Take the humanities route
ALL HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY: Arts, literature and drama have as much a place as the sciences and the computers in the learning process. — Photo: N. Balaji
PRESIDENT A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has gone on record saying scientists alone are not responsible for technology development.
Behind every scientist or inventor is a large group of persons doing science, practising humanities, projecting economic costs and looking at social impact.
The other day the Doon School principal called for more stress on humanities studies.
But the ground situation is: Schools want to close down humanities groups in Plus-Two. A minister says humanities are "non-utility subjects." Parents do not want their kids to "take history, sociology or economics." Opt for the science group, they say. "After all, we want you to become the family's first computer engineer... or whatever..!" mothers dictate.
So, several young men and women pursue science groups when they would rather read poetry, history, economics, psychology or languages. Under peer pressure and family influence, they slog on with a mandate they hardly love. Very few make the best out of the situation.
The wise words of the President needs re-emphasis.
Academicians and sociologists want a revival in the interest in humanities. Social interaction requires respect for one another. Only humanities help a person to reflect, to provide thoughtful follow-up action and analysis of developments and weigh the social impact of each development, they say.
May be, the present content in humanities needs a lot of change. But the well-entrenched bureaucracy and old-fashioned heads of some boards of studies are not easily convinced. They would rather have courses that do not provide any value-addition to a learner.
"Humanities and liberal arts studies certainly give a person a perspective towards life. Today, qualified persons from this domain can be involved in several areas of development from economics or social work to international studies, business studies, law and rights education," says the Loyola College principal, V. Joseph Xavier. Do not look down on B.A. Economics or History. Learn to possess alternative tools and visualise alternative models in development, is the caution.
K. Ramachandran
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