CHANGE IN OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM…

If you want to plan for a year, plant rice,

If you want to plan for ten years, plant a tree.

If you want to plan for ten years, change the education system of your country.

The 20th century has been a period of educational revolution. Momentous changes have take place, whereas change in education system in India is knocking at the doors in the 21st century. With the globalization of the Indian market and the erasing of socio-cultural barriers, India is becoming a global village. Moreover, the neo policies of liberalization and privatization of Government of India have given birth to diversified sectors of education system in India.

Since the beginning of time, there has been some form of education occurring. In the early 1700’s in India, when a father taught his son how to build fire using two objects or a mother taught her daughter how to prepare meal over an open pit fire, those were some stereotypic examples of very basic form of education. As the time has progressed, we have created a much more complex education system which involves multiplicity of professionals working with a variety of perplexing learners. Within that context, we find conventions that have existed for more than one hundred years, example – use of desks, one teacher per class, grades, blackboards or whiteboards. Also the basic concept of curriculum has been central to the teaching or learning process and in many ways remains unchanged even with the advent of such tools as the computer and internet.

So when we think of changing educational reforms in the present scenario, we are reminded of the convictions that have remains unaltered. Does the expression,” The more we change, the more we stay the same” apply to the situation? Arta Costa stated,” It seems like in education we go through a reform once in about ten years.” But have such educational reforms meant change in the education system of the country? Not necessarily.

The present education system in India is in flux and full of contradictions. While there are world class institutions of higher education like IIT’s and IIM’s, most other are nothing but degree awarding institutions. In the name of educational equality we have huge educational conglomerates opposite huge slums. The ‘Sarva Siksha Abhiyan’ is good in theory but bad in practice. It is like yet one more government sponsored projects whose progress is measured by the money spent rather than target achieved. The secondary and primary education system is in a real bad shape.

Lot has been talked about value education during the last twenty years. Many expert group meets were held, reports were published and guidelines were issued, but the situation still remains the same as it was in 1947. The changing education reforms has though issued various policies but has failed to develop the personality of our youth to take responsibility as a good citizen, apart from being a good scholar, scientist, engineer, manager, etc. The revolution that has been made in the educational system nowhere talks about the moral education, although we know that moral education is a must for children. Though our Ministry of HRD has taken some steps to reform the education system in the country, but still the real development of our nation is unnoticeable.

Education is a state subject and it is good that it is so, but our dream is 100% literate India. We cannot afford to stop at near 100% literacy. We should upgrade our standard of what constitutes a common man. Let us aim at educating each and every Indian, not only making him literate i.e. pseudo-educated but also he should be able to read, write and understand the environment he has to work for.