Short Summary
CHANGES INDIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM
BY: ANKITA SHARMA, VIDHYARTHI DARPAN
Introduction
According to Article 26 of the Indian Constitution, Education is a fundamental human right. However, possessing such a right does not guarantee precise implementation at the forefront. The present Indian Education System solely relies on British era rules and regulations; not keeping up with changes has introduced downfalls faltering the whole learning process.
In the recent scenario, the definition of education has diverted from “a source of gaining knowledge” to “a source to climb the social and economic ladder.”
What is Wrong with the Current Indian Education System?
Due to a few to no protrusive changes and an outdated syllabus, it is easier to cram textual sentences and drain them in examinations. Because of a substantial increase in inept educators in schools and colleges, the students are compelled to join tuition and coaching classes. The prevalence of technology-driven classrooms is the need of an hour to enhance the learning experience. It also sustains the interest of students. Not only this, today’s education policies indicate a poor perception of education in the learner’s mind. In worse cases, the pressure to score better than peers and keep up with parents’ unreasonable expectations has led to suicides. There are plenty of loopholes in the current Indian system of dispersing education.
Out of many, the top 5 changes that our education system needs to undergo to allow smooth dissemination of knowledge:
1) Uproot Rote Learning
Rote learning is an act of mugging up textbook definitions without understanding the intended meaning of them. Rote learning came into existence because of the predictable and repetitive chain of an evaluation system that inadvertently relies on textual material. It not only bury the budding questions in students mind but often encourages erroneous un-updated concepts. Additionally, mug-ups are a threat to society because of the insufficient skills required in real-life situations.
The institutions need to stress more on conceptual and practical learning rather than promoting mug-ups. A proper and meaningful dispersal of complex topics needs to be done by educators. It will assert that the retention capacity of the students gets better and help them tackle real-life problems. An absolute eradication of rote learning is necessary to bring more practical learners into the field, segregating them from those who pretend to be one.
2) Introduction of Useful Technology
Technology has taken over the world by storm, yet some remotes areas are devoid of it. The problem lies in uneven distribution and strenuous accessibility of the internet to concerned people. Worldwide, less than half (48%) of the schools have desktop computers, with 33% of students claim to use smartphones. The majority of students (64%) use smartphones to aid in homework. The numbers are staggering but require improvement nonetheless.
The rural government schools lag in technological advances that disrupt the overall learning process. The essentials for education, such as high-speed internet and computer to work on, are delivered to distant areas in record time. However, whether or not they are utilizing them is a concern and needs to be considered.
It’s high time all the schools in India get equipped with world-class technology to grant quality education to everyone.
3) Legitimate Evaluation System
How can you judge someone’s mental ability and understanding based on a 3-hour examination held 2-4 times a year? It has been a matter of debate for ages. Students spend 12 years scoring just enough marks to promote to the next grade disregarding the previous knowledge as they move on. Our education system has a hollow foundation that barely grants recognition to talent. Conditioned parents desire academically adept children, completely despising sports which plays a considerable role in strengthening mental & physical health. There is an immediate need for change in the evaluation system in schools.
Our educational foundation needs to focus more on the personal development of students by encouraging creativity, authenticity, and innovation; acknowledge participation in extra-curricular events and cultural activities, and exhibiting leadership and communication skills in the classroom.
4) Better Training of Educators
School is called the second home, and teachers, a second family. We spend the initial crucial years of our existence under the umbrella of educators that shape our future. It, therefore, becomes mandatory to employ people who have adequate knowledge and expertise. In India, let alone rural areas, where preliminary education is scarce, the lack of competent teachers is habitually reported in city areas.
Government schools have maintained an inadequate reputation in recruiting inexperienced and unsatisfactory teachers. There is an urgency in the availability of worthy teachers. Teaching faculty ought to be hired based on proficiency of specific subjects and expertise of the same. It is with the predisposition of knowledge via adept teachers, India can steadily move towards progress.
5) Individual-Oriented Education
In India, central institutions have been controlling the curriculum of different standards, assuming that all pupil has the same level of grasping numbers and phrases. It is a wrong process of evaluating students based on one foundational concept. Each person is unique, with distinct qualities and methods of learning something. Sports can align with biology, so does with physics. The collaborations of related subjects can ease the pleasure of learning and sustain the interests of students.
Some students learn fast, while some understand better with pictures. Some require a flow-chart of the process, while some likes audio-visual explanation. In essence, individual attention is the need of the hour on an educational front.
Conclusion
The Indian Education Policy is derived from the British era that has undergone only a few changes since its establishment. Blindly following such a system without taking into account the yearly modifications in the curriculum has only landed us with an incompetent, mediocre, and unemployed generation. From rote learning to lack of technology, there is a myriad of problems that begs the attention of policymakers. Deviation from the traditional method is not entertained because people are too lazy to work on themselves. It, therefore, necessitates the need for reforms and revisions in the education system.
In the words of notable scientist APJ Abdul Kalam, “Indian Education Framework needs to change completely.” and rightly so.
