A whole generation is growing through a broken system - So What?

One of my friends updated a post on his social media account a couple of weeks back saying "Gratitude is a lost virtue in India". Talking on the lines of "millennials lack perspective" is a normal course of discussion among slightly older folks nowadays, and I am including myself in this gang. When I get in to a discussion in the Startup Community, the favourite time pass of "lets encourage everyone" gang is this "younger generation bashing" as how they need to do these 100s things which we (the older folks) think is the correct path.

There are certain areas I however agree with them and "our education system is broken" is one of them. We Indians have always (oops, here goes another generalisation, sorry!), Let me say that again...we Indians for a very long time now (thats better :-0) have been living in a mentality of seeking approvals from the west. So when Bill Gates says he is disappointed about India's Education System, I can beat my chest and yell "didn't I tell you", and I know I will be taken seriously.

Although neither I nor Mr. Gates is the first one to point it out, yet all of a sudden things start mattering more when some big (white) guy from west talks about India and gives some gyan.

So yeah, lets follow the trend and get the discussion going. But thats not the point. The real question is "Why this education system is broken?" "What is correct solution? (not all solutions are correct)" and "What are WE doing about it?"

For over an year now we (I and my team) have been working on an initiative to address the issue. You see, to bring out a radical and mass level change, its not an easy task in India, especially for someone super impatient like me who wants to see everything happening in my lifetime only. No 200 years plans for me. India a complex country with really deep rooted and complex problems. Talking about changing the education is about fighting a battle at lot of fronts.

Education is a political, social & economical issue here.

The curriculum is state controlled with many stake holders. We are a developing economy and the need to "fit in" for the middle class is just too strong to resist and do something else.

Does that mean, there is no way out? Of course not, thats not the situation (fortunately). I listen to many entrepreneurs and see their work and respect them for the efforts they are making. I too have a plan and am working on it. Big audacious goals and the work already has been started, but more about that later. For now, I want to leave you with a situation and a few questions, the same questions I started this article with.

If millennials lack perspective, if gratitude is a lost virtue, if the "encourage everyone" gang has so many suggestions to make, shouldn't we be thinking what and who created this situation?

These 20 something kids didn't learn all this at Mars.

They came through the society & education we built and didn't try to improve. And if we are not happy with the way they have grown, what are we doing TODAY, so that the future is brighter, better and stronger than yesterday?

As usual, look forward to hear your wonderful thoughts. I invite you to take part and join this wonderful thing called "Nation Building". You are building a whole generation. Remember that.