St(r)aying away from Reality

Graduation time is in the air. Yesterday, a post in one of the mailing lists I subscribed to forwarded Bill Gates’ remarks to graduates of Harvard, which I find very inspiring, particularly this part:

“… But taking a serious look back … I do have one big regret. I left
Harvard with no real awareness of the awful inequities in the world – the appalling disparities of health, and wealth, and opportunity that condemn millions of people to lives of despair.

I learned a lot here at Harvard about new ideas in economics and politics. I got great exposure to the advances being made in the sciences.

But humanity’s greatest advances are not in its discoveries – but in how those discoveries are applied to reduce inequity. Whether through democracy, strong public education, quality health care, or broad economic opportunity – reducing inequity is the highest human achievement. …”

Then today, from another mailing list, I read another speech by Amartya Sen that was prepared to address a conference back in 2003, which was also centered around inequity, particularly how this contribute to human insecurity and raising fundamentalism throughout the world since September 11.

“… schooling can be deeply influential in the identity of a person and the way we see ourselves and each other. … there is need to pay attention to the narrowing of horizons, especially of children, that illiberal and intolerant education can produce. It is also important to recognize that lack of public facilities for the schooling of children often contributes greatly to the appeal and popularity of religious schools run by political militants. … Indeed, the nature of education is quite central to peace in the world.

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There is need not only to discuss the importance of our common humanity, but also to stress the fact that our diversities can take many distinct forms and that we have to use our reasoning to decide how to see ourselves.

The importance of non-sectarian and non-parochial curricula that expand, rather than reduce, the reach of reason can be hard to exaggerate.”

Too often we see educational institutions as ivory towers that st(r)ay away from the reality of everyday life and too many educational institutions being used as means to promote doctrines. I just hope those who have graduated from school realize these.