Opinion
What’s ailing the Indian Education System?
Inspite of announcing new reforms, why is it that most do not reflect in our education system. Addressing the 3 areas of teacher availability, accessibility to schools and updated curriculum can help get the education system back in gear.
If you have been following the education sector in the media you would have noticed with pleasure the numerous educational reforms lined up by the Modi Government. Mind you, by no means are they just empty words, on the contrary they are visionary reforms with potentially far reaching outcomes. These include compulsory elementary education up to a pre-determined age and introducing strict legal actions against child labour.
The pertinent question which then arises is that why in spite of all the reforms and educational acts brought in by the current regime and during the last decade is the education system hobbling? The answer to this question is not elusive, it is due to the inconsistency between its economic potential and the education system.
Government operated schools are the largest body which provides education in India. Besides the government institutes there is a growing trend of boarding schools, school for developmentally impaired and day boarding. How is it that with greater proliferation too, not even 1 Indian university makes the cut to the top 100 universities of the world? It simply means that drastic action needs to be taken to change the way education is imparted in universities, institutes and International schools in India.
Here are some generally agreed reasons attributed to the crumbling Indian Education System:
Lack of teachers
Every level, be it the university or school, there is an acute shortage of teachers. In Delhi alone, 12,000 posts lie vacant in the government schools says a report by an association of international school in India. Across the country this figure balloons to a shortage of 12 lakh government teachers in India. This situation has also arisen due to decreasing popularity of teaching as a career path and profession. The reason behind this fading popularity is mostly monetary.
Obsolete Curriculum
Globalisation has shown a mirror to the orthodox nature and the general inadequacy of education in India. The increasing number of students going abroad for higher studies finds that the curricula they have been subjected to are vastly outmoded. This general inadequacy felt is hint enough to understand the lack of respect for the system.
Accessibility
Though infrastructure development has changed the way people travel and has made most things accessible, it is heart-breaking to admit that there are certain places where schools and other basic facilities are still out of reach.
The renewed focus on technical education and distance learning is good but there cannot be any real gains without addressing the above problems.
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