Public school systems and Local communities

In some parts of rural India, there's apparently a saying that goes: "Send a boy to school for five years, and he'll leave farming - send a boy to school for ten years, and he'll leave the village". Some communities actually feel that schools and education alienate young people from their communities.

In a country like India, where there are numerous local languages, myriad cultures and customs - the idea of one rigid educational curriculum does not fly. Teachers and educational curriculums must be sensitive to local communities and their needs. In India, there are actually grassroot movements looking to address this tension - Vikramshila is one such effort in eastern India.

This may seem obvious in the context of India, but I think many of the same themes play out in the US too. The struggle to have religious prayer in US schools is an aspect of exactly this theme. Local communities want to have a say in how schools educate their children. When the public school system refuses to acknowledge this - there is a conflict.

The only way to resolve this tension is to give schools more autonomy in certain dimensions, and also provide them with the tools and training to allow them to adapt correctly to local communities.