We are hearing about human beings colonising Planet Mars, the nearest to Earth, at a future date. Travel time between the two Planets, currently being close to ten months, is beyond the comprehension of lay people. While teams with rich experience and knowledge in the field of space exploration have many landmark achievements to their credit, starting from orbiting the Earth, landing men on Moon, living in outer space for extended periods and now taking a close look at conditions on Mars that may support life of human beings, the issues of life’s compulsions and challenges on Earth in days ahead cannot be sidelined. Children of the present generation have to be nurtured, enabling them to brave the hardships that they are bound to experience, given the volatility of conditions supporting and threatening survival of all life forms — human beings, plants, flora and fauna on the cusp of extinction. No duty other than preparing the children of today to be people of posterity as members of an ideal society deserves concern and pro-active measures on priority.

Guru Purnima has been observed across the land early this week, once again bringing the teacher fraternity to public glare. The sayings of society’s leading lights stress on the duty of teachers towards their pupils by moulding their mind without loading with information aimed at scoring high marks and passing exams.

Travel and experiencing the ways of life of people in regions away from one’s home are prescribed by luminaries to mould oneself as teacher, particularly for effective communication with the tender minds. Parents in urban space are nowadays rushing their children to start their schooling from pre-primary stage on an unprecedented scale. The Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, has been cited in the media revealing that only about one in fifty children in Class I get pre-school experience in Karnataka. Research has demonstrated that positive attitude and desire to learn get ingrained in children before they are subjected to humdrum life after entering Class I.

The end-product of education, as different from schooling, according to a celebrated teacher the land has seen, should be emergence of free, creative person, who can battle against trying circumstances that past generations are accused of and adversities of nature. That done, generations of posterity shall feel grateful to their predecessors.