Do schools kill creativity?

I was listening to one of the talks by Sir. Ken Robinson on the topic- “Do schools kill creativity” and I was really compelled by his words to ponder over it. It really made me look back at my past and I found out that he was almost correct. I tried to remember my friends from my school. This made it clear to me that the above statement is correct, correct when we take into perspective the present education system. And this system doesn't just prevail in the subcontinent but even in “developed” countries like the United States.

I tried to remember how the fear of making mistakes in school took over me, until I was completely blank. Only at that time I realized that I have lost it. This usually happens to the majority of the school going children. In schools, the cane always revolves over the head, and this is the death of creativity. For the best of the inventions, there are the most number of failures, take the example of the light bulb. Before Edison came up with tungsten filament, he had tried nine hundred and ninety nine different materials for the filament. But in schools a spelling mistake either costs you a red mark or a lash. Even though the schools boast that separate classes are allotted for arts, but painting is not the only way to express the creativity one has. 

I remember that my was the first one in my city to start what are known as smart classes at the elementary levels, but their effect was rendered useless as soon as the students entered their first grade. The reason was the same old way of finishing up the syllabus to enable the pupils to compete in the cruelest of environment. Survival of the fittest applies only in this field. This competition has led to another “social evil” known as the “play school culture”. Small children are being forced to spend the day with nurses so that they can get an admission in missionary schools. This is the time when they need mother’s love and guidance, but who has time? This is really a tragedy with our society. Those parents are under-qualified for parenthood; Pity them!

Then where is the time for them to learn life and nature. Let them learn at their own pace and according to their abilities. But this is not acceptable to the parents and schools who need a good name in society and ever increasing number of students for admissions. The system we have established is a way of mass producing workers to do daily jobs to run the world, but it lacks the exploration of human abilities and the murder of the aspirations of children. Then it is followed by one of the worst inventions ever made, “examinations”, which I feel is a waste of time and precious trees. People are more knowledgeable than they are able to put on paper. And many times the examiners in their ignorance play an unfair game with the students. This is always a disaster. One cannot judge someone’s know how by looking at the grades. Marks don’t matter in life, but yes due to the current system they play an important role to determine the standard of living. This is another killer of creativity for those who need space to think and learn. 

Even in The Glorious Quran, Allah asks the people to reflect on his signs; “In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are Signs for people of intelligence: those who remember Allah standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: "Our Lord, You did not create this for nothing. Glory be to You! So guard us from the punishment of the Fire." (Surah Ali-‘Imran: 190-191). Since we have clear orders from our creator to broaden our outlook and think in a wider perspective, so why is it that we have based our education system on an infinitesimal criteria?

There is an urgent need of changing the system from the one of studying to one that is of learning. This system has led to another disastrous and sinful phenomenon that is known as “suicide”, that claims scores of student lives. The main reason for their suicides is either bad grades or depression caused by the overload of the course material. The pressure from the parents adds to the readings on the barometer. This is a dreadful situation; even though it is the student who has to be blamed for the loss of his/her life but the people who add to the pressure are nothing less than murderers.

It is a high time for the society to realize that “integration and mechanics, political sciences and anatomy, international laws and .net”, are not going to make a society better but it is moral education and a skillful members of society that will ensure a better world. 

Let the schools be a place to think and hone the skills. Let the universities be a place of dialogues and sharing of ideas. Let the unfair examination system be replaced by a better system of continuous evaluation. The world will see a real change. But it is only possible when we overcome the fear of change. I hope this article something to the society to think upon. 

                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                        Abdul