Degree Discharged!!

My bike's battery being weak and in need of a recharge,I took it to a shop near my place,a small shop, but seemed to have what I needed.
When I Walked in I was greeted by this old guy seated in his chair like the rightful owner of the shop.
I asked if they charged bike batteries and he nodded in affirmation.

I parked my bike inside his shop like he had asked me to and he got up with a painful effort that comes with age and sat beside my bike.Once ensconced there,he,with languid ease,started removing the battery cover.
His dextrous hands at work showed that he would have no trouble whatsoever doing it blindfolded.

When he saw me curiously looking at him work he started explaining as to what was being done, like a Master to his pupil.For that brief 20 min or so he was the master and I was his pupil.
When he opened the battery he showed that the distilled water which was supposed to be full was almost empty.
I gave him a sheepish grin at the ill maintenance of my bike.He started explaining how a battery works, that it had several copper plates in them and filled with distilled water having sulphuric acid and when the bike is turned on the acid moves through the plates and the charge is generated.

Its then I remembered my school chemistry of charges moving from cathode to anode generating the current and the particles are nothing but electrons and protons. True that I know this and he may not know such technical terms, but I ask myself what is the use of this bookish knowledge that I have gained if I can't apply it.
The old man, who probably didn't have a formal education or a college degree knows more dynamic physics, chemistry and electricals than any engineering student passed out.I squirmed and felt embarassed when he asked me my degree and what I was doing now. That moment I felt that all the years of education was worthless.

This shows a gaping hole in the current education system we have where students like me are made to mug the text books and questionbanks to pass the theoretical exams and learn what is exactly needed to pass the practicals and viva and forget about it later on once its over. Whats the whole point if we can implement it only in our labs and not in our day to day lives.

The mugging method of studying is so implanted in the students here that it has almost become a culture, a culture which is getting harder and harder to change.
True there is no point sitting here and blaming the government or the education council about it, but i sincerely hope that one day our education system gets revamped and students go out and earn their degree than just sit and learn their degree.


-K.E.Alexander