赤脚大学 另一番教育天地.docVIP

赤脚大学 另一番教育天地 　　I’d like to take you to another world， and I’d like to share a 45 year-old love story with the poor， who live on less than one dollar a day. I went to a very elitist， snobbish and expensive school in India， and it almost destroyed me. The whole world was laid out in front of me―everything was at my feet. I could do no wrong. Out of curiosity， I thought， I’d like to go and live and work and just see what a village is like. 　　So in 1965， I went to what was called the worst Bihar famine in India. I saw starvation， death and people dying of hunger， for the first time in my life. It changed my life. I came back home， told my mother， “I’d like to live and work in a village.” My mother was stunned.“What is this？ The whole world is laid out in front of you， the best jobs are laid out for you， and you want to go and work in a village？ I mean， is there something wrong with you？” I said， “No， I’ve had the best education and it has made me think. I want to give something back in my own way.” 　　But then， I was exposed to the extraordinary knowledge and skills of the poor， which are never revealed to the rest of society. These skills are never identified， respected or applied on a large scale. I thought I’d start a Barefoot College―college only for the poor. I went to this village for the first time. Elders came to me and said， “Are you running from the police？” I said，“No.” “You failed your exams？” They asked.“No” I said. “You didn’t get a government job？”They asked. “No.” I said. “What are you doing here？ Why are you here？ The education system in India makes you look towards Paris and New Delhi and Zurich； what are you doing in this village？ Is there something wrong with you that you’re not telling us about？” I said， “No， I want to actually start a college only for the poor. What the poor thought was important， would be taught in the college.” 　　What is a professional？ A professional is someone who has a combination of competence， confidence and belief. A wat