EDUCATIONEverything Wrong With the Indian Education SystemCharvi Bhatia avatar
ByCharvi BhatiaPosted on August 15, 2018
India has produced the world’s greatest entrepreneurs, engineers, doctors, scientists, and artists who are doing extremely well in their careers, but these are just figures of few people. Why is it that most people aren’t successful in India? The reason is that our education system, lags behind a lot of countries in the world. Considering the fact that we are in our 71st Independence year, the education system has not changed and improved in our country. We still follow the STEM system of education in our country which was introduced by the British when they colonized India. STEM expands to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math with English as a mode of instruction so that Babus and clerks who handle all the monotonous administrative work could be produced and to this date we have engineers who can do coding in multiple languages like C++, Java and Python but cannot speak a language of communication fluently, because there is no emphasis on developing their personality.
Furthermore, as we are inching towards the 100% literacy program, we fail to realise that the base of our education system is cracked, creviced and empty. Let us compare our system with the world’s finest education system, Finland’s Finnish Education System, to know where we are falling deficient. According to 12th Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2017, published on 16th January 2018, it was found that 25% children in the age group of 14-18 could not read basic text fluently in their own language. More than half (i.e. 57%) struggle with division (3 digit by 1 digit) problems. In the urban set-up, children join school at a very young age of 2 which is generally known as play school but are still required to learn the alphabet and numbers. While comparing this with Finland’s Finnish education system, the children do not start proper schooling till the age of 7. Pre-school or play school enrollment may vary as the country offers good public day care centres for children.
In India, the teaching quality is very big issue, as this profession is looked down upon and seen as the last resort. Frequent absenteeism is a huge problem in government schools and thus the nation suffers bit by bit every single day. In Finland, teachers are required to have a minimum of masters’ degree to teach and because this country is deemed to have the world’s most advanced educational system, the teachers are respected for their profession and their dedication to the service. The Indian education system, helpless at the hands of over-population, has a ratio of 1:50 that is 1 teacher for 50 students, where it is practically impossible for them to pay attention to each and every child. While the curriculum is equal for all stratas of society, children with special needs suffer. Also, this case leads to majority of people being qualified as unemployable. The Finnish education system, with the teacher-student ratio as 1:12, leaves all teachers to look after the children more carefully and give extra lectures if needed so that every child can prosper.
The Indian education system has had a long war between public and private schools, with private schools providing the same education but with better facilities and an expensive slit in the parent’s pocket while public schools did not have that many facilities. In contrast, the Finnish education system has public schools with free tuition fee for the children because the country pays taxes which are used in providing basic education facilities to the children. All the schools use the same resources and the same teaching methods that benefit children equally. So there isn’t so much thinking to do for the parents because all schools are reliable.
Lastly, due to the rote learning system in India, less weight is put upon the understanding of subject, and more emphasis is laid on getting higher marks. This results in frustration among the youth and Kota is one city with the highest suicide rates among IIT and medical aspirants. The Finnish education system emphasises on promoting individuality in every child and develop an understanding of the subject.
As is evident, to make any positive strides, we have to revise the education system completely. First and foremost, teaching should be viewed as a respectable profession because when teachers themselves and other sections of the society start viewing the profession with respect, teachers tend to work more seriously towards educating the child rather than teaching them. Secondly, one board should be applicable in the whole country with different instruction languages depending on the state with revision in the curriculum every 2 years to promote holistic development. Thirdly, schools should be located in the vicinity of every village with proper sanitation and food facilities and the curriculum should be inclusive of gender studies, mannerisms. Further, classrooms should be open to discussions on sensitive topics so that the set stereotypes can be broken.
India is a huge country and there are going to be hurdles at every step, but where there is a will there is a way.
Education has a crucial role to play in the development of a person, and subsequently, the entire nation. Though the history of the Indian education system has some positive examples to exhibit, it has been receiving some flak from the world nowadays and the fact can’t be denied that we are falling behind in the field of education for quite some decades now.
While a significant portion of the population is devoid of required facilities, the majority that manages to attain the highest level of education moves abroad in search of better-paying job opportunities. The government is paying attention to education in India and making every move possible to educate each and every child in India as a basic right. As a result, the literacy rate is climbing up the stairs, but there are bottlenecks in the process, nevertheless. Where exactly are we headed wrong?
Problems in Indian Education System
• Legacy not honour
In our country, we measure talent by the grades of the students. It is not uncommon to consider a student fetching over 90% marks as “brilliant” while those getting average marks are considered weaklings with no substantial future. The form of curriculum designed by our colonial masters is still in place now without many healthy modifications where too much emphasis is given on getting good grades than achieving an all-round development. Bookish knowledge is passed down to generations and generations of students.
• Lack of Interest
90% of the education is theoretical with minuscule scope for practical learning and research on the part of the pupils. There is no space for creative learning and thinking and students are always bound to a specific syllabus and are not really encouraged to go out and about their seems. Our teaching methodology is highly monotonous and there is an absolute dearth of mobility and agility in it. Students are mostly subjected to long lecture hours wherein the sum total of learning that they get is highly questionable. In such times an interesting mode of teaching not only helps the students but also brings out a sense of real interest in them to pursue the subject in a different manner.
• No Play and All work
The year-end results and board examinations in the Indian education sphere hold utmost significance and not getting enough marks may subject students to a series of mental bullying, humiliation, and loss of confidence. Sports, art & craft, extra-curricular activities aren’t held in high regard by society, parents, and institutions. Academic subjects are given so much importance that teachers are often seen using up the periods allotted to sports and other extra-curricular activities to finish up their own syllabus. There has to be a base understanding of the very process of learning here. Learning is a creative process, an individual is expected to think, react, act and process the information with a blend of creative and practical conclusions. The entire weight should be shifted to learning and not just scoring marks. This has to be done both from the school and the parents end.
• Lack of Individuality
The objective of education is to educate and empower people to achieve desired success in their lives. Not every kid wants to become a rocket scientist when s/he grows up, he or she may want to become a poet, or a singer, or a sportsperson, or a public speaker. The issue with our current system of education in India is that all these students will have to study the same subjects and go through the same method of education even though many of the subjects being taught will be of no relevance to them a few years down the line. Of course, basic literacy is necessary, but making them study the same subjects for 10 long years before they can actually opt for a field of study looks like an outdated provision.
• Creative Blend as is Learning
Our system has to change its parameters of “good subjects”. We have been pioneers of mathematics and science, but that is not the only thing that we can do. There has to be an equal emphasis given to other social and literary subjects. In fact, a change in curriculum to add creative subjects along with the regular maths and science will great a great blend and help the student understand the bigger picture right from the beginning other than realizing their actual passion in the latter half of their lives.
• Teaching Methodology
The syllabus is one thing that needs a change, while teachers and teaching methods require a whole new makeover all together. Our teaching methods are dated. We still use blackboard and chalk as the only mode of teaching. Even though there has been a wave of the switch to the E-learning mode, but that has happened in a very small proportion. Not only is our teaching method inefficient but so are our teachers. The school should take measures in up skilling them with newer methods of teaching as well as adapting them to the agile e-learning teaching. E-Learning is a creative learning process, but only with a combination of a good tutor. If we can combine a good tutor with a great agile learning methodology then we can reap wonders from it. It always takes two hands to clap.
• Zero Functional Literacy and market knowledge:
If we can look into almost two decades of the syllabus from any Indian board we can easily conclude that there have been negligible changes in the syllabus. One thing that the Indian Education System lacks is market knowledge and functional aspect of literacy. In layman’s terms, we always know the definition of a certain process but never know how to do it. Functional literacy has been totally zoned out due to the extreme importance that our grades have. Along with this, our curriculum has zero basics of how the market functions and how the economy runs. The basic market education should be provided to students at least from the secondary level so that they have a wider understanding of the financial functioning of the world.
To sum it all
Education needs to be available to all, but overall development needs to be a part of the curriculum too. The need of the hour is to develop a system wherein kids are not forced to be showpieces of their hard work in the form of a grading system. Allow them to be curious, ask questions, and take up subjects they are really interested in early in their careers. Technology can play a vital role in the learning process. With the advent of audio-visual aids, smart-boards, online content, and connected classrooms, the job seems to be getting easier. Students nowadays have more means to learn via interactive ways than ever. Understanding concepts and retaining matter is easier. It’s high time India starts investing in more modernized methods of teaching (and learning). The government along with teachers and parents needs to work together on this to start implementing it at the base level.
EDUCATIONEverything Wrong With the Indian Education SystemCharvi Bhatia avatar
ByCharvi BhatiaPosted on August 15, 2018
India has produced the world’s greatest entrepreneurs, engineers, doctors, scientists, and artists who are doing extremely well in their careers, but these are just figures of few people. Why is it that most people aren’t successful in India? The reason is that our education system, lags behind a lot of countries in the world. Considering the fact that we are in our 71st Independence year, the education system has not changed and improved in our country. We still follow the STEM system of education in our country which was introduced by the British when they colonized India. STEM expands to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math with English as a mode of instruction so that Babus and clerks who handle all the monotonous administrative work could be produced and to this date we have engineers who can do coding in multiple languages like C++, Java and Python but cannot speak a language of communication fluently, because there is no emphasis on developing their personality.
Furthermore, as we are inching towards the 100% literacy program, we fail to realise that the base of our education system is cracked, creviced and empty. Let us compare our system with the world’s finest education system, Finland’s Finnish Education System, to know where we are falling deficient. According to 12th Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2017, published on 16th January 2018, it was found that 25% children in the age group of 14-18 could not read basic text fluently in their own language. More than half (i.e. 57%) struggle with division (3 digit by 1 digit) problems. In the urban set-up, children join school at a very young age of 2 which is generally known as play school but are still required to learn the alphabet and numbers. While comparing this with Finland’s Finnish education system, the children do not start proper schooling till the age of 7. Pre-school or play school enrollment may vary as the country offers good public day care centres for children.
In India, the teaching quality is very big issue, as this profession is looked down upon and seen as the last resort. Frequent absenteeism is a huge problem in government schools and thus the nation suffers bit by bit every single day. In Finland, teachers are required to have a minimum of masters’ degree to teach and because this country is deemed to have the world’s most advanced educational system, the teachers are respected for their profession and their dedication to the service. The Indian education system, helpless at the hands of over-population, has a ratio of 1:50 that is 1 teacher for 50 students, where it is practically impossible for them to pay attention to each and every child. While the curriculum is equal for all stratas of society, children with special needs suffer. Also, this case leads to majority of people being qualified as unemployable. The Finnish education system, with the teacher-student ratio as 1:12, leaves all teachers to look after the children more carefully and give extra lectures if needed so that every child can prosper.
The Indian education system has had a long war between public and private schools, with private schools providing the same education but with better facilities and an expensive slit in the parent’s pocket while public schools did not have that many facilities. In contrast, the Finnish education system has public schools with free tuition fee for the children because the country pays taxes which are used in providing basic education facilities to the children. All the schools use the same resources and the same teaching methods that benefit children equally. So there isn’t so much thinking to do for the parents because all schools are reliable.
Lastly, due to the rote learning system in India, less weight is put upon the understanding of subject, and more emphasis is laid on getting higher marks. This results in frustration among the youth and Kota is one city with the highest suicide rates among IIT and medical aspirants. The Finnish education system emphasises on promoting individuality in every child and develop an understanding of the subject.
As is evident, to make any positive strides, we have to revise the education system completely. First and foremost, teaching should be viewed as a respectable profession because when teachers themselves and other sections of the society start viewing the profession with respect, teachers tend to work more seriously towards educating the child rather than teaching them. Secondly, one board should be applicable in the whole country with different instruction languages depending on the state with revision in the curriculum every 2 years to promote holistic development. Thirdly, schools should be located in the vicinity of every village with proper sanitation and food facilities and the curriculum should be inclusive of gender studies, mannerisms. Further, classrooms should be open to discussions on sensitive topics so that the set stereotypes can be broken.
India is a huge country and there are going to be hurdles at every step, but where there is a will there is a way.
Picture Credits : teluguone.com
akashmishra
Education has a crucial role to play in the development of a person, and subsequently, the entire nation. Though the history of the Indian education system has some positive examples to exhibit, it has been receiving some flak from the world nowadays and the fact can’t be denied that we are falling behind in the field of education for quite some decades now.
While a significant portion of the population is devoid of required facilities, the majority that manages to attain the highest level of education moves abroad in search of better-paying job opportunities. The government is paying attention to education in India and making every move possible to educate each and every child in India as a basic right. As a result, the literacy rate is climbing up the stairs, but there are bottlenecks in the process, nevertheless. Where exactly are we headed wrong?
Problems in Indian Education System
• Legacy not honour
In our country, we measure talent by the grades of the students. It is not uncommon to consider a student fetching over 90% marks as “brilliant” while those getting average marks are considered weaklings with no substantial future. The form of curriculum designed by our colonial masters is still in place now without many healthy modifications where too much emphasis is given on getting good grades than achieving an all-round development. Bookish knowledge is passed down to generations and generations of students.
• Lack of Interest
90% of the education is theoretical with minuscule scope for practical learning and research on the part of the pupils. There is no space for creative learning and thinking and students are always bound to a specific syllabus and are not really encouraged to go out and about their seems. Our teaching methodology is highly monotonous and there is an absolute dearth of mobility and agility in it. Students are mostly subjected to long lecture hours wherein the sum total of learning that they get is highly questionable. In such times an interesting mode of teaching not only helps the students but also brings out a sense of real interest in them to pursue the subject in a different manner.
• No Play and All work
The year-end results and board examinations in the Indian education sphere hold utmost significance and not getting enough marks may subject students to a series of mental bullying, humiliation, and loss of confidence. Sports, art & craft, extra-curricular activities aren’t held in high regard by society, parents, and institutions. Academic subjects are given so much importance that teachers are often seen using up the periods allotted to sports and other extra-curricular activities to finish up their own syllabus. There has to be a base understanding of the very process of learning here. Learning is a creative process, an individual is expected to think, react, act and process the information with a blend of creative and practical conclusions. The entire weight should be shifted to learning and not just scoring marks. This has to be done both from the school and the parents end.
• Lack of Individuality
The objective of education is to educate and empower people to achieve desired success in their lives. Not every kid wants to become a rocket scientist when s/he grows up, he or she may want to become a poet, or a singer, or a sportsperson, or a public speaker. The issue with our current system of education in India is that all these students will have to study the same subjects and go through the same method of education even though many of the subjects being taught will be of no relevance to them a few years down the line. Of course, basic literacy is necessary, but making them study the same subjects for 10 long years before they can actually opt for a field of study looks like an outdated provision.
• Creative Blend as is Learning
Our system has to change its parameters of “good subjects”. We have been pioneers of mathematics and science, but that is not the only thing that we can do. There has to be an equal emphasis given to other social and literary subjects. In fact, a change in curriculum to add creative subjects along with the regular maths and science will great a great blend and help the student understand the bigger picture right from the beginning other than realizing their actual passion in the latter half of their lives.
• Teaching Methodology
The syllabus is one thing that needs a change, while teachers and teaching methods require a whole new makeover all together. Our teaching methods are dated. We still use blackboard and chalk as the only mode of teaching. Even though there has been a wave of the switch to the E-learning mode, but that has happened in a very small proportion. Not only is our teaching method inefficient but so are our teachers. The school should take measures in up skilling them with newer methods of teaching as well as adapting them to the agile e-learning teaching. E-Learning is a creative learning process, but only with a combination of a good tutor. If we can combine a good tutor with a great agile learning methodology then we can reap wonders from it. It always takes two hands to clap.
• Zero Functional Literacy and market knowledge:
If we can look into almost two decades of the syllabus from any Indian board we can easily conclude that there have been negligible changes in the syllabus. One thing that the Indian Education System lacks is market knowledge and functional aspect of literacy. In layman’s terms, we always know the definition of a certain process but never know how to do it. Functional literacy has been totally zoned out due to the extreme importance that our grades have. Along with this, our curriculum has zero basics of how the market functions and how the economy runs. The basic market education should be provided to students at least from the secondary level so that they have a wider understanding of the financial functioning of the world.
To sum it all
Education needs to be available to all, but overall development needs to be a part of the curriculum too. The need of the hour is to develop a system wherein kids are not forced to be showpieces of their hard work in the form of a grading system. Allow them to be curious, ask questions, and take up subjects they are really interested in early in their careers. Technology can play a vital role in the learning process. With the advent of audio-visual aids, smart-boards, online content, and connected classrooms, the job seems to be getting easier. Students nowadays have more means to learn via interactive ways than ever. Understanding concepts and retaining matter is easier. It’s high time India starts investing in more modernized methods of teaching (and learning). The government along with teachers and parents needs to work together on this to start implementing it at the base level.