What is Engineering in morden world ?

What is engineering? What is an engineer?? Although it is a very old activity or trade, engineering is a relatively young academic discipline or profession. Only in recent years has it reached a stage of maturity where some of its defining details and differentiating characteristics can be articulated.

Introduction

What is engineering? What is an engineer??
Although it is a very old activity or trade, engineering is a relatively young academic discipline or profession. Only in recent years has it reached a stage of maturity where some of its defining details and differentiating characteristics can be articulated.
Engineering is the endeavor that creates, maintains, develops, and applies technology for societies' needs and desires. Its origins go back to the very beginning of human civilization where tools were first created and developed. Indeed, a good case can be made for the defining of humans as those animals that create, develop, and
understand the significance of technology.

Over time, the part of technology that acts

as an extension of human capabilities became the purview of engineering. One can view bicycles, cars, and trains as extensions of walking and running. Airplanes are an extension and application of a bird's ability to fly transferred to humans. The telegraph, telephone, radio, television, and the internet are extensions of
talking, hearing, and seeing. The microscope, telescope, and medical x-ray are also extensions of human sight and vision. Writing, books, libraries and computer data-bases are extensions of human memory and the computer itself is an extension of the human's brain in doing arithmetic and carrying out logical arguments and
procedures. Indeed, looking around your environment in almost any setting, will illustrate just how pervasive technology is. In almost any home or office, there is very little that is truly "natural"; i.e., little that is not created or manipulated by technology. The food that you eat, the utensils that you eat with, the table that you eat off of, the house that you are in, the clothes that you wear, the book that you read, the television that you watch, the telephone that you communicate with, the car that you travel in -- these are all technologies created by human cleverness to satisfy human needs. This process of creation is engineering and those who do the creating are practicing engineering, whether they call themselves engineers or not.

Not only is much of the inanimate world

created by engineering, part of the living world is also. Almost all crops and agriculturally produced food stuff are "engineered" through selective breeding. The same is true of domestic animals such as pets and animals raised for food or sport. Certainly the dogs, cats, and cattle have not "naturally" evolved to their current state. They have been “created” or “designed” to satisfy human desires or needs. The slow and less exact methods of controlled breeding are being replaced by genetic engineering, tissue engineering, and applications of nanotechnology. We humans have the cleverness to do that. It is the development of the tools, theories, and methods and the understanding of the appropriate
sciences and mathematics for that process that is engineering. It is a central part of the history of humanity.

Not only has engineering made our lives

easier and longer, it has sometimes made them more terrible and shorter through improving our ability to kill and harm when we wage war. Indeed, military and defense needs have been a historic driver of technological advancement. One of the earliest categorizations of engineering was into military and civilian (or civil) engineering.

Because technology enables and causes change,

it and its creators, the engineers, are viewed with mixed feelings. This is especially true in modern (perhaps post-modern) times when the negative side effects (“unintended consequences”) of technology
must be addressed.

This note is an attempt to address the

question of what engineering is and then that of what an engineer is. It is intended for the general public to better understand just what this thing that has such a profound effect on our individual and collective lives is. The note is intended for the student who is considering becoming an engineer and, therefore, it is for
parents and high school and college counselors as well. It is for the university engineering student and professor and for the university administrator. It is for the state and federal governments who fund engineering education and research and the investor who invests in technology. It is for the husband, wife, parent, or child who wants to better understand their spouse,child, or parent. It is for everyone who accepts the argument that
a human is a technological animal and that technology has a pervasive effect on our lives.

An important part of this note is the list of references. This collection of short essays is intended to open many topics and ideas, not develop them. A rather long list of references is given to allow the reader to pursue any of the many ideas further.

Science and Engineering

One of the first distinctions that must be made is between science and engineering. It is not a simple distinction because the two are so interdependent and intertwined, but whatever difference there is needs to be  considered.

Science is the study of “natural” phenomena.

It is the collection of theories, models, laws, and facts about the physical world and the methods used to create this collection. Physics, chemistry, biology, geology, etc. try to understand, describe, and explain the physical world that would exist even if there were no humans. It is creative in building theories, models,
and explanations, but not in creating the phenomena that it studies. Science has its own philosophy with an epistemology, esthetics, and logic. It has its own technology in order to carry out its investigations, build its tools, and pursue its goals. Science has its organizations, culture, and methods of inquiry. It has its "scientific method" which has served as a model (for better or for worse) in many other disciplines.

Science is old. It was part of the original

makeup of a university or college in the form of natural philosophy. It came out of antiquity, developed in the middle ages, blossomed in the renaissance, was the tool of the enlightenment, and came into its present maturity in modernity. Indeed, the history of science is, in some ways, a history of intellectual development. This is certainly only true in conjunction with many other strains of philosophical, economical, theological, and
technological development, but science is a central player in that story. Science is often paired with the arts (and Humanities and Social Sciences) in the “College of Arts and Science” of a traditional university.

Engineering is the creation, maintenance, and development of things that have not existed in the natural world
and that satisfy some human desire or need. A television set does not grow on a tree. It is the creation of human ingenuity that first fulfilled a fantasy of a human need and then went on to change the very society that created it. I use the term "things" because one should include computer programs, organizational paradigms, and mathematical algorithms in addition to cars, radios, plastics, and bridges.

Science is the study of what is and

engineering is the creation of can be. Only recently has engineering developed the set of characteristics that make it a legitimate academic discipline. Earlier, engineering often was viewed only as the application of natural science. Now, engineering has developed its own engineering science for the study of human
made things to supplement natural science which was developed to study natural phenomena. Parts of computer science are wonderful examples of that. Engineering has its own philosophy and methodology and its own economics. It even has its own National Academy.

We differentiate science and engineering, not

because their difference is great, but because, in many ways, it is small. Science could not progress without technology, and engineering certainly could not flourish without science and mathematics.

A more illuminating comparison might be

between the humanities and engineering. One might find more similarity in style (not content) between English literature and engineering than between science and engineering. Both literature and engineering are the study of human created artifacts. Both teach creation in the form of creative writing and engineering design. Both teach analysis in the form of literary criticism and engineering analysis. Both are intimately connected with the needs and desires of individuals and society. A similar analogy could be made between art and engineering looking at studio art, art criticism, and art history.

Most scientists (but not all) feel there is

some unique objective truth behind the physical phenomena they are studying. Their goal is to find it and describe and explain it, and this truth is unique although the approaches and approximations to it are certainly not. In literature and engineering, the designed entity is not unique to the situation, but it is a creation of the
particular writer or designer and perhaps unique to the creator.

The distinctions of this section are not as

clean or clear as have been presented here. The boundary between science and engineering can be and often is murky. Many items of study in science are influenced if not literally created by people. This is obviously true in biology and the life sciences but also true in physics where certain elements in the periodic table do not
exist in nature. Perhaps, therefore, the areas of pure science are very limited. On the other hand, since people are members of our natural system, an argument can be made that their products are as natural as anything else and, therefore, the areas of pure scientific study are very broad. Clearly engineering is constrained
in what it can create by the laws of science as everything is. Nevertheless, there is a difference in spirit in the two disciplines worth trying to delineate.

Engineering Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

In early times, the practice of engineering was that of a trade or craft with training occurring through some
form of apprenticeship. As it developed into a profession and more recently as an academic discipline, it took on the shape of other academic disciplines, with preparation being an education rather than a training. An important turning point in the Unites States was the land grant college act (Morrill act) of 1862 which established an institution for the teaching of agriculture and the mechanical arts (engineering) in each state. This officially legitimated engineering in higher education although it still had the form of training. Interestingly, this act came into being during the American Civil War and was signed by Abraham Lincoln.

World-War II was the second turning point

when it was discovered that many of the technical innovations necessary for that effort came from scientists, mathematicians, and theoretically educated engineers rather than traditionally trained engineers. Most engineers prior to that time had been trained to develop and apply ideas already in existence, not to create new solutions to new problems. After WWII, the university curricula in engineering became much more scientific and mathematical. It took on more elements of an education rather than a training. It slowly became a real academic discipline in its own right rather than only an application of other disciplines. However, it retains the integrating role of applying the physical and life sciences using some of the tools of the social sciences, law, and policy and the values derived from the humanities, letters, arts, and business.

We are now going through a third transition

in engineering in response to many factors in society and in technology itself. In the larger picture, society went through the agricultural phase, the industrial phase, and now the information phase. These three phases of civilization created and were created by the most powerful and applicable technologies of the time. Engineering is and will be the creative element in the information age as it has been in preceding ages.

What is Engineering?

Engineering is an incredibly broad field which involves the harnessing of mathematical and scientific concepts to create practical and useful things, ranging from automobiles to wind turbines. This field is huge, encompassing people in a wide range of industries, and some people call it “the invisible science,” because engineers are often unsung and unheralded, despite the fact that the work they do is very important.


Engineering is a very ancient field of human endeavor. Early humans utilized their knowledge of the natural world to figure out things like irrigation schemes and how to build boats which didn't sink. Over time, as humans learned more about science and mathematics, engineering got more complex, and this field paved the way for the modern society we live in today. Chances are that you are benefiting from a product of engineering right now, as you are probably using a computer to read this article.

There are a number of sub fields encompassed by engineering. Among these are mechanical, computer, electrical, military, civil, environmental, aerospace, and chemical engineering. All of these fields require different types of training; aerospace engineers, for example, learn a great deal about physics and space in the course of their work, while environmental engineers consider issues like pollution control and the impact of humans on their environment.

Most engineers pride themselves on being problem solvers. Their field of work involves the analysis of a problem, such as the need for a safe and stable water supply for a city, and the creation of a solution, such as an aqueduct. In the course of their work, engineers often interact with people in a number of other fields, and this field of work places a high value on collaboration, fact checking, and quick thinking.

Most countries regulate the practice of engineering, because engineers participate in projects which could be very dangerous if conducted without proper training. Engineers, for example, analyze the plans for structures to ensure that they are sound and stable; an unqualified civil engineer might sign off on plans for a bridge or building which could fail with catastrophic results. Most people who pursue careers in this field go through both graduate and undergraduate training, and they may be required to complete examinations as well.

Engineering Colleges in Bhopal

There are a number of Engineering colleges in Bhopal city. Engineering colleges in Bhopal offer education in various streams of science and engineering. Here is a list of engineering colleges in Bhopal city of Madhya Pradesh, India.

Bansal Institute of Science and Technology
Bansal Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) Bhopal offers engineering, management and computer application courses.

Bhopal Institute of Technology & Science

Bhopal Institute of Technology & Science (BITS) Bhopal provides engineering courses at the Undergraduate

level to the students.

Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering
Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering (CIAE Bhopal) is a prominent institute in the field of agricultural engineering.

MANIT Bhopal

Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT) Bhopal, in Madhya Pradesh, conducts UG as well as PG level courses in the field of engineering.

Bhopal Engineering College

Bhopal Engineering College (BEC) Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, offers undergraduate programs in the fields of

engineering and technology.

Shree Institute of Science and Technology
Shree Institute of Science and Technology, located at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, is a renowned college, conducting B. Tech courses in various disciplines.

University Institute of Technology RGPV Bhopal

University Institute of Technology RGPV or UIT-RGPV Bhopal is the constituent college of Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya. It offers engineering and technology courses at undergraduate and post graduate level.

Oriental Institute of Science & Technology

Oriental Institute of Science & Technology Bhopal, in Madhya Pradesh, offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the field of engineering.

Radharaman Institute of Technology and Science

Radharaman Institute of Technology and Science Bhopal, in Madhya Pradesh, offers courses in various branches of engineering, at the undergraduate level.

RKDF Institute of Science and Technology

RKDF Institute of Science and Technology Bhopal, in Madhya Pradesh, imparts courses in engineering, at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Sagar Institute of Research & Technology

Sagar Institute of Research & Technology Bhopal, in Madhya Pradesh, offers engineering courses at the undergraduate as well as postgradaute level.

Thakral College of Technology

Thakral College of Technology, situated in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, conducts technical programmes at both undergraduate and post graduate levels.

Technocrats Institute of Technology

Technocrats Institute of Technology (TIT), in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the fields of engineering and management.

Child Labour and Complete Education Policy in India

Child Labour and Complete Education Policy in India

Abstract

All non-school going children are child workers in one form or the other. Agricultural child labour constitutes the core of the problem. Child labour policies and education policies have to be formulated and operated in tandem. Parents do want to send their children to be educated and poverty as a limiting factor is highly over-rated. Motivation and availability of infrastructure rather than poverty are the key factors. The paper underlines the strengths of formal education in eradicating child labour and forcefully argues for a legislation to provide for compulsory education.

Introduction

A number of policy initiatives and programmes have been undertaken in this country over the last decade with the basic objective of dealing with the problem of the rapidly increasing number of child workers. The formulation of a new National Child Labour Policy, the enactment of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986, the setting up of a Task Force on child labour, the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and so on have all formed a part of this process. Corresponding initiatives were taken in the related area of education where a New Education policy was formulated which incorporated a separate component for working children. It is the objective of this paper to examine whether the policy initiatives taken by the Government of India over the last few years can make an impact on the child labour situation in the country. In particular, the paper examines the basic understanding of the issue of child labour in the Indian context, which has influenced the policies and strategies adopted by the Government. In doing this it is argued that the government policies governing child labour are based not only on assumptions which are fundamentally flawed but also on a faulty appreciation of the situation in the field. It is further argued that, because of this, the set of policy prescriptions and strategies that follow cannot adequately deal with the problem. Consequently, unless the basic premises adopted by the policy makers are abandoned, no significant change can be made in the child labour situation in the country.
The paper also examines the role of the education policy in relation to child labour. It shows how, in proposing Non Formal Education as a major strategy for dealing with illiteracy among working children, the Government has failed to realize the potential of formal primary education as a powerful tool for withdrawing children from work. In the end the paper asserts that compulsory education, at least at the primary level, is not only desirable but also a viable and practicable solution to the problem of increasing child labour.

Two assumptions have broadly influenced Government's policies in respect of child labour. The first is that, child labour is a 'harsh reality' and one can only mitigate some of the harshness of the exploitative aspects of child labour. The 'harsh reality' of child labour arises out of the fact that in the present state of development in the country many parents, on account of poverty, have to send their children to work in order to supplement their income and the income derived from the cild labour, however meagre, is essential to sustain the family. This is the 'poverty argument of child labour.

The second assumption is that there is a distinction between child labour and exploitation of the child labour. It has been accepted that a certain amount of child labour will persist under the family environment which is non-exploitative. This is not only inevitable but also desirable. At the same time, there are other forms of child work such as in hazardous occupations, factories and other organized establishments which are reprehensible and should not be allowed to continue.

The above assumptions have defined the framework of all policies adopted by the government. It would be appropriate at this stage to see exactly how policies of the Government have been influenced by this framework.

Assessment of the Dimension of the Problem

In the first place, these assumptions have strongly influeced the Government's perspective of the dimension of the problem of child labour. According to the Government, the number of working children, estimated at 17.58 million in the 43rd round of child labour estimates, rose to 18.17 million in 1990 and will be 20.15 million in the year 2000.
There are, however, other estimates which establish that these figures are a gross underestimation. Estimates, for instance, of the Operations Research Group in a study sponsored by the Labour Ministry reveal that about 44 million children in the 5-14 age group are in the labour force. A subsequent assessment has placed the figure of working children even higher at 114 million.

As per the official estimate the percentage of children in the age group 6-14 attending schools is around 49%. The projected population in the age group for 1994-95 is 179 million which implies that around 90 million children do not go to school. Even assuming that all working children do not go to school there is an unexplained gap of at least 72 million children whose status is that of non working, nonstop going child.

In the rural situation the fact that a child who does not go to a formal school is a working child. Collection of water, fuel, maintenance of the house and taking care of younger siblings all constitute an important element of a child's life. While many of these activities do not necessarily fall under definition of hazardous work, inasmuch as they interfere with the normal development of the child an din the child's ability to reach his/her true potential they constitute exploitation of the child. In the context of rural India, therefore, the concept of a non working, nonstop going child simply does not exist. Any effort to deal with the issue of child labour has to contend with this aspect.

The Legal Framework

The legislative apparatus brought in by the government is by far the most clear expression of the influence of the assumptions made by the policy makers in regard to child labour. The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, itself talks more of regulation than prohibition of child labour. Child labour is prohibited only in certain sectors (Part A and Part B of the Schedule) laid down under the act which provides for regulation in certain other areas. At the same time, there is a proviso which lays down, that '... nothing in this section shall apply to any workshop wherein any process is carried on by the occupier with the aid of his family or to any school established by, or receiving assistance or recognition from Government'.

It does not require a legal expert to realize the sort of loopholes that this formulation provides for. An analysis of data indication the number of prosecutions launched under this Act and convictions obtained would clearly indicate that this Act, despite all its intentions, has achieved very little. Even under the best of circumstances, an Act of this nature cannot be implemented unless there is a demand for it from the affected parties, i.e. that children or their parents. In this case, where the Government itself has proceeded on the assumption that child labour cannot be eliminated and that certain forms of child labour are inevitable, it is even less likely to serve any purpose.

Action Plans to Eliminate Child Labour

The legislative apparatus by itself is unlikely to yield results as legal Action is only the first step in a process. The crucial aspect, however, is the subsequent step in this process which involves constructive rehabilitation of the child withdrawn from work. This, according to the government, is provided in the second and third parts of the National Policy relating to General Development Programmes for benefiting child labour and the project based Action Plan.
As far as the General Development Programmes are concerned, the Task Force that was formed specifically to make an assessment commented that "First, the size of the total resources for general development programmes remained the same and they have always been so meagre that a small frAction out of those negligible resources could never be meaningful. Secondly, no specific allocations were carved out or earmarked. No proportions or percentages were prescribed. No weightage for child labour mandated."

Further, commenting on the Action Plan the Task Force remarked.... 'Broadly and briefly, we feel that the Action Projects which were meant to be the testing ground for the implementation of the Act and Policy have so far failed to yield any sizable worthwhile results.'

The reason why the views of the Task Force have been quoted here is that despite such strong criticism from a committee appointed specifically to study the implementation of the Act and the Action Plan, the Government of India has not in any way altered its approach. It is interesting to note that whereas the Task Force submitted its report in 1989, its recommendations are said to be still 'under examination'. To compound matters the Government of India has brought out, as already mentioned, a fresh plan which is nothing but an extension of the earlier Action PLan. The new scheme once again concentrates on areas of high incidence of child labour, in hazardous occupations and involves withdrawing children from work, provision of training, education and rehabilitation. The scheme, however, in no way answers the questions posed by the Task Force in respect of the earlier Action Plan. Further, even accepting the official figure of 20 million working children in hazardous occupations belong to families who have migrated from rural areas. Lacunae of this nature are essentially the consequence of the Government's pre-occupation with only a part of the child labour force and its restricted definition of what constitutes child labour. Any comprehensive plan of actin would have to cover the entire range of working children without making an artificial differentiation between those in hazardous occupations and in other works.

Non Formal Education

A related area which has also been strongly influenced by the above mentioned assumptions regarding child labour is that of education. The New Education Policy which was to be closely coordinated with the Child Labour Policy incorporated a major effort to brig drop-outs and non enrolled children into the education system through non-formal education (NFE). The NFE was put in place with the key objective of providing education for working children. It was proposed as a n alternative to the formal education stream as it was argued that improving the facilities of primary schools would do little to help the poor who dropped out, whereas the system of non formal education was targeted to meet the needs of the working children. The intended clientele includes drop-outs, children of weaker sections, girls in the age group of 6-14 years and boys and girls who are employed in professions like carpet weaving and so on. The NFE is supposed to have a flexible curriculum according to the needs of the working children and the youth. Classes are to be held at hours taking into account the children's work schedule.

The NFE system has been the subject of much criticism in terms of its inherent limitations because of its low paid, ill trained teachers, working in an atmosphere not particularly conductive to learning for working children after a full day's work. What is of greater relevance however, is that the NFE policy provides a clear example of the influence of accepting the poverty argument of child labour on the Elementary Education Policy.
Thus, given the fact that the poor have to send their children to work, the NFE provides a convenient framework of education which does not interfere with the child's work. In the context of ARticle 32 what the NFE has done is that, in providing a solution to the problem of child labour interfering with the child's education, it has provided a system of child education which does not interfere with child labour.

An Alternative Strategy

The above arguments draw attention to the manner in which Government's policies in respect of child labour and education have evolved and the factors which have influenced these policies. Much of what has been stated above is widely known. However, despite the sustained criticism of Government's policies from several quarters and their consistent failure to to provide any solution to the problem of child labour, there has been no effort on the part of the Government to modify its approach or to change the policies. In fact, policy makers have gone on e step further an announced a further plan to "eliminate" child labour by 2000 A.D. on the same line as the earlier Action plans. This situation obtains because the thought processed of those involved in making the polices have got stuck in a narrow groove defined by the assumptions regarding child labour. As long as these assumptions are held valid the policies and strategies will continue to remain the same. It is only when they are abandoned and the problem is observed from a different view point, that of the parent and the child, that a new strategy will emerge.


The starting point of any strategy dealing with the issue of child labour cannot lie in children engaged in hazardous occupations alone. While this section of children does constitute the most glaring example of the failure of our child labour and education policies they too are only results of a larger phenomenon taking place in the countryside. 80% of the child labour and, consequently, illiteracy exists in families engaged in agricultural work and we cannot afford to ignore this fact. Further, a significant proportion of even those children engaged in hazardous occupations in the urban areas belong to families who have migrated from the rural areas. With a large reservoir of working children available in the rural areas any attempt to deal with the problem of child labour only in specific industries and areas of concentration can at best yield marginal results. In the long run it is the rural areas and in particular the agricultural sector to which we have to ultimately turn. In other words, what is essentially required is to adopt ARticle 32 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in its true spirit and recognize the fact that any non school going child is na exploited child. In artificially categorizing some of children as 'mere' child workers instead of exploited child workers it is often forgotten that it takes very little to convert the former into the latter. Given these fact, any plan to deal with child labour has to deal with the 90 million non-school going children.

It needs to be emphasized at this point that what is being suggested does not represent a very great departure from existing policies. The Government has consistently been referring to programmes for providing education for all, raising budgetary allocations for education to 6% of GNP and elimination of child labour by the year 2000 AD. What is required is a change in attitude in priorities rather than any radical change in the programmes themselves. It also calls for a more effective co-ordination between the labour policies and education policies and a proper appreciation of the fact that such ongoing programmes as Education for All are powerful means to bring about a qualitative change in the child labour situation. The following sections are based on the experience of the M.V. Foundation which has been working with rural child labour utilizing the ongoing mainstream education programmes to withdraw children from work.


The experience of M.V. Foundation shows that many of the government policies are based on negative formulations. For instance, the assumption that parents are not willing to send their children to schools; elimination of child labour is not possible nor is it possible to implement compulsory education laws; the present school curriculum is not relevant or responsive to the needs of the rural society and so on. The situation in eh field, however, indicates that these negative formulations have much less to do with facts than with the State's reluctance to deal with the problem in its entirety. This is not to say that these formulations ar totally incorrect, but there is a certain convenience, that of not having to do anything, associate with accepting them which makes them appear much more insurmountable than they actually are. In areas where M.V. Foundation has been working there were innumerable instances of poor parents sending their children to school. There were instances of children patiently waiting in makeshift class rooms for teachers to arrive. There were also innumerable occasions when parents willingly handled even extra work so that their children went to school. The fact is that there is considerable demand even in the rural areas and even among the poor for education. That it has not been articulated effectively is yet another instance of the weak not being able to extract what they want.

The first step to an alternative policy hinges on abandoning the negative approach to the problem of child labour. RAther than trying to explain why children are sent to work instead of school one should try to understand why there are children still being sent to schools - the same run-down school without adequate infrastructure and sometimes with just one teacher providing socially irrelevant education. Instead of giving continued explanations for drop-out rates one should attempt to understand why it is not even higher than it is, why it is that it is not always the poorest who drop out first and why factors such as parent's educational status matter at all. These are questions the answers to which are extremely relevant in understanding et strength of the latent demand for education. Even for a parent who sends his child to school it is much easier to explain why he should not do so (the answers have all been supplied by the government itself) than why he actually does. But this inability on his part should not be construed as his wanting this child to go to work. It should be clearly understood that acceptance of the premise that poverty compels parents to send their children to work is extremely convenient to those charged with the responsibility of reducing, if not eliminating, children labour because in such a case, improving the economic status of the parents becomes the focal point of attention. This is neither the responsibility of the labour nor that of the education department and the buck can be passed elsewhere. The 'poverty' argument and the argument that child labour has a major role in the production process of an under-developed economy is a purely static description of the position in the field. What this does not take into account is the dynamics of the evolution of society and the consequent changes in the hopes and aspirations of parents in regard to their children.

Ultimately, therefore, unless the government machinery and policy makers accept the fact that the existence of child labour has much more to do with the government's own inability, if not reluctance, to provide adequate infrastructure and to motivate the parents through systematic extension work than any desire or compulsion on the part of the parents to send their children to work, a solution to the problem cannot be found.

When it is accepted that there is a demand for education and parents, even poor parents, are willing to send their children to school, the onus of controlling child labour essentially shifts to the education policy and regulation through labour acts becomes less relevant. But, as has already been mentioned, the education policy of the government is heavily weighted towards providing NFEs which far from mitigating the problem of child labour actually condones it. The failure of the NFE programme lies no in its faulty execution. In fact, as has already been mentioned, its greatest failure is in its assumption that working children cannot be withdrawn from work, and therefore, have to be given the benefit of education outside working hours. The fact that there is an unfulfilled demand for formal education even among the poor in the rural areas has been totally denied in this attempt to expand primary education. There is a singular lack of faith that people, even poor people, value education and learning and are prepared to make sacrifices to provide it at least for their children. It is in this context that the issue of compulsory education becomes important.

The Formal Education System

Before dealing with the issue of compulsory education, a brief examination of the outcome which formal education in general is subject to would be in order. The formal education system has often been described as being ill designed, not responsive to the needs of the working children, irrelevant in terms of converting children to socially productive elements and a poor alternative to children of families engaged in traditional crafts. It has been criticized on the ground of creating a mass of educated illiterates who are neither willing nor able to perform traditional family occupations and of contributing to the lumpenization of the rural society. It had also been severely attacked as a major cause for the decline in traditional crafts.


In terms of child labour, however, the formal education system has an advantage unmatched by another. It can never be accused of supporting child labour. This crucial positive aspect is what makes the system most worthwhile to build upon. In fact, a closer look at the criticism against the formal education system shows that is being found fault with precisely because it is inimical to child labour. Thus, school timings are "ill designed" because they interfere with a child's daily or seasonal work and "irrelevant" because they do not teach him to be what his parents were i.e. agriculture labourers or artisans. But, these are the very strengths of this system when viewed from eh point of reducing child labour.

Formal education especially in the first 7-10 year of school is meant to be of a general nature, since children in the age group 5-14 are very rarely in position to pick up skills. This is why, vocational education and training n traditional crafts are quite irrelevant to this age group. The argument that it is at this stage that an individual is most receptive to skill development has nowhere been borne out by facts. On the other hand, time and again it has been proved that these arguments are mere excuses to perpetuate child labour. The 'nimble finger' theory in respect of carpet weaving children is a case in point. In fact, master craftsmen themselves often ensure that their children are educated to least a minimum level before being put through training usually after the age of 14 years. The fact that a child coming from a craftsman's family picks up the craft better has more to do with the environment provided at home in terms of motivation and support than to training per se. In the ultimate analysis, the advantage of having children take up training in traditional crafts whether in the family environment or through vocational education does not lie in either the economic benefit of the child/family, the improvement of the skill of the child or the craft itself. Rather, it ensures availability of cheap and, more importantly, obedient child labour to the employers.

Formal education, by not treating working and non-working children differently also provides in the true spirit of Article 32, an opportunity to children to think in terms of an occupation by choice. That an educated child of a labourer decides not to pursue agricultural labour has to be seen as an expression of individuality rather than as suppression of a skill by the education system. No society can be built on the logic that an illiterate child worker is better than a literate unemployed one. This is not to suggest either that the formal education system is without serious defects or that the system of training utilized traditionally has no merits at all especially for older children. However, in condemning the formal education system we should not forget its extreme relevance in eliminating child labour. If it is felt that they system requires improvements, it should be done for the education systems as a whole and not just in isolated pockets through special programmes meant for working children. The large number of intellectuals and policy makers who have been recommending vocational and craft based education for working children have never suggested its implementation across the board and to the schools catering to the urban middle class. As a result, vocational and craft based education whenever adopted for older children above 14 years has always ended up not only as being treated as a poor child's educational programme but also being implemented as such. What is required, therefore, is to draw on the advantages provided by the formal education system in regard to reduction of child labour and address improvements to the educational system as a whole rather than just that part which deals with working children.

Compulsory Education Law

The issue of compulsory education has always been something of an enigma. At the theoretical level, very few find fault with the concept that all children should receive education, at least up to the primary stage or with the fact that children should not work. In fact, the State has committed itself not only to universalization of primary education but also to the abolition of child labour through various pronouncements, no least of all the directive principles of State Policy, enshrined in the Constitution of India. This has been further strengthened by the fact that the Convention on the Rights of the Child based on the UN General Assembly resolution provides for a variety of rights to the child including the right to compulsory and free primary education. Ins spite of all this, the general attitude of the policy planners has been that the country cannot afford the distraction of a compulsory education norm. A number of reasons are given for this, but two major objections are worth noting. The first questions the role of the State in deterring the manner in which the children are to be educated. The second stresses the non-implementability or such legislation which would remain only on paper.


As far as the first objection is concerned, in a society where the State has always been playing a very large role in shaping the social behavior o the citizens through legislative means, it would be difficult to question the desirability of the state's intervention through legislation in this matter alone. When we talk about the Indian society today, we talk of a society which has seen legislation on issues ranging from a minimum age of marriage to protection of civil rights and abolition of untouchability. For the State to legislate on an issue concerning a child's right to development, therefore, would not be something out of the ordinary.

The second objection, however, merits a more detailed examination. It has been observed that in this country a large number of laws governing social issues have been passed which have never really been implemented. Although the legislation set out to achieve laudable social goals, the State has not been able to put them into effect. Any number of examples ranging from the SITA to BLSA are cited to illustrate this. A legislation to provide compulsory education, therefore, is most likely to meet a similar fate. Further, it is argued, as previous experience with legislation governing compulsory education has shown, there is a greater likelihood of the act turning into an instrument of harassment of parents.

These arguments view the issue from one perspective only, viz. that of the State apparatus. A State apparatus whose understanding of the problem is flawed by its own limitations and to whom compulsory legislation not only implies a large enforcement machinery helplessly pursuing reluctant parents to ensure attendance in schools but also creation of, at heavy cost, infrastructural facilities which at today's levels of demands cannot be utilized. The facto of the matter, however is tat, notwithstanding the claims of the government that more than 97% of the children have been provided access to schools, the established infrastructure cannot cater to the full requirement of even the demand that exists. This is because development of infrastructure has been a function of budgetary allocation rather than of demand. Once the logic of the harsh reality of child labour is accepted, low allocation to the primary education sector especially in the rural areas can always be rationalized as being a response to the low projected demand for schools. Similarly, it is only when once accepts the absence of demand for education, legislation are an instrument for forcing unwilling parents to send their children to school. Thus, any assessment which assumes the reality of child labour, harsh or otherwise is bound to lead not only to low per capita investment in the sector but also to the view that compulsory education laws are unimplementable.

Legislation of this nature has for long played the role of compelling the State to take action. The Bonded Labour System Abolition Act, 1976 (BLSA), for instance, has proved to be an extremely powerful weapon for institutions such as non-government organization to deal with the problem of child bonded labour, in situation where the State has not been prepared to take action. Thus, even though existence of a legislation does not automatically imply that is objectives would be achieved, it creates an enabling provision whereby the State can be compelled to take action. At the very least such legislation are assertions of the desire of the state to promote an ideal and a progressive value system. More important, these legislation provide others working in the field with a legitimacy which otherwise would not exist. The importance of this aspect would be fully appreciated when on considers the number of occasions the state has been compelled to act through the use of the BLSA to release bonded children. Thus, while administrators and academicians may lament on their non-implementability the fact remains that legislations of this nature have the power to compel the State to act. A legislation to provide for compulsory education, therefore, would be of immense significance in situations where the State does respond to the requirements of the people. It has already been seen that the government response to the problem of illiteracy and child labour has been quite equivocal. On the other hand, experience in the field has shown that there exists an enormous unrecognized demand for formal education and that parents are willing to make sacrifices to utilize educational opportunities. As long as the existing infrastructure can meet the demand, there is no crisis but the fact is that more often than not the infrastructure is inadequate. Under the present circumstance, there is a absolutely no way by which the State can be compelled to provide these facilities. A situation thus exists where the same parents and children who have been written off as victims of the 'harsh reality' of socio-economic circumstances ,are demanding educational facilities and the Sate is either unable or unwilling to respond. A legislation binding the Sate to provide compulsory education therefore is absolutely essential.

Summing Up

To sum up, therefore, what has been put forward in the foregoing is a child labour policy which:
Defines the target group in the true spirit of Article 32. All non school going children (90 million) are child workers in one form or the other. Agricultural child labour constitutes the core of the problem. Without tackling this issue, the more emotive issue of child labour in hazardous occupations cannot be handled.

 Recognizes the fact that a child going to a formal school is a child withdrawn from labour. Child labour policies and education policies have to be formulated and be operated in tandem and not independent of each other.
Adopts a more positive attitude towards child labour. Parents do want their children to be educated and poverty as a limiting factor is highly over-rated. In particular, such a policy recognizes the fact tat even today there are 'poor' parents sending their children to school instead of work. Motivation and availability of infrastructure rather than poverty are the key factors. There is no other explanation as to why factors like parents' educational status make a difference in the literacy level of children.
Realizes that the NFE system cannot be a solution to either the problem of illiteracy or child labour. It is at best a temporary solution which has no relevance unless simultaneously backed by adequate strengthening of the formal education structure.

India Education an essay

With its plurality and paradoxes, India never ceases to fascinate. And education in India is only one among various other elements that have captured the attention of the world. While the United Nations is worried about the presence of a large number of illiterates, various other countries are amazed by the quality of some of the human resources that the Indian education system has produced.

The growth of the Indian economy in the recent past and the compulsion to sustain it is also forcing the Indian government to accelerate the process of developing all the branches of the Indian education system. Therefore, it would be very interesting to understand and analyze the various structures of education in India, its present condition and future developments.

India Education Historical Background:
The Vedas, Puranas, Ayurveda,Yoga, Kautilya's Arthasahtra are only some of the milestones that the traditional Indian knowledge system boasts of. There are evidences of imparting formal education in ancient India under the Gurukul system.

Under the Gurukul system, young boys who were passing through the Brahmacharya stage of life had to stay at the Guru or the teacher's home and complete their education.
Although the ancient system of education has produced many geniuses and still a major area of research, it was hardly egalitarian. Women and people of lower castes gradually lost their right to educate themselves. The spread of Jainism, Buddhism, Bhakti and Sufi movements did have some liberating effects on the condition of the women, sudras and atisudras. But it is the English language and the reformation movements of the 19th century that had the most liberating effect in pre-independent India. Thus, the Britishers, although rightly criticized for devastating the Indian economy, can also be credited for bringing a revolution in the Indian education system.

India Education Present Condition:
Soon after gaining independence in 1947, making education available to all had become a priority for the government. As discrimination on the basis of caste and gender has been a major impediment in the healthy development of the Indian society, they have been made unlawful by the Indian constitution.

The 86th constitutional amendment has also made elementary education a fundamental right for the children between the age group- 6 to 14. According to the 2001 census, the total literacy rate in India is 65.38%. The female literacy rate is only 54.16%. The gap between rural and urban literacy rate is also very significant in India. This is evident from the fact that only 59.4% of rural population are literate as against 80. 3% urban population according to the 2001 census.

In order to develop the higher education system, the government had established the University Grants Commission in 1953. The primary role of UGC has been to regulate the standard and spread of higher education in India. There has been a marked progress in the expansion of higher education if we look at the increase of higher educational institutes in India. The higher education system in India comprise of more than17000 colleges, 20 central universities, 217 State Universities, 106 Deemed to Universities and 13 institutes of Natioanl importance. This number will soon inflate as the setting up of 30 more central universities, 8 new IITs, 7 IIMs and 5 new Indian Institutes of Science are now proposed.

Education System in India:

The present education system in India mainly comprises of primary education, secondary education, senior secondary education and higher education. Elementary education consists of eight years of education. Each of secondary and senior secondary education consists of two years of education. Higher education in India starts after passing the higher secondary education or the 12th standard. Depending on the stream, doing graduation in India can take three to five years. Post graduate courses are generally of two to three years of duration. After completing post graduation, scope for doing research in various educational institutes also remains open.

Prominent Educational Institutes in India:
There are quite a good number of educational institutes in India that can compete with the best educational institutes of the world. The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), Indian Institutes of Science, National Law Schools, Jawaharlal Nehru University are some such institutes.


As education is the means for bringing socio- economic transformation in a society, various measures are being taken to enhance the access of education to the marginalized sections of the society. One such measure is the introduction of the reservation system in the institutes of higher education. Under the present law, 7.5% seats in the higher educational institutes are reserved for the scheduled tribes, 15% for scheduled castes and 27% for the non creamy layers of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Under the Indian constitution, various minority groups can also set up their own educational institutes. Efforts are also being taken to improve the access to higher education among the women of India by setting up various educational institutes exclusively for them or reserving seats in the already existing institutes. The growing acceptance of distance learning courses and expansion of the open university system is also contributing a lot in the democratization of higher education in India.

Conclusion:
Despite all the efforts to develop the education system in India, access, equity and quality of education in India continue to haunt the policy makers till this date. This has mainly been due to the widespread poverty and various prejudices. The inability to check the drop out rates among the marginalized sections of the population is another cause of worry. However, the renewed emphasis in the education sector in the 11th five year plan and increased expenditure in both primary and higher education can act as palliatives for the Indian education system.

How Online Classrooms Work Bunk Class

The concept of online learning is great, but what is going to school on the Web actually like? If you're considering an online degree program, you may wonder how to communicate with professors and collaborate with classmates you may never meet in real life. How Online Classrooms Work gives you useful information about what to expect. Articles in this section explore what to look for when researching an online college, the basic structure of an online classroom, how students and professors can interact productively, how group projects work online, and even the benefits of teaching in a Web environment.

Working and Earning With Learning From Classmates

Ever watch a cooking show only to realize afterward that without a recipe card or instruction sheet the meal was impossible to repeat? Ever sat in a meeting listening attentively to a PowerPoint presentation only to promptly forget everything just moments later?

The same thing can happen in a classroom or lecture hall, which is why many college and university instructors have turned to small groups and group learning projects to enhance the student learning experience. The reason? People learn best when they are actively engaged in the process of learning. In fact, students working in small groups or on group projects tend to remember more of what they have learned--and have a more complete understanding of the material being presented. However, not everyone appreciates the value of collaboration.

Learning to Work Together

Mention the words "small group" and some people immediately recall an unorganized, unstructured group project from back in high school. Others are reminded of difficult projects they've participated in at work. However, while these projects have similarities--such as scheduling meetings, holding discussions, organizing data, and developing presentations, they are, in fact, different. Unlike work or high school projects, where different participants may have each had their own personal agenda (or lack thereof)--the primary goal of each participant in a higher-education environment group project is to do well and "make the grade."


Getting Started on the Road to Group Project Success Making the grade with group projects is easy when team members work together and follow a general project outline. A logical place to begin with group projects is to schedule an initial first meeting where everyone shares their contact information and a general meeting schedule is arranged. The next steps are discussing and outlining the project's objectives and assigning various tasks, including who will be responsible for what areas of research, data organization, and analysis, as well as how the final presentation is prepared and presented.

Similarities and Differences

While most members of this kind of small group will have a broadly similar goal, chances are each individual participant will be very different. It is this unique variety of perspectives, skills, and strengths that can make a group project extremely successful. In fact, if the group is able to assign tasks based upon individual strengths while working in collaboration, they will be well on their way to success.

Differences as Strengths

The road to a successful group project can be bumpy at times. Strangely enough, that which makes group projects so successful--the cooperation and collaboration of a variety of people--can also be a source of frustration. After all, whenever a diverse group of people come together to work on a project there may be discussions about things such as who will handle what area of the project and how the project should be organized. However, it's important to understand that this is, in fact, part of the process--and another reason why group projects are such an effective educational tool.

Benefits of Online Classes and Online education

Online education was originally begun by businesses as a means of offering training programs to employees. Today, many colleges offer online programs in many different areas. Even some high schools offer online classes to homebound and homeschooled students. While taking an online class may seem overwhelming to some students, there are many benefits to obtaining an education this way.
Pacing
Online classes allow students to work at their pace while holding down jobs and caring for families.

Time
Students taking an online class have access to the class 7 days per week, 24 hours per day, allowing them to study when it is convenient for them.

Location
Students of online classes can access educational programs offered worldwide.

Learning Style
Students have different learning styles, and online classes work very well for students who learn better through student-centered learning; they are able to study the material in the way that works best for them.

Disability
Disabled students often have difficulty participating in traditional classrooms. Online classes enable these students to obtain an education from the comfort of their homes.

Technology
Online classes give students an opportunity to hone their computer technology skills; classes usually incorporate Internet research, chat modules, discussion boards and interactive activities.

Connections
One of the greatest benefits of taking online classes is that students meet people around the world and make important connections that may prove helpful in their future careers.

Why Do Students Like Online Learning or online classes?

Why do students flock to the online learning environment? With over 4 million students are enrolled in online schools and universities (and that number is growing 30% per year), there are many compelling arguments for attending a cyber classroom..

1.Students can "attend" a course at anytime, from anywhere. This means that parents can attend to their children, then sit down to class; working students can attend classes no matter what their work schedule might be, folks that travel for business or pleasure can attend class from anywhere in the world that has internet access.

 2.Online learning enables student-centered teaching approaches. Every student has their own way of learning that works best for them. Some learn visually others do better when they "learn by doing."

3.Course material is accessible 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Students have the ability to read and re read lectures, discussions, explanations and comments. Often spoken material in the classroom passes students by due to a number of distractions, missed classes, tiredness or boredom.

4.In an online environment, attendance to class is only evident if the student actually participates in classroom discussion. This increases student interaction and the diversity of opinion, because everyone gets a say, not just the most talkative.
5.Online instructors come with practical knowledge and may be from any location across the globe. This allows students to be exposed to knowledge that can't be learned in books and see how class concepts are applied in real business situations.

6.Using the internet to attend class, research information and communication with other students teaches skills in using technologies that will be critical to workers in the 21st century business community that works with colleagues globally and across time zones.

7.Participating online is much less intimidating than "in the classroom." Anonymity provides students a level playing field undisturbed by bias caused by seating arrangement, gender, race and age. Students can also think longer about what they want to say and add their comments when ready. In a traditional class room, the conversation could have gone way past the point where the student wants to comment.

8.Because online institutions often offer "chat rooms" for informal conversation between students, where student bios and non class discussions can take place, there appears to be a increased bonding and camaraderie over traditional class environments.

9.The online environment makes instructors more approachable. Students can talk openly with their teachers through online chats, email and in newsgroup discussions, without waiting for office hours that may not be convenient. This option for communication provides enhanced contact between instructors and students.

10.Online course development allows for a broad spectrum of content. Students can access the school's library from their PC's for research articles, ebook content and other material without worries that the material is already "checked out."

11.Students often feel that they can actually listen to the comments made by other students. Because everyone gets a chance to contribute, students are less irritated with those that "over contribute" and can ask for clarification of any comments that are unclear.

12.Over 75% of colleges and universities in the U.S. offer online degree programs, with online degrees as respected as "on the ground" degrees.

13.Online classrooms also facilitate team learning by providing chatrooms and newsgroups for meetings and joint work. This eliminates the problems of mismatched schedules, finding a meeting location and distributing work for review between meetings.

14.Students often comment that online learning lets them attend class when fully awake and attend in increments of convenient time block, rather than rigid 2 or 4 hour stretches once or twice a week.

15.Because there are no geographic barriers to online learning, students can find a diversity of course material that may not be available to them where they live or work. This is especially true for professional training such as medical billing training or purchasing training and for students in remote rural areas that cannot support college or vocational training centers.

While "brick and mortar" institutions will never be eliminated, it's easy to see why a growing number of people are attending class in the cyber world. They may be reasons of accessibility, flexibility or quality, all compelling and contributing to the attractiveness of this mode of learning.

Popular and Best Quotations about Education

Quotations about Education

When I give a lecture, I accept that people look at their watches,
but what I do not tolerate is when they look at it and raise it to their
ear to find out if it stopped.
–– Marcel Achard
Of course there's a lot of knowledge in universities: the freshmen bring a little in; the seniors don't take much away, so knowledge sort of accumulates...
–– Anonymous
Universities incline wits to sophistry and affectation.
–– Francis Bacon
Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a losttradition.
–– Jacques Barzun
Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils.
–– Hector Louis Berlioz
It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated.
–– Alec Bourne, A Doctor's Creed
It is important that students bring a certain ragamuffin, barefoot, irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known, but to question it.
–– J. Bronowski, The Ascent of Man
The best teacher is the one who suggests rather than dogmatizes, and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself.
–– Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Some people talk in their sleep. Lecturers talk while other people sleep.
–– Albert Camus
A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary.
–– Thomas Carruthers
Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.
–– Chinese Proverb
A university is what a college becomes when the faculty loses interest in students.
–– John Ciardi
The authority of those who teach is often an obstacle to those who want to learn.
–– Cicero
The wit of a graduate student is like champagne. Canadian champagne.
–– Robertson Davies
Seeing much, suffering much, and studying much, are the three pillars of learning.
–– Benjamin Disraeli
The average Ph.D thesis is nothing but the transference of bones from one graveyard to another.
–– Frank J. Dobie, A Texan in England, 1945
Education is the state-controlled manufacture of echoes.
–– Norman Douglas
How is it that little children are so intelligent and men so stupid? It must be education that does it.
–– Alexandre Dumas fils
If you would thoroughly know anything, teach it to others.
–– Tryon Edwards
It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.
–– Albert Einstein
Sometimes a scream is better than a thesis.
–– Ralph Waldo Emerson
The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards.
–– Anatole France
You are educated when you have the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or self-confidence.
–– Robert Frost
Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater.
–– Gail Godwin
The advantage of a classical education is that it enables you to despise the wealth which it prevents you from achieving.
–– Russell Green
I have a daughter who goes to SMU. She could've gone to UCLA here in California, but it's one more letter she'd have to remember.
–– Shecky Greene
Our schools have been scientifically designed to prevent over-education from happening. [...] The average American (should be) content with their humble role in life, because they're not tempted to think about any other role.
–– William Torrey Harris, U.S. Commissioner of Education, 1889
Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not.
–– Aldous Huxley
Colleges are places where pebbles are polished and diamonds are dimmed.
–– Robert G. Ingersoll, (seen attributed to "R.S. Ingersoll" - a typo?)
If someone had told me I would be Pope one day, I would have studied harder.
–– Pope John Paul I
To teach is to learn twice.
–– Joseph Joubert
An understanding heart is everything is a teacher, and cannot be esteemed highly enough. One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feeling. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.
–– Carl Gustav Jung
University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small.
–– Henry Kissinger
Learning is what most adults will do for a living in the 21st century.
–– Bob Perelman
A university professor set an examination question in which he asked what is the difference between ignorance and apathy. The professor had to give an A+ to a student who answered: I don't know and I don't care.
–– Richard Pratt, Pacific Computer Weekly, 20 July 1990
Grad school is the snooze button on the clock-radio of life.
–– John Rogers, comedian (who holds a graduate degree in physics)
It is because modern education is so seldom inspired by a great hope that it so seldom achieves great results. The wish to preserve the past rather that the hope of creating the future dominates the minds of those who control the teaching of the young.
–– Bertrand Russell
It is best to learn as we go, not go as we have learned.
–– Leslie Jeanne Sahler
A fool's brain digests philosophy into folly, science into superstition, and art into pedantry. Hence University education.
–– George Bernard Shaw
Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.
–– B.F. Skinner
The philosophy exam was a piece of cake –– which was a bit of a surprise, actually, because I was expecting some questions on a sheet of paper.
–– Smith & Jones
I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.
–– Socrates
Education ... has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading.
–– G. M. Trevelyan
I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.
–– Mark Twain
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
–– William Arthur Ward
If your professor wrote it, it's as near to the truth as you ever need to get.
–– John Watson, University of Canterbury
The first duty of a lecturer: to hand you after an hour's discourse a nugget of pure truth to wrap up between the pages of your notebooks, and keep on the mantlepiece forever.
–– Virginia Woolf

Quotations about Communication

Elegance of language may not be in the power of all of us; but simplicity and straight forwardness are. Write much as you would speak; speak as you think. If with your inferior, speak no coarser than usual; if with your superiors, no finer. Be what you say; and, within the rules of prudence, say what you are.
–– Alford
I have often regretted my speech, never my silence.
–– Anonymous
The only weapon that becomes sharper with constant use is the tongue.
–– Anonymous
There's nothing wrong with having nothing to say –– unless you insist on saying it.
–– Anonymous
The best time to hold your tongue is the time you feel you must say something or bust.
–– Josh Billings
The true spirit of conversation consists in building on another man's observation, not overturning it.
–– Edward Bulwer-Lytton
I have noticed that nothing I have never said ever did me any harm.
–– Calvin Coolidge
Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.
–– Gandhi
Silence is argument carried out by other means.
–– Ernesto "Che" Guevara
When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.
–– Ernest Hemingway
The only way to entertain some folks is to listen to them.
–– Kin Hubbard
Silence is as full of potential wisdom and wit as the unhewn marble of a great sculpture.
–– Aldous Huxley
Value your words. Each one may be the last.
–– Stanislaw J. Lec
I feel that if a person has problems communicating the very least he can do is to shut up.
–– Tom Lehrer
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
–– Abraham Lincoln
Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.
–– Abraham Lincoln
Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.
–– Anne Morrow Lindbergh
No one really listens to anyone else, and if you try it for a while you'll see why.
–– Mignon McLaughlin
He who knows only his own side of the case, knows little of that.
–– John Stuart Mill
We can never be sure that the opinion we are endeavoring to stifle is a false opinion; and if we were sure, stifling it would be an evil still.
–– John Stuart Mill
Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
–– Mother Teresa
It was the greatest of the imperfect ventriloquist acts: when his lips moved, her body sang.
–– Tom Robbins
The trouble with her is that she lacks the power of conversation but not the power of speech.
–– George Bernard Shaw
He had occasional flashes of silence that made his conversation perfectly delightful.
–– Sydney Smith, referring to Macaulay
If other people are going to talk, conversation becomes impossible.
–– James McNeill Whistler
Conversation, fastidious Goddess, loves blood better than brick, and feasts most subtly on the human will.
–– Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway

Quotations about Experience

You cannot create experience. You must undergo it.
–– Albert Camus
The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.
–– Albert Einstein
Experience is the name every one gives his mistakes.
–– Elbert Hubbard
Experience is not what happens to you; it's what you do with what happens to you.
–– Aldous Huxley
Experience is not what happens to you; it's what you do with what happens to you.
–– Aldous Huxley
Experience teaches only the teachable.
–– Aldous Huxley
Experience is the worst teacher; it gives the test before presenting the lesson.
–– Vernon Law
Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.
–– Vince Lombardi
We learn from experience that men never learn anything from experience.
–– George Bernard Shaw
Great Spirit, help me never to judge another until I have walked in his moccasins.
–– Sioux Indian Prayer
Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.
–– Don Stanford
To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour.
–– Robert L. Stevenson
Experience is one thing you can't get for nothing.
–– Oscar Wilde
Experience is the name that everyone gives to their mistakes.
–– Oscar Wilde
Good judgement comes from experience, and experience––well, that comes from poor judgement.
–– Cousin Woodman

Quotations about Success-Failure

If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.
–– Maya Angelou
There are trivial truths, and there are great truths. The opposite of a trivial truth is plainly false. The opposite of a great truth is also true.
–– Neils Bohr
The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth.
–– Niels Bohr
Destiny is not a matter of chance; but a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, It is a thing to be acheived.
–– William Jennings Bryant
To expect defeat is nine-tenths of defeat itself.
–– Francis Crawford
Defeat never comes to any man until he admits it.
–– Josephus Daniels
... I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
–– Thomas Edison
Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.
–– Albert Einstein
Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right.
–– Henry Ford
The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.
–– Robert G. Ingersoll
Mistakes are the portals of discovery.
–– James Joyce
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing.
–– Abraham Lincoln
The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
–– Abraham Lincoln
Many a man has finally succeeded only because he has failed after repeated efforts. If he had never met defeat he would never have known any great victory.
–– Orison Swett Marden
No other success can compensate for failure in the home.
–– David O. McKay, Encyclopedia of Mormonism
What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?
–– Robert Schuller
What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?
–– Robert Schuller
You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try.
–– Beverly Sills
Whatever you are from nature, keep to it; never desert your own line of talent. Be what nature intended you for, and you will succeed; be anything else, and you will be ten thousands times worse than nothing.
–– Sydney Smith
Do not let yourselves be discouraged or embittered by the smallness of the success you are likely to achieve in trying to make life better. You certainly would not be able, in a single generation, to create an earthly paradise. Who could expect that? But, if you make life ever so little better, you will have done splendidly, and your lives will have been worthwhile.
–– Arnold Toynbee
If you want a place in the sun, you've got to put up with a few blisters.
–– Abigail Van Buren
It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail.
–– Gore Vidal
Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.
–– George E. Woodberry

Quotations about Friendship

It is well, when judging a friend, to remember that he is judging you with the same godlike and superior impartiality.
–– Arnold Bennett
Friendship is like money, easier made than kept.
–– Samuel Butler
A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway.
–– Fr. Jerome Cummings
It destroys one's nerves to be amiable everyday to the same human being.
–– Benjamin Disraeli
I hate it in friends when they come too late to help.
–– Euripides
My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me!
–– Henry Ford
There are three great friends: an old wife, an old dog, and ready money.
–– Benjamin Franklin
When a friend is in trouble, don't annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it.
–– E. W. Howe
Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.
–– Thomas Jones
The real test of friendship is: Can you literally do nothing with the other person? Can you enjoy together those moments of life that are utterly simple? They are the moments people looks back on at the end of life and number as their most sacred experiences.
–– Eugene Kennedy
The better part of one's life consists of his friendships.
–– Abraham Lincoln
The imaginary friends I had as a kid dropped me because their friends thought I didn't exist.
–– Aaron Machado
When one is trying to do something beyond his known powers it is useless to seek the approval of friends. Friends are at their best in moments of defeat.
–– Henry Miller
A woman may very well form a friendship with a man, but for this to endure, it must be assisted by a little physical antipathy.
–– Friedrich Nietzsche
Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive.
–– Anaïs Nin
We have been friends together in sunshine and in shade.
–– Caroline Norton
When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate now knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.
–– Henri Nouwen, Out of Solitude
Books, like friends, should be few and well chosen.
–– Samuel Paterson
Do not assume that she who seeks to comfort you now, lives untroubled among the simple and quiet words that sometimes do you good. Her life may also have much sadness and difficulty, that remains far beyond yours. Were it otherwise, she would never have been able to find these words.
–– Rainer Maria Rilke
Friends need not agree in everything or go always together, or have no comparable other friendships of the same intimacy. On the contrary, in friendship union is more about ideal things: and in that sense it is more ideal and less subject to trouble than marriage is.
–– George Santayana
Good friends are good for your health.
–– Irwin Sarason
Life is to be fortified by many friendships. To love and to be loved is the greatest happiness of existence.
–– Sydney Smith
A friend is a gift you give yourself.
–– Robert Louis Stevenson
A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.
–– Walter Winchell
Some people go to priests; others to poetry; I to my friends.
–– Virginia Woolf

Quotations about Health

Giving birth is like taking your lower lip and forcing it over your head.
–– Carol Burnett
You have to stay in shape. My grandmother, she started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She's 97 today and we don't know where the hell she is.
–– Ellen DeGeneres
The average, healthy, well-adjusted adult gets up at seven-thirty in the morning feeling just plain terrible.
–– Jean Kerr
I'm not into working out. My philosophy: No pain, no pain.
–– Carol Leifer
A multiple personality is in a certain sense normal.
–– George H. Mead
I was under medication when I made the decision not to burn the tapes.
–– Richard Nixon, U.S. President
I have never taken any exercise except sleeping and resting.
–– Mark Twain
You have a cough? Go home tonight, eat a whole box of Ex-Lax––tomorrow you'll be afraid to cough.
–– Pearl Williams

Quotations about Computers-Technology

If you have any trouble sounding condescending, find a Unix user to show you how it's done.
–– Scott Adams
There are three kinds of death in this world. There's heart death, there's brain death, and there's being off the network.
–– Guy Almes
There are two major products that come out of Berkeley: LSD and UNIX. We don't believe this to be a coincidence.
–– Jeremy S. Anderson
If you don't double-click me, I can't do anything.
–– John Aniston, on how computers have taken over his life
Guide to understanding a net.addict's day:
Slow day: didn't have much to do, so spent three hours on usenet.
Busy day: managed to work in three hours of usenet.
Bad day: barely squeezed in three hours of usenet.
–– Anonymous
If you put garbage in a computer nothing comes out but garbage. But this garbage, having passed through a very expensive machine, is somehow ennobled and none dare criticize it.
–– Anonymous
Multimedia? As far as I'm concerned, it's reading with the radio on!
–– Rory Bremner
The Internet is so big, so powerful and pointless that for some people it is a complete substitute for life.
–– Andrew Brown
Usenet is like Tetris for people who still remember how to read.
–– Button from the Computer Museum, Boston, MA
By the time (the Leaning Tower of Pisa) was 10% built, everyone knew it would be a total disaster. But the investment was so big they felt compelled to go on. Since its completion, it cost a fortune to maintain and is still in danger of collapsing. There are no plans to replace it, since it was never needed in the first place. I expect every installation has its own pet software which is analogous to the above.
–– Ken Iverson
Saying that Windows95 is equal to Macintosh is like finding a potato that looks like Jesus and believing you've witnessed the second coming.
–– Guy Kawasaki
I'd wipe the machines off the face of the earth again, and end the industrial epoch absolutely, like a black mistake.
–– D. H. Lawrence
Live TV died in the late 1950s, electronic bulletin boards came along in the mid-1980s, meaning there was about a 25-year gap when it was difficult to put your foot in your mouth and have people all across the country know about it.
–– Mark Leeper
Considering the flames and intolerance, shouldn't USENET be spelled ABUSENET?
–– Michael Meissner
In view of all the deadly computer viruses that have been spreading lately, Weekend Update would like to remind you: when you link up to another computer, you're linking up to every computer that that computer has ever linked up to.
–– Dennis Miller, "Saturday Night Live," U.S. television show
The last good thing written in C++ was the Pachelbel Canon.
–– Jerry Olson
There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home.
–– Kenneth H. Olson, President of DEC, Convention of the World Future Society, 1977
Imagine if every Thursday your shoes exploded if you tied them the usual way. This happens to us all the time with computers, and nobody thinks of complaining.
–– Jeff Raskin
The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do.
–– B. F. Skinner
If unix is the face of the future I wanna go back to quill pens.
–– Joseph Snipp
Usenet is like a herd of performing elephants with diarrhea –– massive, difficult to redirect, awe-inspiring, entertaining, and a source of mind-boggling amounts of excrement when you least expect it.
–– Gene Spafford
If addiction is judged by how long a dumb animal will sit pressing a lever to get a 'fix' of something, to its own detriment, then I would conclude that netnews is far more addictive than cocaine.
–– Rob Stampfli
Men have become the tools of their tools.
–– Henry David Thoreau
Technology makes it possible for people to gain control over everything, except over technology.
–– John Tudor
Those parts of the system that you can hit with a hammer (not advised) are called hardware; those program instructions that you can only curse at are called software.
–– Unknown author