The Need of the Hour - Indian Education System

Today, isn’t getting a decent bachelor’s degree something that every parent and student frets about? True! Indian education system has succumbed to policies which makes the degree system most important. In fact thousands and millions of under-privileged youth clear their higher education just to get into government jobs.

Moreover; are the teachers in India confident and ready to handle the upcoming generations, who are increasingly educating themselves with sources available through information technology rather than the former central source which used to be the teacher. In a future where a student may potentially possess more knowledge than a teacher, the Indian education system may have to answer the following questions:

• Are they supposed to teach the syllabus prescribed?
• Are they supposed to impart skills into a student necessary for him to enter a market?
• Should the teachers adapt interactive methods to educate their class, and update their own knowledge?

A student is seen as a key consumer whose satisfaction is used as a benchmark to assess the quality and excellence in an education system. However the universities in India are quite limited in the following aspects:

• Their knowledge base and exposure are inadequate and not up to date.
• Analytical and experimental skills are quite limited.
• Diffident in practical application of their knowledge.

When everything is judges on the basis of a three hours examination, why would a student care for analysing what’s been taught? The disregard towards overall development of the person, ultimately leads to a society where everyone is concerned only about himself/herself.

We live in a hypocritical system which gives the students an impression of being listened to, but finally it is only an eye wash; be it the case of assigning syllabus or celebrating/organizing various festivals of ‘national interest’. Does the system really care how the students want extra-curricular or co-curricular activities to be incorporated in their college curriculum? A framework developed by Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry claims the following skills to be essential for an employee:

• Communication skills
• Team work skills
• Problem-Solving skills
• Initiative and enterprising skills
• planning and organizing skills
• self-management skills
• learning skills
• technology skills

So shall we conclude that the current Indian education system requires sustainable vision, and a shift from ‘formal’ to ‘informal’ education system? What’s the need of the hour?

References: Mukesh Modi, Lecturer in English, D.M. Patel Arts and S.S.Patel Commerce College, At & Post: Ode. (dist. Anand)- Gujarat: the present education system and youth aspirations; Indian Journal of Youth Affairs.