It is one of very few documentaries on the importation of Western education to a deserted area I had a chance to see. The film has a series of interviews from Lakahi elders, famous educational policy makers, school administrators, and students regarding their point of view about how a Western education was imported and applied in their mountainous area affected their tradition, lifestyle, etc.
The question is how to maintain their identity, their culture under the sudden change and how to deal with unexpected effect that the Western education brought in this small village. The elders complained that the kids who were sent away to school became strangers when they came back to their own fatherland. They said "They can't do anything here...; we are proud with the outside, how about inside?" The modern, Western education pulled the kids out of their own culture. How about the tradeoffs between 2,000 years of tradition and 300 years of modernization as stated?
One question raised in my mind: It seems that this film provided a very negative point of view about the failure of the typical, mechanical application of Western education into a deserted, mountainous area. The arguments were strengthened by dozens of quotes from very prestigious scholars, educators, educational administrators, elderly people, and students. The film ended and left a big and debating questions for all: So what? How to balance between the tradition and the modernization while still maintaining the culture as part of their identity? On one hand, I think it was good to leave the conclusion and solution for the audience to debate. On the other hand, I feel disappointed when the film director did not come up with an answer for the question she raised.
One more thing is that I doubt about the following statement "Real freedom comes only if we free ourself from Western education". I totally disagree with this one-way argument. This is a conservative, short minded point of view. Everyone should be part of a modern society where one should get a proper education. We cannot be back to what our ancestors were hundred years ago. I think having such an argument will hinder the societal development as a civilized society. The point is how to live properly through the time of transition.
I also felt shocked when first heard that there is more and more poor people when the modern education was imported. Then, I can understand why there is such a paradox. It is obvious that the more the society develops, the more the distinction between the rich and the poor becomes clear. A modern society creates golden opportunities for those who know how to catch the big fish. However, it also readily eliminates those who cannot swim well!
What a great analogy at the end! I love it since I can't swim very well but know I'm in a sea of big fish!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to touch on your point about everyone should have a proper education in our modern world. I definitely also think the key word is 'proper'. What the Ladakhi children are being taught is arguably improper because it doesn't teach them to understand and cultivate the knowledge of their culture and their environment. Instead it builds them up to exist in a world that doesn't really have a place for them. I also would like to see what some solutions to this predicament would look like. We could use it here in the U.S. too!