1. ‘I wanted to become a doctor. I always studied to get good marks. But the Japanese told me why study is important. The basic principle of education there is that progress in technology has happened because of curiosity. 2. ‘The whole country is clean. We won’t even see a piece of plastic there. I was deeply impressed by his kindness, empathy and sense of responsibility. 3. ‘I was surprised to see the civic sense of the Japanese. There is always a smile on the faces of the people there. These things were not said by any great personality, but on Thursday, these were the reactions of three students from Karnataka who had gone to Shibura Institute of Technology in Kashiwa with a group of 56 Indian students. There he attended special classes with prominent scientists, including Nobel laureates. Visited major universities and research institutes of Japan. Participated in social activities with Japanese high school students and experienced the culture. That same Thursday, miles away in Kolkata, state Urban Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul announced that ‘for the next three months we will run an awareness and infrastructure creation campaign. Will urge people not to throw garbage on the roads. After three months, from September 1, fine will be imposed on those who spread garbage.’The biggest lesson for these children was that the schools there give more emphasis on teaching civic responsibility, morality, empathy and patience. This was a completely different experience than what these students were accustomed to. In the Indian education system, high priority is given to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), board exams and English proficiency from an early age. In India, success is often measured by numbers, ranks and bookish knowledge. Whereas in Japan, especially in the early and special developmental stages, success is measured by how well a child handles everyday life, how well he cooperates with the team, and how much emotional strength he shows. If we look closely at the curriculum there, it is deliberately designed to produce independent and civic-minded adults. Cooking and sewing are also taught there, which is called ‘Kataika’. This is not a useless subject, but ‘Home Economics’ is a compulsory subject for both boys and girls in Japan. Students learn this not only so that they don’t have to depend on parents or domestic help when they grow up, but they also learn nutritional balance, budgeting and clothing repair. Then comes music and games. They consider it an essential means of intellectual development, emotional expression and collective cohesion. In Japan, heavy academic examinations are deliberately avoided in childhood. There is a belief that in the early years of school, instead of dividing children into ‘smart’ and ‘struggling’ categories on the basis of examination scores, they should develop character, behavior and attachment to society. The Japanese Ministry of Education explicitly builds these arrangements around a principle called ‘Ikiru Chikara’, which means ‘zeal for living.’ Its purpose is to create a balance between the three main pillars. 1. Educational qualification, not just for memorization but for problem solving. 2. Rich human qualities, i.e. morality, empathy and civic responsibility. 3. Health and physical strength, which brings perseverance and self-discipline. Japanese schools are about much more than academic study. They function as complete systems of character building, where morality, civic duty and strict social discipline are incorporated into everyday life. Beyond books, students take an active part in the running of the school, participate in rigorous club activities and prepare for competitive exams. The bottom line is that this is a fight between morality and pressure. If you want to win this battle for the future generation, then choose to teach them the lessons of empathy during their school days, so that we are not forced to make laws to take action.
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N. Raghuraman’s Column: What do we need – a change in culture or strict action
