At first glance, bonsai trees may evoke curiosity and admiration; yet, on a second look, they often leave behind a sense of pain that touches the heart. The cruelty involved in confining something within an artificially restricted space is not insignificant. It is worthwhile to reflect whether the educational sector in Kerala, which offered enviable growth during the early decades following the formation of the State, has gradually become stunted like a bonsai. Rather than wasting energy in identifying culprits, it would be far more constructive to seek meaningful solutions to the problem.
It is astonishing to witness students completing the tenth standard with full A+ grades while still being unable to write their own names, addresses, or even a few sentences on any subject in Malayalam or English without spelling or grammatical mistakes. More alarming is the fact that many of them are unable to read even a single paragraph in Malayalam fluently and without hesitation. This points towards the imminent decline of the Malayalam language. English may somehow survive, but Malayalam will certainly fade away. Of course, if one chooses to say that there is nothing to fear because Artificial Intelligence will solve everything, then we may simply wait and see.
In primary education, it is absolutely necessary to restore the earlier insistence that children who have not properly mastered letters and numbers should not be promoted to the next class. Likewise, in secondary education, we must be prepared to bid farewell to the inflated balloons of excessively high pass percentages. Instead, educational methods must be developed that help each student grow gradually and firmly like a tree that sprouts from the depths of the soil, withstands adverse seasons of wind, heat, rain, and drought, absorbs water and nourishment, and matures steadily over time.
With regard to higher education, even though it may be painful to admit, enlightened Kerala remains considerably behind. Outdated syllabi and obsolete courses themselves stand as the primary evidence. The excessive spread of campus politics, disturbed academic environments, and the persistent tendency of successive governments to keep the educational sector tightly controlled and restrained have all contributed significantly to this decline. Agitations, vandalism, and the atmosphere of insecurity created within campuses are among the major reasons why students increasingly leave Kerala in search of education elsewhere.
At least now, instead of reducing educational institutions into mere bonsais, they must be granted the freedom to grow into banyan trees. Colleges that have already proven their excellence should be granted autonomous status, and institutions that have demonstrated their competence as autonomous colleges should be elevated to the next stage as “Deemed-to-be Universities.” States that are now leading the field of higher education implemented such measures decades ago.
One may hope that the culture of bonsai-like restriction in the educational sector will come to an end and that institutions will be given the freedom necessary to grow into mighty banyan trees. Hope does not disappoint.
Rev. Dr. Martin Kolambrath
Principal, St. Thomas College, Thrissur
