its not an unknown fact that from class 11, we begin to be distributed into our various streams of our choosing, so that we can start to focus on what we want to do furthur after school, and then as our career.
but what happens is that even in an effective education system as india's, the pot holes mar the brilliance that emerges at the end of the long and dark tunnel. students have to slog, and slog they do because to get anywhere in a competitive country like india, you have to do better than the others. but even before others, its the colleges that you have to beat. with unworldly scores of 95%+ as the pre-requisite for any course that might catch your fancy, you are left gasping for air with limbs thrashing wildly. that is probably why so many students today pick the alternative, and stay away from the heavy duty courses which demand such scores. they go in for careers in law, sociology, psychology ... courses which demand excellent marks only in their respective subjects, not overall aggregates.

but, i have always been for the system of specialised institutes. ones such as FIIT-JEE, and Vidyamandir Classes, but with more options for stream pursuit. for example, i being a heavily music oriented person would love to join Berklee and begin a course in music right from day one. that'll not only give me enough time to be able to master my instrument and the prowess required, but also trap the maximum energy and enthusiasm that i can muster. the worst thing to do would be to let a creative mind rot in the labs or theories of the days gone by. a little knowledge of everything is a must, i agree ... but what the deuce of a difference does it make to me how an item splits into different particles when a neutron strikes it. all i need to know is that happens, and thats how nuclear fission takes place which gives us energy ... and i can go back to playing my guitar and learning performance and playing techniques. do you see what a trifle it is, and how bad it can be? i'm spending two whole years of my life learning and doing something which i will never use again in my life. maybe maths and computers and a little bit of physics, yes ... but no chemistry definitely. such profound knowledge of these respective subjects is redundant in today's day when we have machines and computers aiding every process, and carrying them out completely in many cases.

why such atrocities on young minds? why not let them pursue what they want to. the sports enthusiasts can join academies and become professional sportsmen. music lovers can take a hobby, and make a career out of it. science lovers can furthur divide into respective institutions which teach different branches of science. the possibilities are endless. this also allows the freedom for individuals to break away from a monotonous study routine, and meet with like-minded people. where they learn faster, and hence mature sooner. there can be annual fests where all these institutions can organise and work together to award students from different fields who come together and use their knowledge and creativity to invent something completely unique. such a system would have caused the invention of something like the electric guitar much sooner! also, these will produce potential leaders in their respective fields.

there will be so much that can be achieved. ofcourse, a few who might dislike what they choose in the beginning should have the freedom to change to the subject and the field of their liking whenever they want. that keeps the motivations going high! :)

the downsides to such a method of education might be the growth of communist brains. some might get too attached to their field and hence for its betterment, sacrifice or hurt others. these will i'm sure be exceptions to the rule, since the 'fests' and get-together events will allow everyone to understand and acknowledge every other field, while giving them a fair idea of the shortcomings and the beauty of their own choices.

such a realisation can only work to better the mind, and the way it handles life and situations. i hope to see such a system of education being implemented for students at a young age, so that time is not wasted in harnessing true potential, and child prodigies. remember, 'the early bird catches the worm'!

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