赤腳大學 另一番教育天地
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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 water diviner is a professional. A traditional midwife is a professional. A traditional bone setter is a professional. These are professions that exist all over the world. You find them in any inaccessible village around the world. We thought that these people should come into the mainstream and show that the knowledge and skills that they have are universal. It needs to be used， needs to be applied， needs to be shown to the world outside—that these skills are relevant even today.
So， the college works following the lifestyle and methods of Mahatma Gandhi. You eat on the floor， you sleep on the floor， you work on the floor. There are no contracts， no written contracts at least. You can stay with me for 20 years or leave tomorrow. No one can earn more than$100 a month. If you’re looking to make money then don’t come to Barefoot College. If you are looking for work and a challenge， come to the Barefoot College. That is where we want you to try crazy ideas. Whatever idea you have， come and try it. It doesn’t matter if you fail. Battered， bruised， you start again. It’s the only college where the teacher is the student and the student is the teacher. It’s the only college where we don’t give a certificate. You are certified by the community you serve. You don’t need a paper to hang on the wall to show that you are an engineer.