Your Educational Chapter
Good education is a process that brings about desirable growth in the student – growth that one is able to see from year to year and evaluate. There are various kinds of growths that must take place:
Growth in the amount of knowledge and information, about various subjects, things, persons and events.
Growth in the quality of that information, viz. greater understanding as well as an increased ability to apply knowledge to a wide variety of situations, by developing one’s ability to think. (Thinking means the ability to see new relationships between facts).
Growth in the number and kinds of skills and abilities one discovers and develops : e.g., to speak and write better; to work with one’s hands, to fashion objects ; to pick up a game such as cricket or hockey ; to learn to cycle or to swim; to play a musical instrument etc. Growth can be either in learning a new skill or improving on the skill already learnt.
Growth in interests, in the formation of habits, values and attitudes – developing and pursuing personal interests and hobbies, some of which will become life long assets :
- Developing habits such as punctuality, regularity, order, working according to a time table, self-reliance, especially developing independent study techniques of learning.
- Developing values and attitudes such as active concern for the things of the Spirit and for moral and spiritual values, pride in one’s country and eagerness to contribute one’s talent to national development; concern for others and their needs and rights ; civic consciousness ; need to strive for excellence and shun mediocrity; eagerness to use personal effort and resources as much as possible rather than look easily to others for help.
Dear students, as you go through your school year, you should ask yourself whether you are able to see growth in one or more of these areas. To the extent that there is such growth, your education is successful. But, in the measure in which such growth is absent, your education is a failure.