I sometimes wonder whether we are witnessing a gradual decline in the intellectual and moral standards of our society, and the most worrying part is that we seem to be celebrating it.
Visit almost any school or college function today. What do we see? Singing, dancing, loud music, rehearsed performances, and an audience cheering at the top of its voice. The louder the applause, the more successful the event is considered.
But I have a question. When did entertainment become the measure of education?
Why is it that whenever a school organises an annual function, singing and dancing almost automatically become the centre of attention? Why are these performances given so much importance, while intellectual discussions, scientific curiosity, debates, literary achievements, original ideas, and meaningful conversations rarely receive the same enthusiasm?
I am not questioning a child’s right to enjoy life or express creativity. Music and dance are forms of artistic expression, and they have their place. But surely, there is a difference between encouraging creativity and making entertainment the centrepiece of an educational institution.
A school is not an entertainment company. A college is not a talent show. These are institutions entrusted with shaping the minds, character, judgment, and future of a generation.
And that responsibility is far greater than putting together a performance that earns a few minutes of applause.
We have somehow reached a point where being entertaining is often more celebrated than being thoughtful. A child who can imitate a popular performer receives thunderous applause, while a child who asks an uncomfortable question, challenges an established idea, or demonstrates an extraordinary understanding of science or literature may receive little attention.
What does that tell our children about what society values?
The philosopher John Dewey wrote in Democracy and Education: “Education is not an affair of ‘telling’ and being told, but an active and constructive process.”
Education, in other words, should awaken the mind, not merely fill a timetable or prepare students for the stage.
And then there is the timeless warning of Jean-Jacques Rousseau in Emile, where he argues that the purpose of education is not simply to produce a person who knows things, but someone capable of living and judging well.
We need to ask ourselves what kind of generation we are raising.
One that knows how to perform before an audience, or one that knows how to think independently?
One that seeks applause, or one that seeks truth?
One that can reproduce whatever is trending, or one that can question what is wrong, defend what is right, and contribute something meaningful to humanity?
There is nothing wrong with celebrating talent. But talent without character, knowledge without wisdom, and achievement without moral responsibility are poor foundations for an educated society.
I wish our schools and colleges would make intellectual excellence just as visible and exciting as entertainment. Let students present inventions, discuss books, debate difficult questions, explore history, defend ideas, solve real community problems, and speak about the moral responsibilities they carry towards others.
Let the audience applaud a student for intellectual courage, honesty, compassion, originality, and critical thinking. Because the real achievement of education is not producing children who know how to impress a crowd.
It is producing human beings who can think clearly, distinguish right from wrong, question injustice, respect others, and leave society better than they found it.
If our educational institutions cannot inspire these qualities, we need to seriously reconsider what we have come to call education.
A society does not become intellectually rich because its children can perform on a stage. It becomes rich when its children learn to think beyond it.
Author: Mudasir Ali, a software engineer based in Srinagar, Kashmir. He can be reached at [email protected]
