How the traditional education system is killing spontaneity

Individuals during their early childhood are very curious and adaptable and possess a quick grasping power. Ever wondered why these attributes start to diminish over time? Apart from numerous factors, the cause can be traced back to the traditional education system that is established across the world. Besides the traditional methods, the compulsion in education – the system of always giving directions – I believe destroys an individual’s spontaneity and intellectual interests.

Education creates dummies

Imparting knowledge more than one desires or can assimilate often creates adverse effects. Every individual has a different topic of interest, and when education condemns them to follow the same path as the majority, it does not fulfil one’s natural curiosity but merely makes them dummies – replicas of one another. Moreover, each generation witnesses similar replicas like the previous because the education syllabus has not drastically evolved, which causes the academic content to be the same.

Monotonous methodologies

To highlight, the major drawback is not only learning the same content but learning it through monotonous methodologies. This, in turn, leads to killing the spontaneity of an individual since he/she is focused on being correct. For instance, an individual trying to paint is aiming to accomplish the right colour scheme instead of aiming to create an innovative colour scheme altogether.

Allow your children to be creators

In general scenarios, parents try to live their dreams through their children. On the road to witnessing this accomplishment, they often create an ethos of dominance and interference in decision making. Individuals who fall prey to such situations have no room for self-expression since they are pressurized to focus on the path chosen by others. It is very important for parents to understand that one cannot grow rice in a desert. By depriving children of the power to choose, parents are only creating robots and not creators.

Expand the horizons of knowledge

It is essential for individuals to step outside the box and learn skills beyond the four walls of a classroom. Gaining knowledge through merely one domain is extremely hazardous not only for an individual’s career but also their life. In order to avoid this phenomenon, education should be made far more interactive and practical. The system should incorporate more research and field-study that enable students to experience the practicality of concepts. With these amendments, students will develop more curiosity, and furthermore discover a path they are passionate about. To note, for success and long-lasting content, it is essential to learn a skill set one is passionate about.

A non-trained dancer who loves to dance will be always more creative on a dance floor than the one who has actually learned the form.

This is because the un-learned individual always has the hunger to learn more, and most importantly, is open to different perspectives.

Keep your spontaneity alive

It is paramount to understand that real spontaneity – a feeling that keeps one going – comes from within. As individuals who aspire to be successful and innovative creators, one must stay curious and not settle for anything less than envisioned. Staying passionate about learning and exploring new dimensions is the key to staying spontaneous. Often individuals applaud the works of esteemed innovators like Elon Musk and Steve Jobs. They appreciate the glory of business tycoons like Dhirubhai Ambani and aspire to be like him by drawing inspiration from the projected exterior façade.

However, most of these individuals fail to understand the perseverance and dedication it takes to be successful. Remember, when crisis strikes, even the highly educated entrepreneurs or politicians resort to developing spontaneous solutions instead of implementing strategies from an educational book.

Pratish Nair is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Prahalad Kakar School of Branding and Entrepreneurship (PKSBE).

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)