It may be worth remembering that even the Old Masters in painting had a good understanding of a lot more than just Art, examples would be Leonardo DaVinci, Michael Angelo, our temple architects and others like them with their knowledge of Technology, Engineering, Anatomy, Perspective and Science. So perhaps we should not be too obsessed with divisions between Science and Arts and Humanities, especially at the school level, but look more at the end capability where every student would have a broad understanding of the basics of all such subjects.

In fact, a proper and realistic understanding of ethics and morality and of the effects of Public policies can only be gained if the person has the ability to grasp atleast the essence of the issues involved, and the implications of the technology and methodology used to arrive at and present the conclusions and recommended actions. Hence, it is even more important that Ethics, Morality, Science and Mathematics all receive greater attention.

In the olden days, of Trading and of Agriculture, the necessity of counting things and of demarcating lands required knowledge of Arithmetic and Geometry. So too today, our Society calls for an education system that teaches practical application of knowledge in the context of today’s requirements and with a eye to the prospective requirements of tomorrow.

As Andrew Hodges points out in “One to Nine” – asking for realism in Schools is to open up a can of unwelcome worms. To adults Education seems mostly to be dominated by questions of Social Class, National Identity. Religious indoctrinations, Racial groupings and dressing up in uniforms. For the young it is mainly about finding peer groups, gaining popularity, coping with bullying – and above all – dealing with the explosion of sexual desire and everything to do with it. So not teaching teenagers about sex is being short sighted.

The question of whether school children should do Arithmetic without Calculators is very telling. It is perfectly true that a child must understand what he/she is asking the Calculator to do, and to be able to interpret what it says, and must know what numbers are all about. For this reason, it is essential to learn the basic Mathematical Functions without using a calculator. But there is no virtue in repetitive Arithmetic.

Today, Thomas Edison’s remark that ‘genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration’, is no longer as valid as much of the ‘perspiration’ is now replaced by ‘automation’.

School Geometry has degenerated into pointless applications of few formulas concerning Circles and Triangles. If the dead hand of compulsion is removed and a new emphasis placed on the use of Computers, Mathematical thinking could become a lively option for those school students who are heading for something Scientific or Technical, especially from Class VIII onwards. To aspire to really understand Science and the intense Mathematics it rests on, is unrealistically ambitious for everyone, but a better understanding of science and mathematics will stimulate those with the aptitude for science
and the ability to think about it. It would also, help those who may later on move on to the Arts and Humanities, as an understanding of probabilities and of decision making, or choosing between alternatives, will be an asset to everyone.

As Hodges points out – the logical rigour of Euclid’s Geometry, which flowed into logic of numbers and is now in Computer Languages, calling for extreme rigour and challenge of proper Programming where what you write is what the computer executes with no reflection of what you meant (so succinctly put in the phrase ‘Garbage In Garbage Out’ or GIGO). The skill of Computer gaming is a good step towards Programming. Students don’t have to act like Machine slaves, nor pretend to be an ‘above it all Aristocracy’, but instead act as intelligent multi-tasking crafts persons using the staggering resources of a universal machine (today’s Computers as they keep evolving). Something more important in this Age of AI.

The computer can be used for the discipline of Logic, and for exploring the patterns of numbers and geometry, and acquiring an up to date Technical and Scientific expertise for text, music, art, photography, graphics and animation. It can be a platform for creativity. Gaming can also, be a great aid for eye, hand and brain coordination.

It is only when one has the ability to understand the essence of healthy living and of dealing with others (within the Family or out of it), with empathy and a sense of cooperation and team spirit, will one improve one’s ‘Quality of Life’, deriving health and happiness for one self and also, spreading happiness to others around one.

Happiness may only be a state of mind but such a state of mind can also, be derived from the feeling of satisfaction that one gets from having a level of job satisfaction and of having successfully stretched oneself to achievements (Physical and Mental) beyond what one had earlier thought possible. This can only be done when one is educated properly and made aware of one’s inherent potential, at whatever level it may be in physical, vocational or educational fields and be encouraged to find the ways in which one can strive to so achieve

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