Why all 4 pillars of education matter

Translation: A quarter of knowledge comes from the teacher, a quarter from one's own effort, a quarter from peers, and the final quarter through experience over time.

- Mahesh Panchagnula

In a profound conversation between the sage Sanat Sujāta and King Dhritarashtra in the Mahābhārata, a timeless model of education was articulated. It outlined how true learning unfolds — not in a single classroom, but across four interconnected domains. This model isn't just an ancient relic; it offers a powerful framework for how we must think about education in today's fast-evolving world.

In the age of online tutorials, AI assistants, and high-pressure job markets, many students still believe that education begins and ends with lectures in college classrooms. However, real learning — deep, lasting, and empowering — goes far beyond. In fact, as the verse says, the classroom contributes just one-quarter of all learning. The rest comes from within you, around you, and through time.

Let's explore these four pillars of learning — ancient in origin, but profoundly relevant to engineering education today.

Teacher-Initiated Learning: The classroom

This is the traditional core of most college programmes. Lectures, assignments, exams — all guided by a faculty member — are designed to build foundational understanding in subjects like mechanics, circuits, thermodynamics, or data structures.

Classroom learning plays a crucial role in helping students build a scaffold — the essential terminology, frameworks, and core principles of a discipline. However, it's important to recognise that this is only one part of a much larger puzzle. When students assume that what is taught in class is the entirety of what they must know, they limit themselves.

The classroom should be seen as the launchpad — not the final destination — of a student's learning journey. As the sage suggests, this accounts for only one quarter of the learning.

Self-Learning: Initiative and effort