“It doesn’t matter whether you do the right thing or not,
what matters is whether you say the right thing”-Indian Education System
Delhi University released their first cut-off list for their
next academic session and it is nothing short of staggering. While it is true
that even toppers struggle to secure a seat in their choice of college and course,
what about the large chunk of students who have secured in the 70’s and 80’s?
Securing a seat in India’s “number one university of the country” seems like a
distant dream for them. Seeing the insanely high cut-offs in the news shocked
my grandfather. He exclaimed “During our time, if someone would pass their
class 12 examination, their names would come in the Regional Newspapers and he
or she was considered a genius!”
What gave rise to such inflated marks of a large number of students?
Who is at fault for the inhumane cutoffs?
The problem lies both in our education system and the
mindset of our society. Our education system focuses not on complete and all
round education of its students but on rote learning, memory and marks. When I
was in class 12, my friend had some difficultly in understanding a concept of
an integration problem. When he asked his doubt our school’s maths teacher
about it, she hesitated to solve the problem and replied “Don’t worry about
this question. It won’t be asked in the exam”. Is this the purpose of our
education system? To convert us into robots who mug up all the answers to all
the probable questions before an examination, spill it out and completely
forget about it later. To top it all, our education boards and universities
develop marking scheme which students get full marks for writing a word or a phrase.
The teachers emphasize on the respective words and phrases and leave out which
is “not important in the examination point of view”. Persistent questioning and
healthy inquisitiveness are the first requisite for acquiring learning of any
kind.
Marks by no means measure the true potential of a child. It
is incorrect to say that the individual with cent percent marks is more
intelligent than the rest. Albert Einstein once said “Everybody is a genius.
But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live his whole
life thinking that he is a fool.”For some parents, what matters the most is whether
their own child scored more marks than the neighbour’s child. Parents must
understand that each child is special in his/ her own way. This is the most
confusing stage of their lives. What they need now is guidance and not pressure.
This is the reason why high school students have the same anxiety levels as mental
asylum patients had a century ago.
The real difficulty is that people have no idea of what
education truly is. We assess the value of education in the same manner as we
assess the value of land or of shares in the stock-exchange market. We want to
provide only such education as would enable the student to earn more. We hardly
give any thought to the improvement of the character of the educated.
India is a country which produces as many engineers as the
population of Switzerland every year, yet ranked 76th in Global
innovation Index while Switzerland is ranked first. Student’s in our country
become engineer’s first and decide which career they want to pursue later. Our
system limits free thinking required for entrepreneurship. The students lose
their ability to imagine outside their fixed curriculum. Academics play a
significant part in one’s career development however leadership qualities,
communication skills and hard-work are equally necessary to succeed. The most
productive years of an Indian student’s life are spent preparing for the
dreaded board exams and various entrances.
India is obsessed with only a few educational institutes
like the IIT’s, IIM’s, University of Delhi etc. Centre proposes to establish
more IITs, IIMs and other centrally funded institutions. It fails to recognize
that India is in no dearth of educational institutions. India lacks not in
quantity but quality. Reforms should be undertaken to improve the existing
schools and colleges so that they are at par with the ones at the top. This
will ensure there is no unnecessary rat race prevalent in our schools and
colleges.
Delhi University colleges compared to their western
counterparts are lagging behind in infrastructure, teaching quality and coursework.
The syllabus is highly theoretical, outdated with little emphasis on practical experience.
It needs revision suiting the technological advancements and modern
requirements of the world in the present and the future. Furthermore strict
attendance requirements waste precious time which could be spent doing
internships and research work. Inadequate funding for education leaves little
scope for Government colleges compete with their western peers.95 percent of
the Government colleges are in dilapidated condition. Proper exposure and
facilities are required for a well developed flexible graduate who shall
contribute to the intellectual workforce for the country. Sadly over a million
graduates remain unemployed every year. Reservations in higher educational
institutions are a bane to the country. This shows our orthodox mentality which
robs deserving candidates from their seats.
India will remain an underdeveloped country if the
Government doesn’t make requisite changes in our system. It is only proper
education that can change the mindset of society. Entrepreneurship will mark an
increase in employment and will result in the sustainable use of resources in
the country. Our country will make great strides in medical and technological research.
India will attract many foreign students if adequate changes are made and will
boost tourism and international rankings of our educational institutions.
“Logic will take you from A to B. Imagination will take you
to impossible and beyond”
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