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?
Indian education is being divided into two parts private and government education, the ratio is 5:7 respectively. Government education has failed to give a good quality of education. The education received from the government schools is hugely insufficient. This is also because of the lack of teachers and no proper check on them, particularly in rural areas. Therefore, urban areas have a much higher literacy rate than rural areas. Public schools have weak infrastructure and poor academic attention which is very terrible for the overall development of an individual. Better facilities must be given to students in academic, sports, cultural, technical, media, arts, music, religious, social, and political areas which would aid them to discover their areas of interest. Government schools lack a lot in this kind of aspect.
Whereas, the private schools which give all such facilities are too expensive for the lower class families. Above 37% of the Indian population is living below the poverty line. And they cannot afford education even at a primary level. India being a country of morals and beliefs, people are still traditionalistic and apprehend modern education.
The performance of the workers depends on several important factors like health and nutrition, education and training, etc. These are regarded as a significant determinant of quality of life. Sufficient investment in these fields will increase the productivity and efficiency of the manpower. The body of knowledge is achieved by the population and capacity of the population to use the knowledge effectively.
FLAWS IN OUR OWN SYSTEM:
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.
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.
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.
Right to Education
To develop the skills and potential of children, education is granted as a right to help them. So, that they can benefit their community and the nation in the long run. As education helps in the growth of an economy of a country, reduces inequality, or be it breaking patriarchal norms. Some of the highlights of the right to education are as follows:
Without any type of discrimination the right to education is legally granted to all.
The states must preserve, honor, and fulfill the right to education act.
Between the age of 6 to 14 years every child has the right to free and compulsory education. This act is affirmed as per the 86th Constitution Amendment Act via Article 21A.
According to the right to education act every government school shall provide free education to all the children and these schools must be conducted by the School Management Committee (SMC). While private schools shall accept at least 25% of the children in their schools from the economically backward section without any fees.
To monitor all phases of elementary education including quality of education National Commissions for Elementary Education shall be established.
CONCLUSION:
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.
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