Portico Realization

Now-a-days almost every one has either an undergraduate / graduate degree making India one of the most qualified work forces in the world today. This directly translates that an average Indian has a high chance of being successful anywhere in the world. This makes me ponder over the point - why is that India, with all its qualified work force, not the brightest star on the horizon? If I reiterate that question, I see a thin line demarking qualification and education.

Let me take you back in my memory lane. I was at home one afternoon and I was reading a book in our portico. It was getting a bit dark as it began to drizzle and I stood watching the rain, I noticed an old man struggling to walk and find his way. As I looked in his direction, I noticed a few of my neighbors in the nearby apartment (closer to the old man) look at this old man too. I waited for a few minutes expecting them to lend a helping hand to the old man but alas they never even winked an eye. I rushed to this man with an umbrella and guided him to his destination. I am not trying to blow my own trumpet but am trying to get across a point.

These neighbors of mine were highly qualified people - with Master of Science degrees. I was annoyed by their indifference. I was cursing their indifferent attitude. Then a thought crossed over my cursing mind that said - hey..hey..These people are qualified and not educated.
What's education? Education reflects in the way people behave. Let's run thru a list of activities that differentiates the educated from the qualified:

Educated folks don’t litter the streets; qualified people do.
Educated folks have a social responsibility; qualified people haven't.
Educated folks don’t abuse spouses; qualified people do.
Educated folks are polite; qualified people are not.

These are just a few among the many benchmarks that mark the line. This brings us to a very fundamental responsibility of educating our qualified people. What can help? The answer is: Civic Sense. Our next generation should be taught civic sense "by example" by teachers & parents. The responsibility is on us to ensure our school system is not sans education.