Indian education system

Indian education system

Status of Indian education system

Indian education system is broken. Our universities haven’t changed their syllabi in last 20 years. Our existing education system is archaic and follows age old syllabus which has not been updated by experienced teachers and people from industry.

Our education system trains students in rote learning and believes in hard core step by step universal method at arriving at answers. It sometimes creates mental block and unwanted mindset. In all real life problems, what matters most is the final solution. The solution or goal can be fixed but there may be many ways of reaching the final solution. In our current education system there is too much emphasis on fixed, conventional approaches and very little room provided for using creative brains.

The aptitude tests in exams like CAT, GMAT, GRE, Bank PO etc makes us realise the need to focus on our mental aptitude. Sadly there is any stress on developing mental aptitude in our present education system. Most of the questions asked in the objective paper require unconventional approaches similar to real life situation. However students are not exposed to these unconventional or flexible methods of solving questions in their school curriculum.

Our ancient sages were the first to use such methods and the classic example is the different sutras for mental calculation popularly known as Vedic mathematics. Infact students from UP Board and Bihar board are better in calculations as they are not allowed to use calculators in school.

Statistics : PISA result

According to PISA (Program for International Student Assessment),a triennial survey that tests the skills and knowledge of 15 year old students in 65 countries,most of the Asian countries like Japan, Korea, and China have the best results. However, they sometimes stress on extreme pressure tactics and turn students into test taking machines. Out of all education system, Finland turned out to be the role model where the philosophy is any student can be turned into a great student.

The most surprising results from PISA is India stands way below the average rankings and did not even care to participate in the last PISA survey. For a country with teeming 1.2 billion populations, this is disgrace.

The ever changing World

Globalization, new technologies and changing demography are inexorably and continuously changing the face and frontiers of opportunities. The equations are continuously changing. In fact, we are living in a volatile, uncertain, complex world. Rapid globalisation and the resulting interdependence of financial markets, technology and economic systems have made this a more complex world to manage. Never before we have seen such rapid explosions in the global population, shifts in economic power or resulting pressures on natural resources. Enormous swings in currencies, raw material costs or climate have become the norm. In this ever changing scenario, it becomes imperative to train the next generation. Shouldn’t we have tailor made education which prepares students to face the world?

 Let us together raise the threshold of India’s advancement.

What is education?

Education generally represents an opportunity for children in an undesirable situation to pull themselves out of the rut in which they would otherwise remain. Education is the awakening of mind and to understand the intricacies of being a part of this world.

 Vivekananda says: “My idea of education is personal contact with teacher. The universities in India are not producing any original man today; they have become merely an examining body.” It is said in ancient scriptures that within man is all knowledge even in a child and it requires only an awakening and that much is the work of teacher.

Digital revolution

India is on the cusp of connectivity revolution.  India should make the transition from 2G and 3G to 4G technology as quickly as possible because 4G makes far more efficient use of the spectrum and users can get so much more bandwidth out of it. Internet has now transcended boundaries and made it possible for anyone to learn any new course with the best in the world.

If one cannot come to education, education must go to him. Let us connect our entire classroom and teach our teachers to adapt to this revolutionary method of teaching. Why cannot anyone who desires to do exceptionally well be given a fair chance in life?

Technology never underestimates the power of teachers and their teaching methods. You can get all information today on Google but it is the teacher who can guide through the clutter of information.

Philosophy

To conclude the state of education in India, no one can put it in a better perspective than Rabindra Nath Tagore.

“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments  by narrow domestic walls,

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit.

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father let my country awake”