Guest Column | Revival of joint families: A panacea to learning ailments

Almost every discussion in India public sphere which centres around erosion in life values is attributed to “such things are ought to be taught in schools, colleges and universities.” It is a well-prevailing thought now to expect that all sorts of learnings, essential to live a cultured life in harmony with nature, should become a part of curriculum and taught at educational institutions to make learning holistic and value based.
Be it environmental education, cultural studies, women studies, folklores and dances, dietary system, rural skills, human and nature interaction, Indian knowledge system, universal human values, Indic studies, religious studies, etc. However, the canvas of curricular learning has increased exponentially. New disciplines of learning, especially technology based- like AI, have emerged, which are to be necessarily taught across disciplines. The boundaries between the curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular learnings are also disappearing and several learnings, which were earlier parts of the latter two, have been integrated with curricular learning.
As a result, curricula are becoming burdensome with a large number of courses packed with learning modules. Whereas, the thrust of New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is on the process of learning rather than quantum of learning. Moreover, purpose of education has shifted from rote-learning to experiential learning, essential for inculcating critical thinking and creativity. This can be maximised in a stress-free and joyful learning ecosystem conducive to deeper learning experiences. This requires that curriculum and learning modules thereon have to be lean and thin to make learning engaging, immersive and reflective for cultivating minds. In fact, enough time is a must for learners to assimilate learning and to appreciate its application potential.
In the past, there used to be three strong institutions of learning, namely, family, society and educational institutions per se. Joint families acted as catalysts of learning in real-life situations. Skill sets pertaining to sanskaras, cultural traditions, patriotism, communication skills, fellow-feeling, compassion, collaboration, co-operation, nature centric lifestyle, sharing of resources, equal opportunity for all, judicious use of resources, sustainable development, etc. were taught in the joint families in informal settings. The stories narrated by the grandmothers from the scriptures were a great source of ethics and morals.
Gradually, we have drifted away from the joint family system under the influence of “Western” lifestyle and values. Unitary families which replaced joint families are also slowly poached upon by an emerging social order called “live-in relationship”. Instead of family as a unit, now individuals consider themselves as a unit of the Bharatiya society. As such, character building education that was imparted in the families free of cost and in homely, informal, vibrant and holistic learning environment, is now ought to be imparted in the educational institutions.
Small kids, who essentially need motherly care and homely environment, are kept at the crèches immediately after the tender age to two to mend their own ways and to learn themselves, under the supervision of hired professionals who normally teach “don’t do this or that”. Both the spouses have to be in professional jobs as our needs have mushroomed and a single earning member is not enough to satisfy our endless desires, and for the so-called quality life. It is well-settled fact that ethic values imbibed in the early childhood lay foundation for life-long learning.
Society, especially the “mohallas”, were second learning centres. Children used to learn the cultural traits, social norms and best practices prevailed therein under the watchful eyes of elderly persons. Team spirit and co-operative thought process used to be developed through indigenous games, traditions and practices. Extension of relationships with the people in the neighbourhood laid solid foundation for cohesion among families, brotherhood and spirit of “Vasudhaiv Kutumbakum”. Owing to busy and individualistic lifestyle, however, symbiotic relationship with neighbourhood has also suffered greatly. Now, even we don’t know about our immediate neighbours and are largely unconcerned about the developments happening around us. Since we are social beings, our disconnect with the surroundings will not bring any good to humanity.
Precisely for this reason, the NEP lays emphasis on early childhood education. Only government efforts are not enough to accomplish this task. We need to revive family and society as pivotal institutions of learning to make it holistic and lessen the burden of learnings in the educational institutions. Indian knowledge system and universal human values are two of the many critical components of holistic learning. Cultural traits of the family and society have huge impact on learning in schools, colleges and universities, and there are no short-cuts. We ought to develop the culture of sound civilisational discourse at homes in joint family ecosystem and neighbourhood to secure future of our younger generations and of the nation.
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(The writer is the V-C of Central University of Punjab, Bathinda)