urmiladuhan
New member
Is private tutoring the only option ? How can the elderly feel motivated to gain educational experience through schools/colleges/universities ? Please share your thoughts 
Education opportunities for the elderly.
- Thread starter urmiladuhan
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urmiladuhan
New member
I think the adult literacy centres are still running in rural areas and have not been discontinued, as far as I know.
Motivating the elderly to learn new things is quite challenging in my experience. They donot see any point in educating themselves further as they think it is of no use at the stage of life they are at and also in their future.
First of all, what is the need for the elderly to go to schools/ colleges? If the life so far has been spent without it, let the rest of life also be spent in the same way!
Secondly, Education and Literacy are totally different terms. Govt. schemes make them 'literate', (to learn A-B-C or क-ख-ग), not 'educated'. In other words, literacy is needed only to make them good consumers for today's marketing strategy propagated by multinationals. An illiterate person is not a good consumer because he may not differentiate between a bottle of coca cola and/or Pepsi. Or he may not read the writings on a 'daliya' (crushed wheat) packet lying in a supermarket but he can easily identify it at a common shop which sells it in loose (in an open canisters or 'peepa').
Elderly people are already educated because of their age, experience and knowledge, though they may not be literate!
Yes, in today's world literacy is a must. But in India's context, this may be achieved by an individual's own motivation, not by sending them to literacy centers forcibly.
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Secondly, Education and Literacy are totally different terms. Govt. schemes make them 'literate', (to learn A-B-C or क-ख-ग), not 'educated'. In other words, literacy is needed only to make them good consumers for today's marketing strategy propagated by multinationals. An illiterate person is not a good consumer because he may not differentiate between a bottle of coca cola and/or Pepsi. Or he may not read the writings on a 'daliya' (crushed wheat) packet lying in a supermarket but he can easily identify it at a common shop which sells it in loose (in an open canisters or 'peepa').
Elderly people are already educated because of their age, experience and knowledge, though they may not be literate!
Yes, in today's world literacy is a must. But in India's context, this may be achieved by an individual's own motivation, not by sending them to literacy centers forcibly.
.
urmiladuhan
New member
The thing that I most commonly hear from elderly women when they are asked to invest time and effort in formal education is: अए मन्नए के ईब ब्याह करवआना स ? or else, "it is not that I have to find a job!" And that is the end of the matter for them.
However gaining literacy level is gaining a skill - a skill that requires memory, recapitulation, calculation, competition etc. Literacy skill is not easy to acquire and requires substantial amount of effort, and perhaps over a long period of time. A sustained effort too.
Elderly who make effort in this direction and gain the necessary skills are like young people - constantly learning new things and keeping life fresh and enjoyable.
However gaining literacy level is gaining a skill - a skill that requires memory, recapitulation, calculation, competition etc. Literacy skill is not easy to acquire and requires substantial amount of effort, and perhaps over a long period of time. A sustained effort too.
Elderly who make effort in this direction and gain the necessary skills are like young people - constantly learning new things and keeping life fresh and enjoyable.
Is private tutoring the only option ? How can the elderly feel motivated to gain educational experience through schools/colleges/universities ? Please share your thoughts
Use online resources to learn and get education. There is plethora of material available online. You don't need to go to Uni's/schools etc. In professions like IT you won't learn much at Uni/Colleges. Because Universities and colleges have an outdated curriculam. And they are not able to catch up with ever changing industry.
anilsangwan
Active member
Agree. word by word ! On a lighter note, dogga maarenge boodhle agar jabardasti padhaaye to... Mijaaj ka kuchh nahi bera ho iss umarr mein...
anilsangwan
Active member
Motivational Speaker ke lattey pedd pe sookhte paawenge. Unn tein bada speaker koye nahi.....
urmiladuhan
New member
Exactly. This is pretty much the attitude. And this is when one is trying to convince them (no force).
dahiyarocks
New member
Best way is that the childrens can teach their parents.
But I dont know what will they actually gain by it?
They are not going to get jobs or something by learning how to read and write.
Moreover,due to experience they have earned over so many Years,they can survive very well.unless they are trapped in some web laid down by baniya/aadhtis.
But I dont know what will they actually gain by it?
They are not going to get jobs or something by learning how to read and write.
Moreover,due to experience they have earned over so many Years,they can survive very well.unless they are trapped in some web laid down by baniya/aadhtis.
urmiladuhan
New member
Deswal uncle,
With due respect, I beg to differ in my personal opinion on 2 points here.
Aristotle said, "“Education is the best provision for old age.” It is never too late to be educated, if one has lived a life without education until he gets old does not mean he can not be educated at later stage of life.
Secondly, education and literacy helps you make better and informed decisions, for yourself, for your family. While you may only look at it helping them to differentiate between Pepsi and coke, I look at it helping them to read news papers, understanding better technologies to implement in farming, stay away from shrewd politicians trying to rip them apart.
I do agree that it has to come from one's own motivation as India lacks the learning culture and age does become a strong factor as cost of failure is high unlike the west where age is often just a number.
With due respect, I beg to differ in my personal opinion on 2 points here.
Aristotle said, "“Education is the best provision for old age.” It is never too late to be educated, if one has lived a life without education until he gets old does not mean he can not be educated at later stage of life.
Secondly, education and literacy helps you make better and informed decisions, for yourself, for your family. While you may only look at it helping them to differentiate between Pepsi and coke, I look at it helping them to read news papers, understanding better technologies to implement in farming, stay away from shrewd politicians trying to rip them apart.
I do agree that it has to come from one's own motivation as India lacks the learning culture and age does become a strong factor as cost of failure is high unlike the west where age is often just a number.
dahiyarocks
New member
i don't think they are uneducated.
they just lack one skill and that's how to read and write.
dahiyarocks
New member
just because one can't read and write doesn't mean he can't make good logical decisions for oneself or their family.
even if a person is illiterate,he can give such a good piece of advice that even a literate person cant give.
May be, may be not. It is really subjective. If I ask a dhaba cook the recipes or advice on food, i am sure he can give me advice much better than a 5 star chef but he is stuck there until he tries to explore more opportunities, which can only come with literacy and by reading.
Let me detail it for you, if the same dhaba cook wants to start his own business or needs money, would you rather have him illetrate trusting the cruel lenders who can take his thumb impression on anything or rather have him more literate and borrow money after knowing what he is signing for?
In a democracy it is people who run the country and by learning how to read people can form better choices and make more informed decisions instead of trusting what others say.
Let me detail it for you, if the same dhaba cook wants to start his own business or needs money, would you rather have him illetrate trusting the cruel lenders who can take his thumb impression on anything or rather have him more literate and borrow money after knowing what he is signing for?
In a democracy it is people who run the country and by learning how to read people can form better choices and make more informed decisions instead of trusting what others say.
dahiyarocks
New member
dahiyarocks
New member
in India,youth forms the most of electoral population and among them literacy rate is pretty high.still we have those idiots sitting in parliament whose behavior is worse than nursery class students. those people are chosen by us only but everyone can see how good our choices are.
infact,most of us don't even cast votes.
Youth is literate but how much of it votes? They only know how to fight war on social media now a days it seems.
Although being literate does not mean you are sane or educated, look at Jatland where a lot of literate people cant stand for their belief with facts and when they run short of it they introduce personal sledging based on emotions.
Although being literate does not mean you are sane or educated, look at Jatland where a lot of literate people cant stand for their belief with facts and when they run short of it they introduce personal sledging based on emotions.