Essay on Education System in India

Essay on Education System in India : The foundation of every state is the education of its youth. The instability of India could, perhaps be attributed to the millions of educated, yet unemployed, people abounding in the country. The education system gives degrees but does not guarantee employment. The educational system in India is theoretically, hackneyed and requires a serious preventing exercise.

Essay on Education System in India

In a nutshell, some radical changing must be introduced in order to tune it to the needs of the modern society. India has a glorious tradition of education. During the ancient times, Indian educational centers and Universities were the temple of knowledge. India’s ancient universities of Nalanda, Takshila, Patliputra ans Ujjaini were considered as the reservoirs of knowledge and backboned the foreign students to India.

Indian education was respected around the world for its high quality, syllabi and learning. However the past did not transcend into the future. Foreign innovation disturbed the country’s economy, education system and polity.

Present educational system of India

The present educational system of India was inherited from the British and is predominantly theoretical. The British evolved a system of learning aimed at producing ‘Brown Sahebs’ and clerks in large numbers. It was Lord McCauley’s system of education. It was supposed to perpetuate loyalty to the British educational and political institutions.

 Whatever are the various flaws in the inherited educational system in India, the number of Universities and colleges have undoubtedly increased since independence. At present Universities and University-level institutions in India include 20 central universities, 215 state universities, 100 deemed universities, 5 Institutions established under state act and 13 institute of national importance apart from around 17000 colleges including 1800 women colleges.

There are also 38 Institutions which provide education in agriculture (including Forestry, diary, fisheries and veterinary Sciences), 21 in medicines (including Ayurveda) 44 in Engineering and Technology, 4 in Information technology and 4 in legal studies.

Pressure of educational system on  children

 The pressure of educational system was taking its toll on the toddler who are barely out of their infancy. They were made of Identify fruits, vegetables, animal, alphabets, numerals etc., for admission in kindergarten. Parents of the children were interviewed to assess their educational background and financial stability. Now to lessons some burden the Supreme Court has ordered that there will be no interview for toddlers and their parents for nursery admission.

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But in the education system still there is it domination of textual knowledge. The students do not participate in the practical application of knowledge. Maulana Azad had once observed that “there is no adjustment between the system of our education and the needs of our life.” The curricula adhered to by the system, find little or no application in the practical life of the people.

Parental and peer pressure to secure good percentage

 The examination oriented system does the students on the basis of his performance in the annual examination held at the end of every session. The marks mania drives every teacher and every parent to expect the very best from every students, (90% or above).

Difference of a few per cent categories a brilliant students as a mediocre, if he does not perform well in the examination for some reason. Parental and peer pressure to secure good percentage for entry in to the prestigious colleges and courses, hinders the proper development of the child.

Admission in the good colleges is a herculean task

 Admission in the good colleges is a herculean task. The applicants are many but colleges have limited seats for various courses, and hence cut off percentage for admission is high. Some colleges have limited sports or extra-curricular activities quota but this is used mainly to secure backdoor entry for favored candidates. Colleges have reservation of seats for various special categories, like Schedule Casts and Schedule Tribes etc.

Applicants belonging to such categories are able to secure admission at the comparatively low percentage. Capitation fee, though banned, is charged by the colleges which at times side-lines the deserving students. Dealing with the means of capitation fee the Supreme Court on 14 August 2003 ruled that no professional Institutions can charge capitation fee from students seeking admission.

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This ruling has affected the engineering, medical, architecture and management colleges mainly in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The court also said that a private unaided or minority institutions imparting technical and medical education could decide their own fee structure which must be scrutinized by the committee headed by a retired High Court judge in each state.

Reasons for degradation of the education system

Though the universities regulations require each student to have 75% attendance, the fact is that nobody observes this regulation. Reports of massive absenteeism appear in most universities as soon as teaching begins.

It is often seen that the students without attending the classes in the college opt to go for private tuitions. As a result of the teachers in the colleges are not able to take up classes properly. Students take up tuitions for each and every subject.

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This is the latest trending going on among the students. For this kind of the degradation of the education system some of the teachers are also responsible. the standard of teaching is deteriorating day by day and the teachers encourages the students to take up tuitions under them.

Children of well-to-do families can afford to go for tuitions but the plight of the poor children is very sad. Education is not properly imparted in the colleges and Universities as a result of the bright students who are poor are the worst sufferer.

Emphasis should be on vocational education

 The present educational system needs to be altered so that the all children’s cat gets proper education. The truth is that an average youngster who merely concentrates on the universities courses has a bleak future as the university’s degree does not assure him a lucrative job. There is lack of emphasis on vocational education.

It is evident from the fact that the most of the universities have a limited number of vocational colleges and courses. A modest attempt in favour of vocationalisation was launched by the UGC about a decade ago and had some degree of success. But it has been very limited. An important reason for this relative failure is the unavailability of the qualified teachers.

The shortcoming in the present educational system

 The shortcoming in the present educational system can be attributed to the fact that only a few changing have been made in the system since 19th century. The same regime of three hour examinations, emphasis the rote learning and a rigid division between the academic and vocational stream has continued.

Ideally the education system should have been overhauled after independence. But unlike Japan or China Indian academics failed to carry through curriculum or examination reforms in radical sense. Through some intellectualist help in improving books in certain subjects, the overhauling colonial legacy of the classroom, text and the final examination remained unaltered. 

Mudaliar Commission, Kothari Commission and Radhakrishnan Commission

 The obsolete educational system needs to be scrapped and replaced by a reformed one. There have been a few attempts to reform the educational system. Many commissions have been constituted to look into flaws of the existing system.

The Mudaliar Commission, the Kothari Commission and the Radhakrishnan Commission have recommended for reforms in the present pattern of the educational system. According to the recommendations the judgement of the student’s performance should be on the basis of periodical tests and his overall performance. They have also recommended imparting of practical training to the students which would enhance his skills and confidence.

The aim of education is to development of personality

 The scope of the formal education should be broadened by a giving a place to community work, sports, craft and fine arts in the main curriculum. This work should be assessed along with academic disciplines on a regular basis rather than a three-hour written examination.

The aim should be the development of personality as a whole instead of sharpening analytic and literary mind in isolation. This would help in tapping the various talents of the students. There should be a graded system of marking at the school and the college level.

 Education should be according the requirement of industry and business

 Education should be planned keeping the requirement of industry and business in mind. It is necessary to discourage the culture of taking up graduation courses at the college level just for the sake of it. Following Gandhiji’s method of ‘learning by doing vocational education should be introduced in universities.

Conclusion

The number of Vocational courses in the colleges should be increased which would be able to provide jobs to the youth. The flaws in the existing educational system need to be removed to give way to a perfect and befitting system. The required changes should be brought about to make the system more effective and development oriented.