Education v Demagogy

By Karuna Purna dasi

The essence of this article rests on the firm belief and experience that teaching according to each individual’s needs in the classroom is neither necessarily effective nor desirable. The solution to a failing ISKCON education system lies first in identifying its problem. It will be contended that poor teaching staff has been a determining factor. My solutions to remedy the ISKCON education system are mainly twofold. First, it is of crucial importance that teachers be appropriately qualified. Second, teaching should be inherently focused on challenging and stimulating children and stretching abilities. This would provide learners with a conducive environment to reaching academic and intellectual zenith.

Every living entity is unique. Similarly our individual relationship with Krsna both in the material or spiritual world is different from others’. The difficulty in applying the above assertion to the context of teaching in the classroom is that education in the classroom applies mainly to the body. Otherwise, as souls we are eternal servants of Krsna and as such we need not learn in this area but to regain our original consciousness. Srila Prabhupada explained that time applies only when there is a change of body. Conversely only eternity should be relevant. The soul in this material world needs to cleanse itself and we need to control our material conditioning in order to regain our constitutional position of bliss and knowledge as eternal servants of the Lord.
‘The individual uniqueness of a person on a material level (body and subtle elements) is often overshadowed by our understanding and emphasis of the spiritual ideal’. This is a citation adopted from a recent article on Dandavats in relation to education.

It is also important to note that Srila Prabhupada used to give the very same guidance to scholars, journalists or members of this society.

The unfortunate events of certain ISKCON practices in the classroom have partly been the consequence of a lack of ‘know-how’ to motivate and stretch students to strive to attain their maximum potential. The problem lays in the lack of ability by mentors and tutors to apply proper methodology necessary for optimal learning.

I would suggest that the contention that the solution to a failing education system is to adapt teaching according to each individual student is oversimplified. It is based on a misunderstanding of the problems inherent to the ISKCON education system in the first place. Rather I would put forward that an effective solution to our failing education system is to stimulate, encourage and stretch students to achieve their maximum academic potential.

It is an unsettling fact that there are frightfully few ISKCON teachers with genuine teaching training qualifications. They are very different from other various academic diplomas such as the PHD, Masters or any other. Undertaking the teaching training course enables teachers to be taught, guided and assessed by professionals in the field under National governmental aims and standards. Furthermore, it transmits the deontology of the teaching profession. Thus the very essence of the problem that lies at the heart of the ISKCON education system is that teachers are not qualified. This is an alarming fact for all parents whose children attend Gurukula thorough the world.

The role that teachers play is essential to the intellectual acumen and academic success of a child. Ex-gurukulis have admitted that there have been failures in teaching methods. It is my belief that children should be tested and challenged in order to test their potential and thrive to reach their very highest academic level, whilst being provided with a highly supportive framework.
There is a very real distinction between the knowledge acquired through academic diplomas and the practical experience gained by training in a classroom under National framework. The potential for error unless proper training is undertaken is significant and dangerous. No foreseen risk should be permitted to be taken with our children’s academic and professional future.

I would recognise however that adopting adaptive teaching methods can be effective in some instances. The theories of Rohm, Gardner and particularly Cynthia Tobias are soothing for a category of learners and parents who are unwilling to comply with the methods of traditional learning and who are unaware of the importance of tapasya and regularity.

The above mentioned article on Dandavats supports demagogic theories against more conventional learning as well as our philosophy where self-training is one of the pillars or our process.

The are good reasons for providing children with a challenging and stimulating environment in the classroom. When students surpass themselves by mental and intellectual stretching and self-discipline, they acquire great satisfaction in the same way in which when we undergo tapasya we attain bliss. Surpassing our material conditioning allows us to bend our material constitution without compromising or adjusting the ‘spiritual ideal’. This either leads us to unworthy material knowledge in the first case or spiritual knowledge, which takes us to regain our constitutional position as servants our beloved Krsna.

To conclude I would recommend our ISKCON educational departments to adopt traditional and new teaching methods. Furthermore I would urge all ISKCON teachers to be fully qualified and to have carried out appropriate training. It is worth bearing in mind Srila Prabhupada’s education of the masses regardless of the individuality and uniqueness of everyone of us.