CHANGE IS THE END RESULT OF ALL LEARNING

1. Change is the end result of all learning In the 1980s, Govt. of Tamil Nadu was confronted with a serious problem. Education levels of school going children kept dwindling down and the drop-out ratio was unacceptably high. The govt had commissioned a detailed study through which they learnt that ill-health and acute malnutrition were the causes of falling education standards and high drop-out ratio. The state govt decided to introduce a unique scheme to solve the problem - the mid-day meal scheme.

Within a couple of years, the education levels started rising and the dropout ratio was 1 kept firmly in check. Even today, as Amartya Sen observes, the mid-day meal scheme is the prime reason for high performance of Tamil Nadu in primary education, compared to any other state. This incident proves the age old saying that change is the end result of all learning. Both learning and change are indispensible inorder to be better humans; build better societies and shape great nations. In this essay, we will examine what is meant by 'learning' and 'change'. We will then examine how learning led to change throughout the history and across the geography. Next, we will discuss the problems and hindrances in learning and changing. Finally, we will conclude by seeing how we can instill change in our lives through constant learning.

LEARNING & CHANGE : DEFINITION Learning can be understood as the process of acquiring new ideas, examples and processes that add value to our knowledge and thinking. For instance, when we teach a child that stealing is bad, he learns that he should not do it. When we teach children that men and women are equal, they learn that patriarchal society is unjustified and immoral. Thus it can be seen that, from learning comes change. Change refers to a fundamental transformation in our attitudes, values and belief system. The more we learn about the society and the world, the more amenable we become for change. HOW LEARNING LEADS TO CHANGE : ACROSS SPACE & TIME Historically, from 1500 to 1860, for 350 years, slavery was considered the norm. But Abraham Lincoln showed the world that, American Civil war was not only about saving the Union, but also about abolishing the unjust, immoral practice of slavery. As the US learnt a bitter lesson through war and bloodshed, it decided to abolish slavery through 13th Amendment to US Constitution. Back home, Mahatma Gandhi united the country and taught the world about a non-violent struggle. The world had learnt changed their outlook and changed its attitude about violence. Similarly, in the economic field, it was earlier thought that Capitalism was the panacea for curing poverty. But unbridled capitalism ravaged societies in poor countries of Asia and Africa. No country today allows complete freedom of markets, All countries have now changed towards a mix of capitalism and Socialism as followed by developed Nordic nations such as Denmark & Sweden. Further, GDP was the single parameter to gauge prosperity of a country before 1990. Through Mahbub-ul-Haq and Amartya Sen's efforts, we have learnt that human development index is a much better parameter to capture all round development. Thus the nations of world changed from GDP to HDI through learning and change. In politics too, there is always a constant flux. French Revolution was the result of learning that all humans are equal and liberty, equality and fraternity are every person's fundamental rights. This simple realisation led to abolishment of dictatorship and establishment of the French Republic. Even today, the Arab Spring gives us a good example of how when people learn about new ideas it leads to change. This relationship between learning and change extends to social sphere as well. Before 1950s, women were thought to be inferior to men. Their freedoms were restrained and rights restricted. But as we learnt about the inherent equality between men and women, we are constantly striving to achieve gender justice. India was one of the first nations to grant universal franchise to all - thus marking the beginning of change. Similarly today, our regressive attitudes towards LGBTQ community are constantly being demolished as we learn about the scientific and moral reasons to recognize and celebrate LGBTQ community.

The struggle to repeal Sec 377 of IPC is a journey towards change. Moreover, even in the administrative sphere, we see the interplay of learning and change. As we learn that corruption is a result of officer's discretion, the govt is framing laws to move towards only online delivery of services (Eg: Direct Benefit Transfer). Govt schemes such as Soil Health cards, Start-up India are all result of learning and changing policies for a better future. Lastly, learning and change are most relevant in tackling climate change. There is strong scientific consensus - 97% - that man made causes are the prime drivers of climate change and planet destruction. This learning has challenged our previous beliefs that climate change was a natural phenomenon. And so, the world got together at Rio in 1992 to establish UNFCCC and changed the discourse on climate. Paris Climate deal of 2016 is a step towards this major change so as to ensure safety of our planet. Having discussed the importance of learning and change, and how learning has led to change throughout space and time, let us examine the obstacles to learning and change. Learning & Change: The barriers Firstly, change is never easy and there is always fierce resistance to it. There are always vested interests who want to maintain the status quo. Eg: How dictator Bashar-Al-Assad has crushed rebellion in Syria is a case in point. Secondly, poverty, ignorance and disease keep people uninformed about their rights and prevents them from changing. For example, majority of Indians practice open defecation due to lack of viable, functioning toilets. Thus, even though a poor family wants to forgo that practice, they cannot, due to lack of resources. Thirdly, we must realise that free speech is fundamental for learning and change. The moment there is a threat to free speech, we lose an opportunity to learn a new idea, a novel perspective. This keeps us in a perpetual state of ignorance and thus prevents us from changing. For instance, in England during Queen Victoria's reign, there was a clampdown on any criticism of religion or ideas of Church. This made them ignore gender rights and gender justice. Thus dogma and intolerance are enemies of learning and change. Lastly, another major barrier is the phenomenon of Fake news we are witnessing recently. Our lives have become so much dependent on online content that any fake whatsapp forward, a false story on Facebook etc can keep us entrenched in our own ideological echochamber thus preventing us from appreciating others perspective.

So how do we overcome the barriers so as to learn and change ourselves and our societies? LEARNING & CHANGE : TOWARDS A BETTER FUTURE As Nelson Mandela had famously said, "If you want to change the world, start with children." Inculcating the right values and attitudes among children is essential to build a better tomorrow. Children must not be taught what to think, but how to think. Critical thinking, reasoning and logic are our tools that can shape children's thinking. So that when they are faced with a new idea, a new perspective they shall evaluate it critically with reason rather than getting mired in dogma. As children learn through imitation, by telling examples from lives of great persons such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King; we can mould them in a way that challenges their own beliefs constantly. Similarly, for constant learning, education must be free and decentralised. With the power of technology, we have the tools to take ideas and education even to the remotest corner of the world. Further, our country also needs to set an example of how we can learn and change to better. ourselves. History has shown us that, change is the only constant in life. Without learning and change, we risk stagnation as individuals, as a society and as a nation. Let us avow to be constant learners and be agents of change so that we build a better world for everyone. For that learning should never cease and change must begin from us. As Gandhiji once said - "Our greatness lies not so much in changing the world as in changing ourselves."