"The inquisitive mind of a child"

Why are they selling poppies, Mummy?
Selling poppies in town today.
The poppies, child, are flowers of love.
For the men who marched away.

But why have they chosen a poppy, Mummy?
Why not a beautiful rose?
Because my child, men fought and died
In the fields where the poppies grow.

But why are the poppies so red, Mummy?
Why are the poppies so red?
Red is the colour of blood, my child.
The blood that our soldiers shed.

The heart of the poppy is black, Mummy.
Why does it have to be black?
Black, my child, is the symbol of grief.
For the men who never came back.

But why, Mummy are you crying so?
Your tears are giving you pain.
My tears are my fears for you my child.
For the world is forgetting again.

Author Unknown

Image that represents me

Tu Tira Ma Nga Iwi

Befriending Technology!!

I am not a good writer nor am I too keen in writing as well. I had been introduced to the world of blogging way back in 2009. But it does not seem to work well for me as I have never made a post nor attempted to do so. Perhaps, I can justify myself by blaming the system of education through which I was molded and brought up. It sometimes feels good to have a justification anyway!

However, through the session of “Toying with technology” I was re-introduced to the world of blogging. Every one of us is encourage to maintain a blog through which we would put down our reflections on issues concerning us. I would stop short of saying I was ‘pushed/forced’ to do so as I have no doubt that it is for my benefit. Now here am I again trying my level best to do myself a big favor. Anyway, it is said ‘better late than never’.

Reflecting on the kind of life one lived in this “information age”, it is an undeniable fact that whether we like it or not, we accept it or not, technology has a lot more to do in our lives as compared to that of the previous generation. I may not be wrong in saying that technology becomes a part of human life. From the least educated to the most educated, the poorest to the richest, technology plays a part in our lives, though the level of our dependence and necessity on it, might differ. Such is the influence of technology in our lives.

Though it is very true to say that technology can be a threat as much as it is beneficial, it is also equally true that the pace at which technological advancement is progressing and its impact on the people is irresistible. As a matter of fact, it will be foolish of us to fight against technological advancement and shunning ourselves from utilizing it. Therefore, it is wiser to explore more on how to effectively use technology at our benefit.

Taking on that positive note, I often question myself, had it not been for this techno kit and its products, will a person like me who is not so keen on writing would ever put down my thoughts and reflections? The kind of space and opportunity that Mobile phones, Social Networking sites, Blogs etc. had provided is immense. Technology is kind enough to absorb my tasteless thoughts and reflections being put down. Ultimately, it will transform me from being a beginner to a provider.

Technology not only provides a space to put down my reflections, it also preserves those thoughts. It also delivers to the world those precious thoughts of mine for view; review and feedback so that it can be refined and add more meanings to it. Further, it also brought me other’s perspective so as to broaden my domain. In a nutshell, it facilitates exchange of thoughts and ideas between me and others.

To conclude, it is my hope that the exchange of ideas and thoughts through technology resulted in imbibing more knowledge and better understanding. 

My reflection on the article: Does Education Pay Off? Subjective Expectations on Education in Rural India by Annemie Maertens

The article “Does Education Pay off? Subjective Expectations on Education in Rural India” by Annemie Maertens, published in the February 26, 2011 vol xlvi no 9, Economic & Political Weekly is very insightful. The paper presents the first results of a study conducted on subjective expectations that parents have about the costs and returns to education.

The study is done by using a detailed child-level dataset from the three villages of Dokur (Mahbubnagar district, Andhra Pradesh), Kalman and Shirapur (Sholapur district, Maharashtra).

 The data for the article were gathered in India during 2007-08, in collaboration with the International Crop Research Institute of the Semi-Arid Tropics.

Every parent, irrespective of their psycho-socio and economic background wanted a safe and secure future for their children. Education is perceived, across the social demarcations as the means of securing long term welfare of the children. This study attempted to understand the perception of rural parents in the light of the ‘costs and returns’ on education.

In order to achieve its objective, the researcher conceptualized a framework through which the analysis has to be carried out. The interesting derivation the study have brought up is that the decision maker regarding the education of an individual who is below 26 years is mainly the father (in some cases mother/uncle) which is commonly practice in the three villages. The study also highlighted that the level of knowledge of the decision makers are considerably low. The level of ignorance of the decision maker increases with the increase of the level of the educational attained. This ignorance also carried along some social attributes as the level ignorance among the lower caste, the STs etc. are found to be more severe. Besides, one of the most significant findings the study have made is that the ideal age of marriage for a girl is 18 and for a man is 23 which is common in all the three villages encompassing the socio-religious barriers.

What can we learned from the study:

The findings of the study bring into the limelight several significant issues which the practitioner should be aware of.

Ø  Social custom had a significant influence on the educational investment in the rural sector. As the study has pointed out, the ideal age of marriage for a girl is 18 years. This is the social perception which has been inculcated in the minds of the people. This ideal age implies that the possibility of a girl pursuing higher studies is relatively low as compare to that of the men counterpart. This also resulted in reluctance from the parents to invest more on girls’ education.

Ø  The social custom has a directly influenced the perception (psychological aspect) of a person and vice-versa. In this case, due the social custom of ideal age of marriage, parents are reluctant to invest in girls’ education because their fruits of their investment will be reaped by people other than themselves. Besides, the custom had put undue pressure on the parents to the extent that there will be stereotypes by not marrying their daughter off in the ideal age. Also there has been a fear that dowry increases with the increase in the age of the women.

Ø  The psycho-socio interplay needs to be effectively dealt with to improve the condition of the education.

Ø  The reason behind the high rate of drop out in the country may be determine by some phenomena which cannot be solved at the school boundary. For instance, the concept of ideal age for marriage which hinders the educational attainment of the individual needs to be dealt with at the societal level.

The study has put forward insightful findings which can broaden the domain of our approach. It has open up different dimensions for a practitioner to explore more on the psycho-social interplay which directly or indirectly influences the outcome of one’s education.

THE UNENDING DEBATE

The debate surrounding the issue of “heredity or environment” being the determining factor of human behavior and traits is quite enriching. The debate revolves around the notion that whether heredity plays a greater role or is the environment a bigger determinant. The inclination of one towards either of the two factors is seen to be determined by the discipline through which one has been brought up. This diversity in the group is what enriches the discussions and debates.

Digging deeper to the issue, the first and foremost question that crosses our mind is that whether heredity is what that determines our behavior/traits or is that we a shaped by our environment? Supposing that all our physical structure such as the eyes, the freckle etc. are inherited form the parents, where does our personality, talent etc. come from?

Some scientist are of the firm believe that people behave as they do according to the genetic predispositions which they termed it the “nature” theory of human behavior. The proponent of this theory holds that some of human abstract traits such as personality, intelligence, sexual orientation etc. are encoded in the DNA.

On the contrary, some scientist discounting the genetic dimension propagated that human behavior is shaped by the environment through his upbringing. This concept is termed the “nurture” theory of human behavior. The proponents of this theory play down the influence of genetic in shaping human behavior.

This “nature vs. nurture” debate has been an issue where no clear-cut conclusion has been reached. As such, the issue needs to be contextualized and simplified to make it relevant to our practice. It is undeniable that both the “heredity and environment” had a crucial role in determining human behavior and traits. However, as a practitioner who strives to bring changes in the educational environment of the children the rationality is more on the environmental aspect. After all, we cannot influence the heredity of a child, but we can influence the environment.

Trying my best to survive in the blogger's world. Eh!!!!!