There are many of us who think like this. I myself have heard this from a few hundred over the years.
There are three core issues we need to address:
1.Population Control (Our future resource consumers) 2.Pattern of Education (Our future resources) 3.Election System (Our rulers)
All three should be taken up by all of us well meaning citizens. Ensure that we implement a few basic changes in each one of the above.
Or we are leading our country to doom.
I am a faculty myself and right from Engineering to Mgt., students are dispirited and unwilling to be enthused. Sad state of affairs. This is not the way we wish to see our fellow Indian students.
We could start a virtual meeting place and maybe start a website and initiate concerted action with no one group or person in focus.
In US,'uniqueness' is acknwldgd, diff classes at diff paces - but that needs money. In India, much of ppltn are young, we don't have the resources for that type of env. To the cmmnt that all you remember is pythagoras theory, etc - most non-science college-grads in US won't know these concepts. It's these broad cncpts we retain from a strong science grounding and milder study leaves the equivalnt qlty of retention. Rote is bad in theory but WORKS better than concept-oriented watered-down teaching. It's a trade-off- like dscplning vs errant kids.. but the answr is not drastically diluting syllabus. Just as you look for more rounded schools in India, in US,Indians look for schools with emphasis on the sciences. In many cities, the ed is substndrd, altrntv being expnsve schools.I disagree that US system is more unvrsl - it's watered-down so that even the 'lazy' can pass. The 39% the author mentions can also be attributed to qlty of teaching, enthusiasm. I know svrl US based Doctors, products of Indian ed, who're 'unlike' us - non-Engl speaking parents, local village schools.. The Indian Ed breeds salesmen that know pyth theory & US one a diluted white-collar wrkforce that mostly don't
For the children to learn something better, the teaachers must know how to teach. Since they lack the requisite skills - and a B.Ed. or not is not the measure here - teachers are happy if kids know less, lest their shortcomings be exposed. To change the system, we need teachers who understand what it means to teach. Asking the child to write spellings five times or stand on the bench the next day in class is a mockery of any sort of education. Unfortunately, teachers are chosen based on how less a pay they demand and what vernacular class they come from. Any sort of aptitude to teach is incidental and not required. As far as comparing with US goes, well.. we are proud we have culture, aren't we? That's the standard bandwagon everybody wants to jump on. Yes, all we have is a culture of non-performance and shirking, be it sports, education or governance. Sad to note this but can anybody disagree?
Except fora few changes to the system such as reducing the burden of books I think the Indian system is the best thing around, compared to the so called "American Universal system" A school going kid or for that matter even a college going student doesn't yet know what he want's to become until he grows old enough. If the school going kid doesn't like the courses and takes courses for a car salesman then he becomes a car salesman but when he grows up really to be a car salesman he thinks y he didn't study for being a computer professional of something like that. I too didn't like school at all but i just studied for the sake of studying as i didn;t understand what i wanted to be. but now I am in US working for one of the best company and looking back and now i have the zeal for what i do because i understand it. If i had another option at childhood to become a mechanic, I would have been a mechanic and would have no more options.
I agree with most of the thing mentioned in this article but it is not right to compare with American system of education. First of all the taxing system in US is such that when you buy a housing property the taxes include the taxes for education and hence all children of school going age must by law complete high school. However since there are no common board exam like the HSC exam mentioned in the article no one is able to tell whether 39% failed or passed the high school. Most students in the US complete their high school (XII grade) and have a great pompous ceremony and celebrations for graduation. Ultimately when they seek admission to college many have to undertake pre-requisite courses. This is a nice sugar coated way of saying that you have failed in your high school. Many a times the students lose interest as they lose time doing these prerequisites and as said by you there are different paths available and ultimately they are dropouts from college and maybe become car dealers. It is the same situation in India too, those who are not able to meet the challanges of the education system finally pursue other vocation most suitable to their abilities.
Hi Rashmi, A lot of emotions were in your article. On very first go with your article it grabbed me and confuces and I started thinking in the same line as you thought and wrote. But then I gave a second thought to it and realise not all is wrong in our education system. What you have described in your earlier part is about how school management is dealing with parents when they for their kid's admisson. Till there it was fine, they are cruel but then you commented on education system. Its not so bad, it can be improved but I think it still good. I am also a student although a bit older and doing PhD these days abroad but When I look back what I learnt and how I am doing now based on my knowledge I gained in past makes me feel proud of the education system we have. We are doing better than other nationals because we were taught so thouroughly about history geography etc. It was a great drill we are having. Now if you say its imposed on students then you are wrong, students are given options its parents who impose studies and involved subjects. It was easier to me to judge because I am benefited from this system. And moreover I know those benefits and I know what makes them happen.
I am a teacher for the past 16 years, eventhough i had the opportunity i did not move on to the other pastures which were lucrative because of the simple reason, that i beleieved that i could change the present educational system. i still believe, thanks to technology: i think this is the right time for us to take some steps towards making the educational years more meaningful both for the students and the teachers. I strongly believe that it is enjoyable for the children to actually learn new things, and then it will be equally enjoyable for the teacher to actually share the joy of learning, but, today with the expectations and pressures this is not likely to happen, we have got stuck in the vicious cylce, and i have few ideas to break this cycle. I had been with Krishnamoorthi schools and i have also been with tutorials, i know what makes the children enjoy studying and definitely it is not the marks or the power. it is the joy of unravelling. now is the time for us to rethink our strategies both about the transactions that happen and the method of evaluation, without considering too much about the society, education should dictate terms for the future socity and not the otherway
