Jan 27, 2004 09:39 PM
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(Updated Jan 27, 2004 09:39 PM)
Disclaimer: This review is based on a general perspective on the Indian Educational System. Please feel free to skip if you are looking for something specific.
Education in India was heavily borrowed from the British system, which at the moment is quite similar to organized education systems around the world with a few notable exceptions. India does not rank among the top nations that spend a considerable amount of their income on education. In fact, it is ranked in the 80s. In terms of literacy, India is among those nations in the world, which have the highest levels of illiteracy. Yet, as of today India comes up with top notch doctors, engineers and has made great advances in the technological sector. Well, there must be some reasons behind this so called success and most of it must be attributed to the education system in the country. Before we look into the positives, here are some figures that may not be surprising to the readers, but are woeful on a global level.
Some Hard Truths:
A considerable size of the population of India is illiterate. Due to a lot of initiatives taken by the government, this figure is improving. But still, statistics still indicate that a lot is yet to be achieved. The number of years of schooling for a typical Indian is 5 years on an average. The facts may be distorted owing to the huge population, but then again the level of literacy in the country is not too flattering either which stands at a notch above 50%. It is a matter of pride that we have Indians who design Pentium chips, but then almost half of the country is unable to read and write. This figure is bound to improve in the years to come, but if India has to stand up to the developed world, a result-oriented approach is needed. In contrast the figures for some other nations are Australia (100%), USA (97%) UK, France, Germany (all 99%).
Consider the case of the privileged half that have an opportunity to attend school. The figures here are not as impressive either. About 40% of Indian students drop out before they reach the fifth grade. The figures get worse as we move up the grade. The levels of illiteracy for females are even worse. Only 37% of Indian females are literate. Overall the picture looks depressing, but then statistics can be deceiving. Since this is a review on the educational system in general, I will try to avoid bringing up more distressing figures.
The Initial Years:
Let us take into consideration, that slice of population that has the financial freedom to give their wards a decent education. Schooling for most cases lasts for 14 years, 2 years of kindergarten, seven years of primary schooling, three high school years and two at the +2 level. At the outset it seems like a decent organization. The catch is that students do not make a decision about their careers till they are about fourteen years old. The bright side is that when a student is ready to take a decision, the fundamentals, provided he/she paid attention at school are firmly in place. Any student who has completed high school with an average or above average performance has a knowledge base spanning history, geography, science, mathematics and a minimum of two languages. As compared to an average American student whose idea about history is limited to Civil War and the American war of Independence, the Indian system (especially the CBSE and ICSE) covers an array of topics in science, mathematics and social studies. The flip side is that a student is forced to study the subjects that he/she might not be interested in, especially at the high school level, when he/she is capable of taking a few critical decisions regarding academics. It is a typical case of benefitting the large at the cost of a few.
The Defining Period:
Once the student has completed high school, there are a few options open which are typically science, arts or commerce. The flip side is that the best of students try to get into the sciences most of the time, compromising on their interests in favor of better career opportunities. In that sense, it gives a feeling as to whether the student should have been provided more choices in high school itself in order to make a conscious decision at the +2 levels That is debatable indeed. The two years that follow high school are perhaps the defining years for an Indian student as far as choices in career are concerned. Life moves in a different gear and competition is cut throat. Any student who fails to put in his best in these two years is regarded as doomed for life. The greatest motivation is to get into those prized engineering or medical schools. Anything below a percentage of 90 and you are not left with too many options unless you take up the JEE or other fancied exams. Even after completing the 12th grade, a student is expected to take up some entrance exams for professional colleges. If things go as per plans, a student lands him/herself in a good engineering or medical school and takes life easy for a few years trying to take a respite from hard work put in, in those crucial two years.
How Professional?
Degree courses in most Indian schools are just that, degree specific with little emphasis on research or for that matter even choice of courses. If you are in computer science or electronics, then a few career opportunities may beckon and the chances of getting a good job may be higher especially in the current age of IT. The dangerous part about engineering schools in India, is that there is little emphasis on real world knowledge or industry centric education. Not that there is an opportunity for research, but then that is a different story altogether. The faculty in most of such institutions themselves are not equipped to cope up with the latest trends in technology and stale knowledge is fed to the students. Only certain deemed schools take pains to revise the syllabus frequently. Medical students may be at an advantage because it does take them time to get the basics right, but engineering students feel the pinch if they decide to go for higher studies. In addition, there is a stupid concept of reserving seats for some sections of society which severly mars the concept of a common code for all citizens. Academic standards in most engineering colleges are depressing to say the least. Although India may produce more engineers than most other countries, the quality of product raises a lot of questions. In addition, the political interference in the admission proceedure also creates an unpleasant feeling among potential candidates.
Options?
Other than Engineering or Medicine, other options are available at the Bachelors level for a student willing to specialize in the sciences, commerce or arts. But barring a few top schools, the quality of education in most of such institutions is below international standards. For those who are unable to make it to professional schools, or took an intelligent decision that did justice to their interests find themselves stranded for the lack of work opportunities most of the time. For a country that has a billion citizens, it is not hard to see why we don't have quality professionals in other disciplines as well. It is true that a few brilliant students opt for Law, Music, Sports, Commerce, History, Library Sciences but their number is few and too far in between. A fair distribution of talent in all disciplines would tend to solve the problem to some extent, but then parental and peer pressure at the plus-two stages generally take their toll and we have a lot of under utilized talent on our hands. A lot of engineers who are ill-equipped, a lot of sub standard doctors, who would otherwise have been talented musicians, dancers, sportsmen, etc.
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