, but if we want a better future for our country, these type of initiatives has to be taken. Right at this moment it will be difficult for me to write the exact steps which should be taken to prevent the dollarization of the education and restore the glory of teaching.

Not only in the field of education, this dollarization is showing its effect on practically everything like medicine, police , municipality etc. These are the agencies whose prime responsibility is to make the life of a common man more systematic, comfortable and enjoyable. Initially the things were okay, but slowly they lost their prime focus and start finding ways to achieve some personal goals, wealth which is eventually taking the form of corruption and putrefaction.

Primary concern of these public institutions should be serving the people not to be served by people. A hospital is not built for the purpose of taking the services of people in any form, rather it's purpose is to serve people, to cure people, to treat the sick. But nowadays the treatment cost, doctor's behavior and management's interests do not display their primary purpose, rather they are driven by the secondary purpose, to be served. But they are forgetting that if a hospital will give good services to the people at considerable cost and in good will; then both will be served mutually.

That is why, I want all the public institutions to inherit the above stated motto and try to practice in real life. Then only we will be able to achieve the long awaited goal of establishing India as the leader of the world and ourselves as the citizens of The Great India.

The motto should be,

TO SERVE, NOT TO BE SERVED