The Need and Plight of Children
Many say that being a student is the most awesome life anyone could ever have.
Yes, We all have great memories of the time when we had an absolute blast. There won’t be a single human who doesn’t heave a huge sigh, as this is mentioned. But certain bitter facts do involve those moments. One of the awful questions asked to a student is-
“Who do you want to become when you are grown up?”
This is a really silly question, given that the child may be confused or totally ignorant as to what the future holds for him. When you are in your formative years, you have a wide variety of imaginations and desires concerning life. During this period, it is almost impossible to figure out our ‘aspirations’. Most children, nowadays, reply to such queries in an evasive tone. To get away with such questions, they say that they want to become a doctor or an engineer, as those are the only two options that are ‘perfect’ for our society.
This infatuation of society for doctors and engineers is really contagious as most parents succumb to this fascination as soon as their children are born. The scene is not different in India. The parents want their children to be doctors or engineers or have other elite jobs. The passion and desire of a child are often forgotten. It is neglected. Since the child is born, her fate is sealed or decided by the parents. Most children succumb to the hues and cries of their parents. They try to fulfil the dreams of their parents rather than chasing their own. The sad truth is that most of these anxious parents do not realise that their child is not that bright in their academics. Academically poor children are used as objects for parents to show-off to society.
The subject of science is given utmost importance once they reach class 9. Seeing that physics, chemistry and biology are given the status of “importance”, many students perceive that those subjects could give one a steady life and the other subjects are severely disregarded, especially language. Teachers force the students to score good marks in science and let the option out that it is easy to score good marks in language subjects. They are soft subjects. Many children aspire to become writers during their initial school years. But once they reach class 8, 9 or 10, they will be forced to step back and concentrate on science or maths. Thus their vigour to “reach out for the skies” lessens and will possibly sideline, or they will completely forget their dreams to fit into the society.
It is impossible to find the real reason behind such a trend in our society. Science and maths are important, just like English and other regional languages. Parents try to inject their desires into the children, making it impossible for the child to dream. They will make the children think that all other jobs besides a doctor or an engineer are totally unworthy and hence really bad. With that impression, children concentrate only on maths and science to score top marks and to get a job that pleases their parents, not themselves.
How can we alter this trend?
It can only happen if we give proper awareness to the parents rather than to the students. The parents have to be instructed to let their kid fly with their wings without obstructing their path. Surely, the kids can find their own way, all by themselves.
