Sonam Wangchuk, an innovator and education reformist, strongly bats for quality education for all. In an exclusive interview with Sanjay Jog, Wangchuk, who recently won the Ramon Magsaysay award, spoke on a number of issues.
What is your take on present state of education. Is right to education for all still a distant dream?
Education needs to be linked with life and should take into count the ground situation in different parts of India. What is useful in Mumbai, may not be useful in Ladakh. Besides, education be made available to all. Good quality education should not just be restricted to rich in private schools, but should be available in public schools too.
Paper knowledge, paper evaluations, paper degrees all too papery and all too theoretical; it has very little that prepares us for real life in the real world.
Students need to be simultaneously taught how to address issues faced in real life.
Amid rush for private schools, do you feel government schools failed to get due attention?
Private schools cannot be the answer to nation's needs. Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway are leading examples where government schools are world acclaimed. There are no private schools. If this can happen there, why not in India? Government needs to emulate such models.
How can innovation in education be pursued?
It is important to engage students by focussing at what they wanted to do, rather than forcing them to do something. Every solution needs to be simple which solves the problems of a very complex world.
For example, Maharashtra government's initiative to set up the state International Education Board to oversee its foray into international schools. It will provide quality education at par with the International Baccalaureate syllabus. All states can adopt such innovative policies which will help make government schools more efficient.
