Anshul ChopraThe current education system of India was developed by the British. The Imperialists had a goal in mind – i.e., to create a population of educated clerks and coolies so that they serve the British Empire better. Though, India got its independence in 1947, yet the successive government did not do anything to change the education system. In fact, they made it worse over the next few decades.
Here is the list of some detectable flaws in the Indian education system, which must be removed if the country is actually serious about its development.
1. Serious lack of functional literacy: Many Asian countries, including China, have invested heavily in primary education. Their fundamental goal is to increase the functional literacy so that every citizen is capable of reading manuals or any other documentation, and performs various tasks at work. The Indian education system, on the other hand, fails to impart the much-needed functional literacy to millions of students. Except Information Technology and IT-enabled services, India’s performance in the services sector is abysmal and these, too, include repetitive work lacking any creativity.
2. Chalk and talk system of teaching: The system of education in India is stuck with old and traditional system of chalk and talk. Technology plays a very little or no role, and fails to find a mention in the policies laid out by the various boards of school education – MHRD, NCERT and others. Decision-makers in the Indian education system, on state and central level, have made fewer attempts to modernize student assessment processes, teaching methods, etc.
3. Too many examinations: Among the flaws in Indian education system, one major drawback is too many examinations. Students have to appear for dozen of qualifying, selection, entrance and periodical exams in a short span of 4-5 years after leaving school, in the quest to be at the top. Students get busy in educating themselves with bookish knowledge, and lose interest in sports, creative pursuits and everything else that could be important.
The need of the hour demands that the Indian education system adopt a more creative approach, which helps all students become better human beings. Also, the majority of Indian parents need to understand that students who do not look up to engineering, medicine, law and management must be allowed to follow their passion in the areas they wish to be.
