Our Education System & the ills

No doubt, the education system in the country has made a remarkable progress since Independence but a lot more needs to be done. Even today, a simple admission puts one to encounter numerous hardships before any success. Though, everything is well formulated still it seems nothing functions properly. There is immediate to translate all policies to practical implementtation to achieve the requisite results otherwise the prevailing situation could jump out of the hands.

The National Educational Budget for 2005-12 has been Rs. 99,057 crores (US $ 18 billion) with which the literacy is pushed to 74% at an average and it stands 82% for males against 65% for females, according to 2011 figures. We have still failed to achieve the desired objective for the youth of the country.

Our education system is divided into Pre-primary, Primary, elementary, secondary, under-graduate and post-graduate levels with one central agency, the national level apex body namely NCERT, National Council for Education Research and Trainings, for curriculum related matters for school education in India which provides support and assistance to a sufficient number of schools and oversees many aspects of enforcement of education policies.

        Besides the CBSE there are state level bodies for school education such as State Government Boards with majority of children enrolled with them. CBSE, Central Board of Secondary Education with the responsibility of conducting  AISSE, All India Secondary schools examination (class/Grade 10) and AISSCE, All India Senior School Certificate Examination (class/Grade 12). Further, the IGNOU, Indira Gandhi National Open University, National Institute of Open schooling (NIOS) and International schools affiliated to the International Baccalaureate Programme or Cambridge International Examina-tion are the pioneers in education. The Islamic Madrasaah schools, Woodstock schools and Sri Aurobeindo International centre of education etc also play a vital role for imparting education to the children.

PUBLIC –PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

The education is provided by public and private sector Institutions with control and fund coming/inflow from three levels, Centre, State and local.  Further, it is under the control of Union and State Governments for other responsibilities. But the country has done more progress in terms of increasing rate of primary education attendance rate and expanding literacy to approximately three–fourth of the population.  

The private education market was merely 5%, worth about $40 billion in 2008 which increased to $ 68-70 billion by 2012, this is in addition to the 80% schools run by the various centre and state Governments.  In spite of the tall claims, 25% of Indian population continues to be illiterate and only 15% of our students reach high school out of which just 7% to graduation level. Also, there is a large disparity between female literacy rates in various parts of the country especially in rural areas. Further, the country’s post-secondary institutions offer only limited seats to college age population and lacking to fill up vacancies since 25% teaching positions are vacant at national level and about 57% of college professors lack either a Master’s or PhD degree.

About 1522 degree granting engineering colleges in the country has total annual intake of 5,82,000  in addition there are 1,244 Polytechnics with an annual intake capacity of 2,65,000. The institutions face shortage of faculty  forcing students to compromise. Many a times, the concerns have been raised over quality of education. Further, the education system is not based on pure merit but on caste based reservation.

More theoretical than practical

Our education system focuses more on scores than knowledge with less  scope for students to conduct experiments of their own since there are subjects with 90% theoretical and only balance 10% practical leaving limited scope for practical oriented education. Consequently, there is importance to   marks given on the basis of theory instead of the practical thus endorse that the students on completion possess the bookish knowledge in mind and literary debar them from knowing the method of learning connected to reality.

The competition has put enormous pressure on students especially from the private institutions and no matter the scores come from cramming, copying, corruption or other unfair means. Students are not free to choose subjects of their choice and on the contrary offered either what the school establishment or the parents decide for them which no way leads to guiding  the students to better career oriented courses but they get what others find good for them. There has been tremendous mushrooming of coaching centers which have developed many hubs and dens of coaching centers all over the country. 

The teachers in schools while demonstrating their role need to say to children the actual purpose of education and further make them to understand the concept and to write in their own words in examinations. They have to be encouraged to the practical oriented education for more and more theoretical subjects and it will certainly pay positive dividends because the end result is the personality development of the child. Schools need to introduce career guidance schooling and the method and lessons in teaching should be immediately modified. The stress requires to be put on the personality development and extra-curricular activities with compulsory tag.

The youth is mature enough but prone to allurement. Every political party woo youth of any age especially above seventeen years to work as catalytic agents in politicising the atmosphere in colleges and universities. Education seems to be the least priority to our politicians in power, while it should be the first as today’s youths, irrespective caste, colour, creed and gender would be reigning tomorrow’s affairs of the country. Indiscipline and unethical politics has created bad impact on the minds of our youth even in this information age. 

Rajiv Gandhi’s Initiative

          In 1986, late Rajiv Gandhi paid serious attention to the falling standards of education and unemployment of educated youth in the country. A new education policy, National Educational Policy 1986 was formulated and provided for environmental awareness, science and technology education and introduction of traditional elements such as Yoga into the Indian Secondary schools system besides stressing on distant and adult education. For a degree, the system of 10+2+3 was introduced by all states and socially useful Productive work was made compulsory at the 10+2 level. But the policy did not deliver the desired results due to lack of interest and will of the concerned authorities.

The teachers and administrators are equally responsible for the present scenario. Many teachers in colleges and universities indulge in dirty politics and do not have any interest in academic pursuits. They have failed in providing the right leadership to the students who are rather instigated for their own ends. The teachers in colleges have hardly classes for 70 to 80 days in an academic year and even half of the prescribed syllabus is not covered.

The teachers for the primary level institutions need to realize the importance of the assigned responsibilities where the requirement is to produce talent not the numbers. They have to walk extra mile to mould the delicate minds and build up the future generations instead to resort to hours and lecture business. In fact, very few teachers sincerely take interest in maintaining the discipline and co-curricular activities of the students. There have been instances where the teachers have been found actively involved with other commercial assignments other than the colleges and universities. These tendencies have left a tremendous negative effect on the minds of the student community. Use of unfair means in the examinations is today the most available option.

The programmes like NSS, NCC, mountaineering or other sports have suffered heavily due to the indifferent attitude of the concerned authorities. Similarly, the student unions are not also functioning within the precincts of the basic aims and objectives. The colleges and universities are even today closed on one pretext or the other to fulfill the designs of the vested interests. In fact, the student community should realize that once a college or university is closed for the ills of these vested interests the students continue to pay for this period.

         

Moreover, the fault lies with the society too. Everywhere in the country particularly the committees at various levels, the state, district, panchayat or mohala and RWA’s,  besides other such organisations should come forward to take care of these situations wherein disturbances cause closure of the educational institutions from time to time. There need to be  sole objective for regular and un-interrupted education to students at all levels.  

RIGHT TO EDUCATION

           

The Right to Education Act makes the right of every child between the age of 6 and 14 and specifies norms in elementary schools. It requires all private schools to reserve 25% of seats to children (to be reimbursed by the state as part of the public–private partnership plan). Kids are admitted in private schools based on caste based reservations. It also prohibits all un-recognised schools from practice and making provisions for no donation or capitation fee and no interviews of the child or parent for admission. The Act also provides that no child shall be held back, expelled, or required to pass a board examination until the completion of the elementary education. There is also a provision for special training of school drop-outs to bring them up at par with students of the same age.

The RTE Act requires surveys that will monitor all neighbourhoods, identify children requiring education and set up facilities for providing to the students. The World Bank education specialist for India , Sam Carlson, has observed; The Right to Education Act is the first legislation in the World that puts the responsibility of ensuring enrollment, attendance and completion on the Government. It is the responsibility of the parents  to send the children to schools in the US and other countries. The RTE of persons with disabilities until 18 years of age is laid under a separate legislation, the Person with Disabilities Act. A number of other provisions regarding improvement of school infrastructure, teacher-student ratio and faculty are made in the Act.

Students especially from private institutions are rewarded for appreciable percentage and

on the contrary the government run institutions that fail to even make a pass percentage face hidden humiliation for under performing and punish the concerned staff etc. No one even makes an effort to think where the problem lies. We need to think about. The blame cannot be entirely put on the teachers of higher level schools since the problem is multifactorial and root cause is deep in the system where the emphasis is laid on the results both secondary level, junior and senior and the Primary education, where the whole bulk raw material is actually shaped and remains most neglected. We have, no doubt, achieved significantly at the secondary level but continue to lack behind on the primary level education front. No heavy construction can withstand on any weak foundation. Unfortunately the carry-on system has also contributed to the problem.  

Preference to Children’s choice

The question to provide proper environment to the sapling for sprouting and development at this level is the immediate requisite. It is from where the child’s brain takes its direction just like the moulding of clay on the potter’s wheel. The raw minds inculcate quickly whatever we teach them. Unfortunately in our system the primary school level is the most neglected area. The repercussion of this negligence are visible in the forthcoming years of the child development where finally at the time of competition (s) children fail to make a mark with onus again shifted to the helpless senior teachers.

The few measures need to be implemented to free the education system from the existing mess where the focus of attention from the concerned agencies, i.e., the Government needs to be shifted to the primary school education. It is required to revisit the carry on system at both, the Primary and Middle level schools, where the weak performances of students cannot be detained in the same class beyond one year in spite of underperformance  which is chiefly responsible for the deterioration of the quality education.
         

The compatible and good infrastructure, highly trained, dedicated and well-versed staff be made sufficiently available at the primary level.  Any compromise would certainly prove fruitless for future levels or multiple stairs. Equally, we shall have to take necessary care of all the teachers with inadequate knowledge, skills, limited exposure or in-experience. We shall boldly walk an extra mile on assigning subjects where the teachers feel uncomfortable and are not well trained to avoid any degradation in morale resulting ineffective leadership and highly insufficient resources which are the common causes of institutional failures.  We have even today the Government schools with inadequate basic facilities like drinking water and toilets etc. which we cannot afford to ignore at any cost if the system is to be safeguarded and substantially promoted to the desired level.

Moreover, the Government is aware and conscious about the plight in higher education sector and efforts are on to bring in necessary reforms. There are about 30 bills, one importantly much talked about is the Foreign Universities bill which is supposed to facilitate entry of foreign universities to establish campuses in India which has been cleared by a parliamentary committee and just awaiting discussions and approval by the Parliament which requires to be taken up the earliest the better.