Name of the book: My Green School, an outline
Year of publication: 2014
Author: ex-education Minister Thakur S Powdyel
This is not a book about life and death, war and peace, technology and the Internet, King and country, men and women, mountain and valley. But rather the book is about the vision for a good education system.
To get such wisdom from someone highly acclaimed, respected, organized and disciplined in education is something very rare and special –someone who has already lived in endless hearts across the country for being exceptionally critical and good in nurturing and delivering not only topics but also life lessons that can be useful –beyond school campus.
I felt the book is exceptionally good not only for present times but also for the future. As always the message is very clear from the author that we must learn to live life with education that comes only at the cost of colossal personal sacrifices.
As I flipped the last paragraph of the author's introduction, it reminded me of a few of my school memories –how I used to fight with my little naughty friends for a Parle-G and over sugarcane!
From the layouts to the author's biography, the book is well packed and arranged. The size of the book to font size is admirable as always. As author, the design of the book inside is well organized to suit the needs of all kinds of readers. The cover of the book seems simple yet meaningful and an awe-inspiring masterpiece, where the traditional aspect wasn't sidelined. Overall, the book is symbolic to what is said and spread across the pages.
As I read "the tree of life and the tree of learning" my brain was off and running into so many mixed thoughts, thus as always the wisdom of Lyonpo Thakur was the best-kept secret piece of information as the book talks about the good education system.
In addition, topics like "my green school, the colors of life, living together" are the metaphors used by the author to illustrate the core mandates of what makes a good education system. We must know that natural aspects, social aspects, cultural aspects and intellectual aspects of the daily need of every individual should be met through classroom learning.
The topic "learning is fun" as the author called it "Academic Greenery" is what I also strongly support and felt like the author. It is important to make learning or school days a fun filled place and lifelong learning journey.
The author's reflections on "matter of taste and entering the temple of my soul" is something like the main purpose of clothes is to cover our body, but why do we choose all kinds of designs and styles are something beyond the need but it is an important part of clothes. The puzzle like "if your father brings home his office stationary for your school work, will you be grateful to him or feel hurt" is more important than what they know of the subject contents, because they would come across such pressing issues since they are our future asset.
The last piece of information shared in the form of relation, anecdote and short narrative as a day at Wangmo's school is an eye-opening piece, much is said about our present education system and its the roadmap of what is expected for the future of education.
Therefore, for such an infinite wisdom, I secretly admired Lyonpo like no other figure in the field of education and for being the role model.
My Reflection:
Like the author, I also always aspire for a more safe and sustaining curriculum and school environment. For quite some time now "my vision of education" has been the secret subject of discussion. It is time for a change particularly on the quality of infrastructures and better-suited curriculum when the population is still "small" and "manageable". I've also shared on establishing a "Model School" in each Dzongkhag.
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