Are our schools becoming dead zones of imagination and creativity?

Creativity is the ability to view something in a new way; to see and solve problems others may not know existed, and to engage in physical and mental experiences that are new, different and unique.

Children are creative. There is no limit to their imagination. They are creative because they do not have the fear of being wrong. One can be creative only if he or she is prepared to be wrong. Schools do not teach us about the bad. In fact, students’ mistakes are often treated with disdain. We are educated to think ‘inside the box’.

Firstly, we need to understand that intelligence is diverse, dynamic and distinct. Schools want students to answer questions in a particular way. And if they do not answer the way they’re taught, they are chastised. So, we as students don’t want to be wrong. While there are so many ways to answer a question, we choose to answer the way everyone else does. Examinations ensure we paste on paper whatever information we have stored in our brain. We are then graded, and defined, by them. 

Parents start worrying about their wards’ future success from they day they are born, trying to get them into the best school. We have to interview for a spot in Nursery. Picture this: a four-year-old sits with his parents, résumé in hand, while the unimpressed panel flips through it with a ‘that’s-it?’ expression on their faces. The four-year-old now realises that his life is a numbers game. 

If a creative person is holed up in school for six hours, he or she naturally gets uneasy. The school immediately classifies the student as an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) case. Creative children are often considered sick children. We need an education system that creates circumstances where children can explore and work on their talents. Only a handful of adults do what they love. They do not call what they do for a living a ‘profession’. Most people ‘settle’ as opposed to enjoying what they pursue. We hear stories of famous people who were never good in studies but are now millionaires, and enjoy their work. Human flourishing is not a mechanical process, but an organic evolution. 

Like a farmer who cannot predict the production of crops, but creates conditions for them to grow, likewise, our schools should create such conditions so that a child can explore his or her talents, and find out what they are passionate about.

Our talents and creativity are suppressed by homework and exams. I remember quitting the football academy because I was told studying for my class 10 boards was important.

 Even after a few years had passed, I still could not figure out why I was put through the wringer for my boards? Was it so I could brag about my results in front of the extended family?

India’s education system does not require reform as it would just improve a broken model. We do not need an evolution; we need a revolution. Creativity in education is as important as literacy. It deserves the same status.

The girl never took interest in studies, but she was good in the arts. While drawing in class, her teacher asked with an unpleasant look: “What are you drawing?” “I am drawing the picture of God,” she replied innocently. The teacher frowned: “But no one knows what God looks like!” “They will in a minute,” the girl retorted.

Creative people make the world a better place.

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