The film 3 Idiots is admired because it touched the core of many hearts. It reminded people of their college life, first love and more importantly highlighted the fallacies in our education system. Even though bookworms could score well, the one who applied his concepts did even better. Aamir’s character in the film didn’t believe in mugging from books and he succeeded because he was focused and passionate.
Youngsters today detest cramming for exams, and believe "college mein gyaan har jagah hai" and so soak it in from wherever you can. And although the one-night effort before an exam still remains the preferred way out for a majority of students, understanding the concepts better is how they wish to go about tackling it.
Manpreet Saluja, engineering student, says there are times when you can’t help but learn by rote. "Studying from books isn’t bad, but it just isn’t advisable when the need of the hour requires practical applications and technicalities need to be practiced. But when you’re studying a subject like History, you can’t help but mug up the dates and events."
Experts say the faster you cram the easier you forget and memory retention is also very low when you mug up chapters. So, that means that even after all that cramming before examinations you just pass an exam, you don’t really learn anything. But once you know why "one plus one is two" you can never unlearn it.
Akarsh Tripathi, a class 12 student, chips in, saying, "Those with practical knowledge will always be a step ahead of those who mug up. Our teachers explain why so much emphasis is placed on ‘learning concepts’ and then understanding formulae, rather than simply cramming and blurting it in out in the exam."
Prashant Rai, an engineering student and a topper at the school level, recalls how cramming chapters and books helped him score, but it wasn’t fun. "When I was in school I did cram a lot for examinations and it worked for me then, but I didn’t enjoy doing it. But after joining an engineering college I have learnt to understand concepts, reasoning and it has changed my outlook," he adds.
Experts say one learns best when lessons are presented in an interesting manner as learning then becomes fun.
Hemant Abhishek
The Asian Age