Colleges these days are creating an army of nodders and jotters, while the job should be to create leaders and visionaries for a better tomorrow. Institutions are valued on the basis of a grandiose building, a visit from some renowned world leaders, a potent online presence and fancy advertisements in the print media to create puffery.
The current approach towards education in Indian colleges looks like something that is done in jest and without keeping in mind students’ future. The nation needs creative minds that can bring big changes and can help India become a global power. The only thing that colleges are giving the country is a long line of discombobulated graduates.
Why are there less creative graduates in the country? One of the main reasons behind the lack of creativity in college students or graduates is the excessive usage of the Internet. This has led to a great decrease in the generation of original ideas and plans. Students don’t bother to use their imagination while preparing a project or report and what is worse is that the college does not object. Right from the beginning, students are trained only to improve their memory so that they can memorise more to get good grades. After school, they are only left with a marksheet which takes them on a circuitous path that ends in disappointment. Students should be taught the importance of developing their overall personality and the importance of creative thinking.
What next?
Albert Einstein said, “I have no special talent, I am only passionately curious.” Curiosity is the most powerful seed that teachers and mentors can plant in young minds. Skills such as creative writing, out-of-the box thinking activities, and so on, should be part of every college’s curriculum as they help students step outside their ambit of knowledge and also turn the classroom into an atelier where they can explore and create masterpieces.
The current creativity rate of most students is unsatisfactory, but it can be improved with the help of creativity workshops and thinking skills activities. Most of our country’s masterminds go outside India to study and explore better opportunities. They end up becoming CEOs of multinational American companies and take these companies to unprecedented heights. The government needs to take major steps regarding creativity classes in Indian colleges. This will result in a huge line of startups and entrepreneurs that will help in generating employment, bring revolutionary changes, and turn India into a robust economy.
The writer is CEO of Twin Win, a motivational speaker and success coach.
