In the current age of Social Media and virtual groups, we interact with people from different corners of the world having different aspirations and views. In such a situation to make our interaction effective and inspiring we have to follow certain ethics.
Here are few tips to make a virtual social group vibrant and inspiring:
1. Always learn to appreciate other people's posts, even if they are not your friend:
It makes them feel important and encouraged to come up with something more positive.
2. Never run people down on the platform in a group chat:
You will cause them to withdraw and will never come up with their objective views on issues.
3. When you see something you don't like from a member, inbox the person:
Don't attack him/her on the platform publicly
4. Never insult or use unpleasant languages on members:
You expose your uncultured manners and attitude to people and may turn the platform to combat ground.
5. Be quick to say sorry and apologize when u have erred:
It helps to bring down the tension which your utterances must have created.
6. Don't try to enforce your ideas or suggestions on members:
Nobody has monopoly of knowledge, allow majority conclusions to prevail on issues.
7. Never settle scores with anybody on a general group chat:
It will give others the opportunity to take sides, thereby causing others to withdraw.
8. When anyone is celebrating, he/she may not need to be your friend before you celebrate with that person:
It's the spirit of brotherliness
9. Some have the gift of talking and others the gift of reading:
Learn to contribute to the group... Even if it is just using the symbol 👍... It makes people know that you appreciate the group.
There are 3 types of posts you will always see on a group chat
(A) Offensive posts:
Don't attack the person, it could be a mistake.
(B) lnspirational/educative posts:
Commend the person.. Don't just read and keep quiet.
(C) Meaningless/wrong/uninformed posts:
Start by appreciating the writer, then correct the information, but don't hush him/her up with condemnation.
Kindly be affectionate to one another......most of us have never met nor may even ever meet each other face to face.....so why have any bitterness.
Sharing and caring is divine...
29 August, 2018
05 July, 2018
Tips to improve yourself within a month?
21 ideas:
1. Detoxify your speech. Reduce the use of cuss words. Be polite.
2. Read everyday. Doesn’t matter what. Choose whatever interests you.
3. Promise yourself that you will never talk rudely to your parents. They never deserve it.
4. Observe people around you. Imbibe their virtues.
5. Spend some time with nature everyday.
6. Feed the stray animals. Yes, it feels good to feed the hungry.
7. No ego. No ego. No ego. Just learn, learn and learn.
8. Do not hesitate to clarify a doubt. “He who asks a question remains fool for 5 minutes. He who does not ask remains a fool forever”.
9. Whatever you do, do it with full involvement. That’s meditation.
10.Keep distance from people who give you negative vibes but never hold grudges.
11. Stop comparing yourself with . If you won’t stop, you will never know your own potential.
12. “The biggest failure in life is the failure to try”. Always remember this.
13. “I cried as I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet”. Never complain.
14. Plan your day. It will take a few minutes but will save your days.
15. Everyday, for a few minutes, sit in silence. I mean sit with yourself. Just yourself. Magic will flow.
16. In a healthy body resides a healthy mind. Do not litter it with junk.
17. For one month, eat home cooked meals.
18. Keep your body hydrated at all times. Practice drinking 8–10 glasses of water.
19. Make a habit to eat at least one serving of raw vegetable salad on a daily basis.
20. Take care of your health. “He who has health has hope and he who has hope has everything”.
21. Life is short. Life is simple. Do not complicate it. Don’t forget to smile..
Have a great life 😊
1. Detoxify your speech. Reduce the use of cuss words. Be polite.
2. Read everyday. Doesn’t matter what. Choose whatever interests you.
3. Promise yourself that you will never talk rudely to your parents. They never deserve it.
4. Observe people around you. Imbibe their virtues.
5. Spend some time with nature everyday.
6. Feed the stray animals. Yes, it feels good to feed the hungry.
7. No ego. No ego. No ego. Just learn, learn and learn.
8. Do not hesitate to clarify a doubt. “He who asks a question remains fool for 5 minutes. He who does not ask remains a fool forever”.
9. Whatever you do, do it with full involvement. That’s meditation.
10.Keep distance from people who give you negative vibes but never hold grudges.
11. Stop comparing yourself with . If you won’t stop, you will never know your own potential.
12. “The biggest failure in life is the failure to try”. Always remember this.
13. “I cried as I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet”. Never complain.
14. Plan your day. It will take a few minutes but will save your days.
15. Everyday, for a few minutes, sit in silence. I mean sit with yourself. Just yourself. Magic will flow.
16. In a healthy body resides a healthy mind. Do not litter it with junk.
17. For one month, eat home cooked meals.
18. Keep your body hydrated at all times. Practice drinking 8–10 glasses of water.
19. Make a habit to eat at least one serving of raw vegetable salad on a daily basis.
20. Take care of your health. “He who has health has hope and he who has hope has everything”.
21. Life is short. Life is simple. Do not complicate it. Don’t forget to smile..
Have a great life 😊
03 July, 2018
A lesson from this world Cup on leadership:
Ronaldo and Messi (arguably 2 best current players in the world) disappeared from World Cup without taking their teams to Quarter Finals. The leadership lesson is simple - you can take your organization to a level with your brilliance but it’s only Team that can make you a Leader & Winner. Brilliant Leaders cannot make a team succeed but only a bunch of committed capable people with a purpose, higher than personal glory, guided by humble leader can make a team winner.
Be a selfless leader...😊
Christiano Ronaldo's lesson!
When he received one of his awards recently, Ronaldo dedicated it to a certain ... Alberto Fantrau. Then said: "Yes I am a great footballer and all my success is thanks to my friend Alberto"
People looked at each other and said, "Who is this Mr. Fantrau?"
Then Ronaldo went on: "We played together in a youth team. When Sporting of Lisbon recruiters came to observe us, they told us that the striker who scored the most goals will be recruited into the sports academy.
That day we won 3-0. I scored the first goal and then Albert scored the 2nd with the head. And then the 3rd goal was the one that impressed everyone. Alberto started from the wing, then found himself face to face with the keeper, dribbled the goalkeeper and all he had to do was push the ball into the empty goal. In the meantime I was running to his side. And instead of shooting into the empty goal, Alberto decided to pass the ball to me and I scored. This is how I find myself at the Sporting Lisbon Academy. After the game I went to him, and asked him "why did you do that?" And he replied, "Because I know that you are better than I"
Curious to know more, the journalists began to investigate and were able to meet this Alberto Fantrau to ask him if the story told by Ronaldo is true, and he confirmed it, adding that his career as a footballer ended after this match as it was the only opportunity to become professional and since that time he has remained unemployed.
However, journalists, observing his luxurious house and his Mercedes parked in the garage asked Alberto "but being unemployed how could you have such a house and car and living so luxuriously? You seem rather comfortable physically " Alberto's answer: "All that? .. is a gift from Ronaldo
Moral of this story:
Let us ask ourselves the following question: How many of us have ever done something like Ronaldo and Alberto? On the contrary, many of us show the opposite of this story showing selfishness and ingratitude to their mates.
Friends! Let's help each other so that we are proud of the success of our brothers / sisters / friends / relatives
And when we help a person succeed, the latter must never forget those who contributed to this success in his life.
And above all, we should never forget that God is watching and judging us.
Be part of another person's success
28 May, 2018
Blessed Granny - By HH Sivarama Swami
Dear Sivarama Swami,
Hare Krsna. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I hope you do not mind my writing to you. I have never written to a spiritual master before. You do not know me. My name is Bhaktin Dora and I live in Pecs (Hungary). I am 14 years old, and I live at home with my mother and older sister.
Some years ago I went to the Hare Krsna Festival with a friend. I was not very interested, but I enjoyed the chanting and dancing at the end. After it was over I bought a book, The Science of Self-Realization. I do not know why; generally I never read. I think it was because of the chanting.
I took the book home and cannot remember what happened to it. One day my mother found it and was very angry with me. She thought that I was reading this kind of thing. You see, our family members are all very strict Catholics. They thought Krsna consciousness was some kind of “brainwashing.” Actually I wasn’t reading the book; I had forgotten all about it. Somehow it just “appeared.” Anyway, my mother was going to throw it away.
My grandmother, who is 68, was in the kitchen at the time. She lives in the apartment upstairs. She came in and took the book. She looked at it and scolded me in a very heavy way. I thought that would be the end of it. I did not mind so much, as I was in a lot of maya at the time.
About a week later I overheard a conversation between my mother and grandmother. Granny was saying that this was not some ordinary book. She said that what Prabhupada was saying is what Jesus Christ said and that Krsna is God. I was very surprised. She said we should listen to what Prabhupada said and chant Hare Krsna because that was the religion for this age. There was a lot of talk about how Christianity was no more and no one was following the Bible but what Prabhupada said was pure and perfect.
Things really took a turn from there. One day my grandmother visited the nama-hatta [local Krsna center] here and began to chant on beads. She also began to buy Prabhupada’s books one by one. She was spending all her pension buying what she called the “beautiful holy Bhagavatam.” Sometimes she could only afford to eat potatoes, but she kept buying the books. The devotees even came to her flat and helped her set up an altar. When I went upstairs, there were Krsna pictures everywhere.
That was really the beginning. One night Granny had a dream about Prabhupada. Something really happened to her then. I don’t know what it was, but she began to get very enthusiastic. Next she began to get the whole family involved. I mean, not just me and my mother and sister, but her two sons, their wives and six children, as well as her brothers, sisters, and relatives. Before, she used to carry a Bible with her and quote Jesus Christ. Now she has a Bhagavad-gita and quotes “the good Lord Prabhupada.” She became a veritable transcendental terror. Everyone in the family has to chant at least one round a day. In addition Granny made everyone become a vegetarian, including my dog Sikra, and we offer our food to a picture of Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya.
Now I am also getting out of maya and chanting and reading a little also. Where I go to school my friends inquire about Krsna, since they know I am a devotee. The whole family goes to the nama-hatta, all sixteen of us. During the Christmas marathon [for book distribution], we all tried to distribute Prabhupada’s books. Even Granny would take books with her to the market and sell them to the vendors. Everyone is afraid of her because she is fearless. They all think she has gone crazy, but she doesn’t care.
Now she is saving to go to Budapest to see the newly installed Deities. She has heard that Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda “came” to Hungary and are being worshiped there by the devotees. She says she wants to see God just once in this life.
At this year’s Hare Krsna festival, you were speaking to the guests after the kirtana. You must remember my grandmother because she came and sat right beside you and asked so many questions. At the end when you stood to leave, she even kissed your hand, remember? I also wanted to ask a question, but I was shy. Could I please ask you now? I hope you do not mind, Maharaja.
I want to know what kind of man Srila Prabhupada was. He must be so dear to Krsna to have spread this message all over the world. What are these books that changed my family so much? How is it possible that he can speak so powerfully through them? You must feel very fortunate to be his disciple. How great a man he is! Sometimes when my Granny chants in front of a picture of Krsna she cries. How does Prabhupada do that? I want to cry like that too. Granny dreams of Prabhupada, and sometimes she talks to his picture. Although it says on the cover of the book that he passed away, is Prabhupada really dead, or is he still alive? Do you think I can meet him some day?
I am sorry that I have gone on so. I would like to be a good devotee one day and help you and Prabhupada spread Krsna consciousness. Please could you answer my questions?
Your servant,
Bhaktin Dora
Sivarama Swami: Srila Prabhupada, what is this brand of mercy that you gave this old lady I just barely met, which you never gave me? She never met you, never saw devotees. She is not even initiated by you. What is this kindness that you bestow upon her, which you do not give me, your “fortunate disciple”?
What am I referring to? It is just this. After having come in contact with you for just a few months, what inspiration did you give this Granny in that dream? What did you move in her heart that made her change her life in its final days, that made her turn against the current of banality and tradition and strike out alone to change her world? No sympathy, no association, no institutional support. Boldness I do not possess, changes I do not have strength to make.
Srila Prabhupada, I want to know what you say to her from your picture when she talks to you? I have so many pictures. You do not speak to me through them.
Although I worship Deities daily, I continue to see them as made of marble and wood. How is it this old lady has the conviction that God has “come” to her country? Why have you not given such vision to me? I want to cry like that too. When will you give me that mercy?
Srila Prabhupada, this is one letter, from one girl who came in contact with you. How many millions of such souls are there who have yet to write, who are directly experiencing your mercy daily, who read your books with implicit faith, whom you talk to in dreams and pictures, whose lives you change abruptly and reward with tears when chanting the holy names?
How many people cross the boundaries of rules and regulations by the strong boat of your mercy and practice and taste Krsna consciousness in a realm beyond logic and good fortune? When will you one day bestow some of this special mercy upon me that you give them?
If I am not to acquire it directly, even after begging for it, then I will serve such souls who have reached your mission. I will offer them prasadam, give them your books, and show them how to practice. I will chant with them. Thus I can hope to gain a new perspective of your greatness, even though I may never fully understand it.
Your insignificant servant,
Sivarama Swami
Hare Krsna. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I hope you do not mind my writing to you. I have never written to a spiritual master before. You do not know me. My name is Bhaktin Dora and I live in Pecs (Hungary). I am 14 years old, and I live at home with my mother and older sister.
Some years ago I went to the Hare Krsna Festival with a friend. I was not very interested, but I enjoyed the chanting and dancing at the end. After it was over I bought a book, The Science of Self-Realization. I do not know why; generally I never read. I think it was because of the chanting.
I took the book home and cannot remember what happened to it. One day my mother found it and was very angry with me. She thought that I was reading this kind of thing. You see, our family members are all very strict Catholics. They thought Krsna consciousness was some kind of “brainwashing.” Actually I wasn’t reading the book; I had forgotten all about it. Somehow it just “appeared.” Anyway, my mother was going to throw it away.
My grandmother, who is 68, was in the kitchen at the time. She lives in the apartment upstairs. She came in and took the book. She looked at it and scolded me in a very heavy way. I thought that would be the end of it. I did not mind so much, as I was in a lot of maya at the time.
About a week later I overheard a conversation between my mother and grandmother. Granny was saying that this was not some ordinary book. She said that what Prabhupada was saying is what Jesus Christ said and that Krsna is God. I was very surprised. She said we should listen to what Prabhupada said and chant Hare Krsna because that was the religion for this age. There was a lot of talk about how Christianity was no more and no one was following the Bible but what Prabhupada said was pure and perfect.
Things really took a turn from there. One day my grandmother visited the nama-hatta [local Krsna center] here and began to chant on beads. She also began to buy Prabhupada’s books one by one. She was spending all her pension buying what she called the “beautiful holy Bhagavatam.” Sometimes she could only afford to eat potatoes, but she kept buying the books. The devotees even came to her flat and helped her set up an altar. When I went upstairs, there were Krsna pictures everywhere.
That was really the beginning. One night Granny had a dream about Prabhupada. Something really happened to her then. I don’t know what it was, but she began to get very enthusiastic. Next she began to get the whole family involved. I mean, not just me and my mother and sister, but her two sons, their wives and six children, as well as her brothers, sisters, and relatives. Before, she used to carry a Bible with her and quote Jesus Christ. Now she has a Bhagavad-gita and quotes “the good Lord Prabhupada.” She became a veritable transcendental terror. Everyone in the family has to chant at least one round a day. In addition Granny made everyone become a vegetarian, including my dog Sikra, and we offer our food to a picture of Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya.
Now I am also getting out of maya and chanting and reading a little also. Where I go to school my friends inquire about Krsna, since they know I am a devotee. The whole family goes to the nama-hatta, all sixteen of us. During the Christmas marathon [for book distribution], we all tried to distribute Prabhupada’s books. Even Granny would take books with her to the market and sell them to the vendors. Everyone is afraid of her because she is fearless. They all think she has gone crazy, but she doesn’t care.
Now she is saving to go to Budapest to see the newly installed Deities. She has heard that Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda “came” to Hungary and are being worshiped there by the devotees. She says she wants to see God just once in this life.
At this year’s Hare Krsna festival, you were speaking to the guests after the kirtana. You must remember my grandmother because she came and sat right beside you and asked so many questions. At the end when you stood to leave, she even kissed your hand, remember? I also wanted to ask a question, but I was shy. Could I please ask you now? I hope you do not mind, Maharaja.
I want to know what kind of man Srila Prabhupada was. He must be so dear to Krsna to have spread this message all over the world. What are these books that changed my family so much? How is it possible that he can speak so powerfully through them? You must feel very fortunate to be his disciple. How great a man he is! Sometimes when my Granny chants in front of a picture of Krsna she cries. How does Prabhupada do that? I want to cry like that too. Granny dreams of Prabhupada, and sometimes she talks to his picture. Although it says on the cover of the book that he passed away, is Prabhupada really dead, or is he still alive? Do you think I can meet him some day?
I am sorry that I have gone on so. I would like to be a good devotee one day and help you and Prabhupada spread Krsna consciousness. Please could you answer my questions?
Your servant,
Bhaktin Dora
Sivarama Swami: Srila Prabhupada, what is this brand of mercy that you gave this old lady I just barely met, which you never gave me? She never met you, never saw devotees. She is not even initiated by you. What is this kindness that you bestow upon her, which you do not give me, your “fortunate disciple”?
What am I referring to? It is just this. After having come in contact with you for just a few months, what inspiration did you give this Granny in that dream? What did you move in her heart that made her change her life in its final days, that made her turn against the current of banality and tradition and strike out alone to change her world? No sympathy, no association, no institutional support. Boldness I do not possess, changes I do not have strength to make.
Srila Prabhupada, I want to know what you say to her from your picture when she talks to you? I have so many pictures. You do not speak to me through them.
Although I worship Deities daily, I continue to see them as made of marble and wood. How is it this old lady has the conviction that God has “come” to her country? Why have you not given such vision to me? I want to cry like that too. When will you give me that mercy?
Srila Prabhupada, this is one letter, from one girl who came in contact with you. How many millions of such souls are there who have yet to write, who are directly experiencing your mercy daily, who read your books with implicit faith, whom you talk to in dreams and pictures, whose lives you change abruptly and reward with tears when chanting the holy names?
How many people cross the boundaries of rules and regulations by the strong boat of your mercy and practice and taste Krsna consciousness in a realm beyond logic and good fortune? When will you one day bestow some of this special mercy upon me that you give them?
If I am not to acquire it directly, even after begging for it, then I will serve such souls who have reached your mission. I will offer them prasadam, give them your books, and show them how to practice. I will chant with them. Thus I can hope to gain a new perspective of your greatness, even though I may never fully understand it.
Your insignificant servant,
Sivarama Swami
18 May, 2018
16 May, 2018
13 May, 2018
10 May, 2018
08 May, 2018
07 May, 2018
06 May, 2018
05 May, 2018
01 May, 2018
29 April, 2018
28 April, 2018
27 April, 2018
26 April, 2018
22 April, 2018
21 April, 2018
20 April, 2018
19 April, 2018
17 April, 2018
16 April, 2018
15 April, 2018
Schools Must Start Looking at Solving the Employability Issue in India
For long, the NASSCOM has been reporting that about 80% of the graduates coming out of our colleges are unemployable. The recent report issued by NITI AAYOG, “INDIA 3 YEAR ACTION AGENDA, 2017-18 TO 2019-20”, mentions that out of an assessment of 1,50,000 engineering graduates, only 18% were found to be employable in the software sector. The statistics are somewhat similar in the field of commerce and humanities & arts.
We must take this issue very seriously and question it. The fact is that our education system is producing 80% unemployable workforce. This would imply that any competitive advantage that India and Indians love to boast about, “Demographic Dividend” does not exist, instead, it has the potential to become a “Demographic Disaster”. If we continue on this path, we will put tens of millions of educated people on the streets with no job, that will not be a pleasant situation.
Let’s trace the education of our unemployable graduate. We know that these kids have studied either in the CBSE, ICSE or the state education board, after which they enrolled in some college, following either the curriculum of the affiliated university or their own approved curriculum, in the case of being a UGC approved private university. These kids are unemployable even after 14 years of schooling and another 4 years of college. Something’s amiss. It’s the lives of tens of millions of our youth. It needs us to stand up and pay attention.
The curriculum of our school education boards have always focused on attainment of marks, on our ability to retain and reproduce information. The school curriculum does not focus on creating skills or creating knowledge, neither does it motivate our kids to focus on sports, or on their physical development, which is critical for their life long health issues. Our school system is geared towards exam preparation, either the school boards or the entrance exams. We have totally sacrificed on confidence building, innovation, creativity, handling and managing failure, managing conflict and chaos, ability to be different and survive and thrive. Although we all fail, we don’t accept failure, we classify it as the end of the world, and that’s why some kids commit suicide, when they fail, or can’t cope up. Is our School system failing us?
After school, we encourage our kids to enroll in a good college, (which is a rare commodity in India), for which they actually start preparing while in school. We all know that the students go through a very tough time preparing for these competitive exams. The question to ask is why do our colleges fail our students? Why do these colleges create 80% unemployable candidates? Again, it may point to the curriculum being taught in our colleges, which is archaic and outdated, not commensurate to the current demands of the market.
A number of students take on to the add on courses offered outside the colleges, by training institutes, to try to build some employable skills, in a short time. It’s an expensive approach with a slim chance of employment.
By this time, our unemployable youth is about 22 years, with nowhere to go and not much to look forward to.
The world is changing at the speed of light. Automation, Artificial Intelligence, Machine learning, space science, etc. Education will have to radically change across the nations, not only in India. A paradigm shift is required when we think about education. We must also keep in mind, that the three IT global leaders, Bill Gates (Microsoft), Michael Dell (Dell Corporation) and Steve Jobs (Apple) were all college dropouts, and they all went to some of the good colleges.
Education being imparted in India is merely limited to information, and reproduction of this information in examinations, with an objective to attain high marks and prepare for the competitive examinations. Better would be if these kids had some marketable “Skills”, or “Skills in demand”, which would have made them employable. Better even, would be, if these kids were to become “knowledge creators”, where they innovate or discover new things that positively impact our lives.
Schools should now think about how they can shift their roles as “information dispensers and assessors” to “skills developers” and “knowledge creators”.
Our Schools are highly regulated, where they are restricted and constricted by the many unnecessary rules set by the center and the state, such as defining who can teach, what age should they be, what to teach, how to teach, what to assess, how to assess, what to do with the failures, our system has defined what a failure is and is designed to reject the failures. This remains true till the time the school is in session, say till 1:30 PM everyday, but, as soon as our child comes out of the school, they come into the “free world”, they are able to breathe freely and are able to learn any content, in any language, from anyone, anytime – at their will, without the fear of begin assessed and classified as a failure. These two worlds exist in parallel today, and in the near future the “free world” will survive, and the restrictions will cease to exist, or become irrelevant, the schools will be able to deliver, and not fail our children.
Schools must begin trying to innovate and reinvest themselves, for the sake of our children. They must try to solve the employment issues that we face. Focusing on skills, at a very early age, would be one such innovation. Schools can create “dedicated skill centers” within their campus, in partnership with the industry and the sector skills councils, and deliver the curriculum over the years that the student is enrolled in the school, such that at the time of graduation the students are well equipped with the necessary skills as demanded by the industry and can be gainfully employed at the age of 18 years.
Education is all about experimentation and innovation. This innovation can get an early start for our children, save a few years of their life, and a lot of money for their parents, save them from the stress of trying to find a college for their children, (most students do not get into their colleges of choice, most students compromise) and more importantly, create a skilled, productive human resource.
Written by
Anshul Pathak
Vice Chairman & Treasurer Delhi Public School
We must take this issue very seriously and question it. The fact is that our education system is producing 80% unemployable workforce. This would imply that any competitive advantage that India and Indians love to boast about, “Demographic Dividend” does not exist, instead, it has the potential to become a “Demographic Disaster”. If we continue on this path, we will put tens of millions of educated people on the streets with no job, that will not be a pleasant situation.
Let’s trace the education of our unemployable graduate. We know that these kids have studied either in the CBSE, ICSE or the state education board, after which they enrolled in some college, following either the curriculum of the affiliated university or their own approved curriculum, in the case of being a UGC approved private university. These kids are unemployable even after 14 years of schooling and another 4 years of college. Something’s amiss. It’s the lives of tens of millions of our youth. It needs us to stand up and pay attention.
The curriculum of our school education boards have always focused on attainment of marks, on our ability to retain and reproduce information. The school curriculum does not focus on creating skills or creating knowledge, neither does it motivate our kids to focus on sports, or on their physical development, which is critical for their life long health issues. Our school system is geared towards exam preparation, either the school boards or the entrance exams. We have totally sacrificed on confidence building, innovation, creativity, handling and managing failure, managing conflict and chaos, ability to be different and survive and thrive. Although we all fail, we don’t accept failure, we classify it as the end of the world, and that’s why some kids commit suicide, when they fail, or can’t cope up. Is our School system failing us?
After school, we encourage our kids to enroll in a good college, (which is a rare commodity in India), for which they actually start preparing while in school. We all know that the students go through a very tough time preparing for these competitive exams. The question to ask is why do our colleges fail our students? Why do these colleges create 80% unemployable candidates? Again, it may point to the curriculum being taught in our colleges, which is archaic and outdated, not commensurate to the current demands of the market.
A number of students take on to the add on courses offered outside the colleges, by training institutes, to try to build some employable skills, in a short time. It’s an expensive approach with a slim chance of employment.
By this time, our unemployable youth is about 22 years, with nowhere to go and not much to look forward to.
The world is changing at the speed of light. Automation, Artificial Intelligence, Machine learning, space science, etc. Education will have to radically change across the nations, not only in India. A paradigm shift is required when we think about education. We must also keep in mind, that the three IT global leaders, Bill Gates (Microsoft), Michael Dell (Dell Corporation) and Steve Jobs (Apple) were all college dropouts, and they all went to some of the good colleges.
Education being imparted in India is merely limited to information, and reproduction of this information in examinations, with an objective to attain high marks and prepare for the competitive examinations. Better would be if these kids had some marketable “Skills”, or “Skills in demand”, which would have made them employable. Better even, would be, if these kids were to become “knowledge creators”, where they innovate or discover new things that positively impact our lives.
Schools should now think about how they can shift their roles as “information dispensers and assessors” to “skills developers” and “knowledge creators”.
Our Schools are highly regulated, where they are restricted and constricted by the many unnecessary rules set by the center and the state, such as defining who can teach, what age should they be, what to teach, how to teach, what to assess, how to assess, what to do with the failures, our system has defined what a failure is and is designed to reject the failures. This remains true till the time the school is in session, say till 1:30 PM everyday, but, as soon as our child comes out of the school, they come into the “free world”, they are able to breathe freely and are able to learn any content, in any language, from anyone, anytime – at their will, without the fear of begin assessed and classified as a failure. These two worlds exist in parallel today, and in the near future the “free world” will survive, and the restrictions will cease to exist, or become irrelevant, the schools will be able to deliver, and not fail our children.
Schools must begin trying to innovate and reinvest themselves, for the sake of our children. They must try to solve the employment issues that we face. Focusing on skills, at a very early age, would be one such innovation. Schools can create “dedicated skill centers” within their campus, in partnership with the industry and the sector skills councils, and deliver the curriculum over the years that the student is enrolled in the school, such that at the time of graduation the students are well equipped with the necessary skills as demanded by the industry and can be gainfully employed at the age of 18 years.
Education is all about experimentation and innovation. This innovation can get an early start for our children, save a few years of their life, and a lot of money for their parents, save them from the stress of trying to find a college for their children, (most students do not get into their colleges of choice, most students compromise) and more importantly, create a skilled, productive human resource.
Written by
Anshul Pathak
Vice Chairman & Treasurer Delhi Public School
14 April, 2018
13 April, 2018
12 April, 2018
11 April, 2018
10 April, 2018
09 April, 2018
07 April, 2018
06 April, 2018
04 April, 2018
02 April, 2018
Easter Message from Pope Francis: Calls for Peace
You can have flaws, be anxious, and ever angry, but do not forget that your life is the greatest enterprise in the world. Only you can stop it from going bust. Many appreciate you, admire you and love you. Remember that to be happy is not to have a sky without a storm, a road without accidents, work without fatigue, relationships without disappointments.To be happy is to find strength in forgiveness, hope in battles, security in the stage of fear, love in discord. It is not only to enjoy the smile, but also to reflect on the sadness.It is not only to celebrate the successes, but to learn lessons from the failures.It is not only to feel happy with the applause, but to be happy in anonymity.
Being happy is not a fatality of destiny, but an achievement for those who can travel within themselves. To be happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become your destiny's author. It is to cross deserts, yet to be able to find an oasis in the depths of our soul. It is to thank God for every morning, for the miracle of life. Being happy is not being afraid of your own feelings. It's to be able to talk about you.
Being happy is not a fatality of destiny, but an achievement for those who can travel within themselves. To be happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become your destiny's author. It is to cross deserts, yet to be able to find an oasis in the depths of our soul. It is to thank God for every morning, for the miracle of life. Being happy is not being afraid of your own feelings. It's to be able to talk about you.
It is having the courage to hear a "no". It is confidence in the face of criticism, even when unjustified. It is to kiss your children, pamper your parents, to live poetic moments with friends, even when they hurt us. To be happy is to let live the creature that lives in each of us, free, joyful and simple. It is to have maturity to be able to say: "I made mistakes". It is to have the courage to say "I am sorry". It is to have the sensitivity to say, "I need you". It is to have the ability to say "I love you". May your life become a garden of opportunities for happiness ... That in spring may it be a lover of joy. In winter a lover of wisdom. And when you make a mistake, start all over again. For only then will you be in love with life. You will find that to be happy is not to have a perfect life. But use the tears to irrigate tolerance. Use your losses to train patience. Use your mistakes to sculpter serenity. Use pain to plaster pleasure. Use obstacles to open windows of intelligence. Never give up .... Never give up on people who love you. Never give up on happiness, for life is an incredible show.*
(Pope Francis).
01 April, 2018
31 March, 2018
30 March, 2018
How can we make better use of summer vacation for our kids
Dear folks.... pls read... its for your kids...involve and teach the kids few life skills to manage themselves...
Summer vacations are around the corner.
Parents are busy searching for suitable camps for children .
Almost 2 months break...
Art, theatre, Football, basketball, robotics, dance, nature walk, cooking, painting...So many options...
Interested parents should also include the following in the list:
1. My child this time will learn to wash his plate.
A 12 yr girl last time shocked me when I asked her to put the plate in the sink by saying ' oh sorry aunty. I did not know this is my duty. At my house, either maid or ma takes it..'
2. My child, every morning will learn to fold his bedsheets and and arrange the pillow and bed.
3. During this 2 months period, my child will learn to eat what I cook instead of what he likes to eat.
4. My child, will gather his friends, and go for evening walks, introduce themselves to neighbors and people playing in the garden.
5. My child, along with his friends will make lemonade after their outdoor play.
6. He has few cousins at my hometown. When he is going to visit them, he is taking only one set of toys, not 3 sets. This time he learns how to share.
7. Instead of going to big cinema halls, he will gather some friends, make a screen in the terrace , hire a projector and watch, it will be an Awesome experience.
8. My child is going to stay with grand parents, uncles and aunts without parents for sometime.
Children are ready to explore. Only the parent's apprehensions blocks them. Without showing them options parents decide children can't or dont stay without them.
9. Children can Make a dollhouse out of cardboard .
10. Children can Make kitchen utensils out of real clay.
You will never believe the creativity of our children when you leave them on their own.
11. If they fall sick, let them be healed without any medicine. Can't we wait parents? It's only vacation. Atleast now we can let their immunity work.
12. Let them wake up without alarm, let them go bed after a tiring play.
There is life beyond maths, language , science, art, craft, robotics, handwriting, Olympiads etc..
Waking them up again in the morning, getting them dressed for some classes, making them sit and do activities again, please remember NOT ALL CLASSROOMS HAVE 4 WALLS.
Summer vacation is not only for children, it's for parents who can take time to recharge themselves for the next academic year, take care of their health and mind.
Happy holidays everyone
Summer vacations are around the corner.
Parents are busy searching for suitable camps for children .
Almost 2 months break...
Art, theatre, Football, basketball, robotics, dance, nature walk, cooking, painting...So many options...
Interested parents should also include the following in the list:
1. My child this time will learn to wash his plate.
A 12 yr girl last time shocked me when I asked her to put the plate in the sink by saying ' oh sorry aunty. I did not know this is my duty. At my house, either maid or ma takes it..'
2. My child, every morning will learn to fold his bedsheets and and arrange the pillow and bed.
3. During this 2 months period, my child will learn to eat what I cook instead of what he likes to eat.
4. My child, will gather his friends, and go for evening walks, introduce themselves to neighbors and people playing in the garden.
5. My child, along with his friends will make lemonade after their outdoor play.
6. He has few cousins at my hometown. When he is going to visit them, he is taking only one set of toys, not 3 sets. This time he learns how to share.
7. Instead of going to big cinema halls, he will gather some friends, make a screen in the terrace , hire a projector and watch, it will be an Awesome experience.
8. My child is going to stay with grand parents, uncles and aunts without parents for sometime.
Children are ready to explore. Only the parent's apprehensions blocks them. Without showing them options parents decide children can't or dont stay without them.
9. Children can Make a dollhouse out of cardboard .
10. Children can Make kitchen utensils out of real clay.
You will never believe the creativity of our children when you leave them on their own.
11. If they fall sick, let them be healed without any medicine. Can't we wait parents? It's only vacation. Atleast now we can let their immunity work.
12. Let them wake up without alarm, let them go bed after a tiring play.
There is life beyond maths, language , science, art, craft, robotics, handwriting, Olympiads etc..
Waking them up again in the morning, getting them dressed for some classes, making them sit and do activities again, please remember NOT ALL CLASSROOMS HAVE 4 WALLS.
Summer vacation is not only for children, it's for parents who can take time to recharge themselves for the next academic year, take care of their health and mind.
Happy holidays everyone
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