Kripa
From the desk of Kripa
It is very important that we address the education issue. It is very important for us to understand that the standards we have in college is so different from what kids learn in high schools. To begin with, grammar is not stressed upon until they reach to a high school level in public schools which graduates most of the population. I have patients who cannot write a sentence even though they have dropped out in senior or junior year in high school. People have great difficulty in adjusting to college level courses and there is a high level of drop outs. I believe that the expectation is so low that many kids are moved forwards hoping they would better themselves without the understanding that the foundation is so weak for them to build on. It is not a reflection of the teachers performance alone though it may be true in some instances. The socio economic issues play a significant role. Single parents raising their children, low income groups, parents with less educational back ground, being raised in poor neighborhoods,attitude of the society towards the less fortunate and other factors all contribute towards the dismal performance of the young individuals who would have had a better future if only! I had a patient who was in a senior in high school brought to me by his mother who worked in Walmart with no family support for his use of marijuana. He was a bright young kid, who played the lead guitar in a band he formed and also had an ACT score of 34 out of 36. My children had lesser scores. When asked what he thought of his future, he said that he wanted to work in constructions. When told that he would get scholarships to go to any prestigious colleges, he didn't seem to understand the need for it. Told of the future prospects and the life style he could have, he didn't seem to care and said, he had a girl friend and didn't plan to leave her behind at any cost. The cost of education is so high that many pause unless there is determination in the individual. People who pursue have lightened their load, and take few classes to work and pay through the college courses. There is an average of six to eight years before they get there bachelor's degree. Lack of parental support, lack of education among their family members, lack of understanding in the communities they grew up, lack of directions due to lack of knowledge either among parents or the people they associate with, lack of financial resources all contribute towards the gap we see in the graduation rate between educated, financially sound people whose children have less worries than those of the less fortunate . That's the basic message of a recent article by Reuters' Lou Carlozo, which digs into the reasons why so many American college students fail to finish their educations. Just 56 percent of students who embark on a bachelor's degree program finish within six years, according to a 2011 Harvard study titled Pathways to Prosperity. Just 29 percent of those who seek an associate's degree obtain it within three years. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, just 46 percent of Americans complete college once they start, worst among the 18 countries it tracks. Children from India, China and other developing countries have consistently produced more graduates, whether technical or otherwise, as many had not been put through the experiences of an american child, who has been exposed to the emotional turmoil as a result of what they experienced, the uncertainty of a future if they had one, acceptance of mediocrity as a norm due to their limited exposure, and lack of support system from the society in the form of Governments as in the case of India and China. If you look into the numbers of the foreign students studying in colleges in USA, it doesn't even add up to a percentage of their population. Though they may produce engineers dime a dozen, their chances of success is in par with those who succeed here. The difference is the life they led is much harder and tougher and creates a burning desire to do do better as they cannot see a future due to the struggles their parents have gone through but the american kids have a belief that it doesn't matter to have an education to enjoy a good life due to the examples they have been exposed to through their own upbringing with parents who happen to be high school graduates or less being able to provide necessity and comfort and failure to understand that the world is changing or changed. I have laid out the basic tenants for our dismal performance in a non partisan manner to give an understanding of where we stand today regarding our future. I will not be surprised that unless there is a social and cultural reset this country as much as we admire today will see an influx of people from all over the world, that a time will come that it will not matter whether you are born or naturalized, whether you are a visitor or a visa holder, knowledge will surpass the rights of the citizen and the constitution will be something that less will be beholden to.
