Essay on Amendments of Education System India | Indian education amendments | Indian Education Amendments | Shikshacamp

We cannot deny the fact that the Indian government and institutions have been working to reform the existing education model. However, there are still several issues which are required to be taken care of. While we all understand how crucial education is to shape our lives, it has also been a major problem in our country. There are several issues that the Indian education system is grappled with.

Right To Education And The Constitution Of India Education

India adopted a democratic Constitution on January 26, 1950 and declared it a republic. Article 45 of the Constitution states, "The state shall endeavour to provide free and compulsory education to all children up to the age of 14 years within 10 years of adoption of this Constitution". Over the last 50 years, the education scenario has changed considerably and the literacy rate has risen to about 60 per cent. However, free and compulsory education has remained a distant dream. Government statistics indicate that nearly 30 percent of India’s children are out of school and deprived of their fundamental right.

Education is one of the basic elements, for the success of democratic system of any Government. An educated citizen may choose better representatives, to form the Government. Education provides human dignity to a person, to develop himself as well as contribute towards the development of his country. The framers of our constitution realising the importance of education, impose a duty on the State under Article 45, as one of the Directive Principles of State Policy, to provide free education to all children until they complete the age of 14 years, within 10 years from the commencement of the Constitution. The object was to abolish illiteracy from the country. It was expected that the elected Governments of the country would honestly implement this directive. But, this right was not recognised by many of the States. The Hon’ble Supreme Court held that right to free education falls in the ambit of "right to life" enshrined by Article 21 of the Constitution. [1] Unfortunately, that goal of the Constitution imposed by Article 45, could not be achieved within 10 years but succeeded after five decades, in the form of Constitution (86th Amendment) Act, 2002. By this Amendment, Article 21A was inserted in Part III, providing free and compulsory education to the children between the age of 6 to 14 years. Even after the lapse of around six decades of independence, illiteracy has a high ratio in the country.

Education and health were the two most neglected sectors in the public policy framework in India after the independence. Despite creative thinking and numerous recommendations from over 100 Committees and Commissions concerned with reforming education, unfortunately very little changed at the ground level. The policy prescription penned and presented by Thomas Babington Macaulay and Sir Charles Wood during the British rule, continued educational segmentation in an already inequitable society in India. There were indeed efforts by philanthropists, nationalists and social reformers to introduce elementary education in specific regions and among some communities like Marwaris started elementary education for their social community. Similarly Arya Samaj and Christian organizations started introducing elementary schooling for meeting their own ends during the nineteenth century. But the coverage was limited and confined to a minuscule minority of population.

The new constitution had a part on fundamental rights and a part on directive principles of state policy, and both had strong provisions for equality in them keeping in line with the international human rights provision as stated in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Unfortunately elementary education was put on back burner by making it as a matter of policy and not as a matter of right, under Article 45 of the Directive Principle, which sought to provide for "free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen years" within 10 years of independence.

Indian education system has changed over the time. A major change in our education system came with the colonization of the country by the Britishers. It was the British Government who introduced modern education in India, as they wanted some educated Indians to assist them in administering the state. Indian education system is mainly divided into four stages – lower primary, upper primary, high school and higher secondary.

Students follow a fixed curriculum up to 10th standard; though, in higher secondary they get to choose from various streams i.e. science, commerce, etc. Apart from certain textual changes and over time rectifications, nothing much has changed in Indian Education system. The need to reform and restructure our education system has been felt many time. However, no concrete steps have yet been taken in this direction.

Indian education system is quite different from that of the foreign nations. The curriculum in the western countries is known to be quite light and based on practical knowledge whereas in India the focus is on theoretical knowledge and acquiring marks by hook or crook.

Students are expected to mug up chapter after chapter and fetch good grades in the class. The marking system in the Indian schools begins from the primary classes thereby burdening little kids. The competition is growing by the day. Parents want their children to outperform their peers and teachers want their class to do better than the other classes.

They are so blinded by the urge of staying ahead of the competition that they do not realize that they are pushing the children in the wrong direction. At an age when the students should be given the chance to explore their interests and hone their creative side, they are pressurized to follow a set curriculum and slog day and night to get good marks.

Instead of making the students understand various concepts of mathematics, physics and other subjects so that they can use them at different stages in their life, the focus is on blindly learning the chapters whether or not the concepts are understood just so that one can get good marks. So, the very basis of the Indian education system is inappropriate.

The Indian education system is said to be largely flawed. It does more harm than good to the young minds. However, some people may argue that it gives a good platform to the students as it challenges their mind and focuses on increasing their grasping power. The debate on whether the Indian education system is good or bad is ongoing.

Cons of Indian Education System

Indian education system has many cons. Here is a look at some of the main cons in the system:

• Lack of Practical Knowledge

Focus of the Indian education system is on the theoretical part. Teachers read out from the book during the classes and explain the concepts verbally. Students are expected to understand even the intricate concepts theoretically. The need to impart practical knowledge is not felt even though it is highly essential.

• Focus on Grades

The focus of the Indian schools is on mugging up the chapters to get good grades. Teachers do not bother if the students have understood the concept or not, all they look at is the marks they have obtained.

• No Significance to All Round Development

The focus is only on studies. No effort is made to build a student’s character or his physical health. The schools do not contribute in the all round development of their students.

• Over Burdening

The students are over burdened with studies. They study for long hours in the school and are given a pile of home work to complete at home. In addition to it, the regular class tests, first term examination, weekly examination and mid-term examination puts a lot of pressure on the young minds.

Pros of Indian Education System

Here are some of the pros of the Indian education system:

• Provides Knowledge on Different Subjects

The Indian education system includes a vast curriculum and imparts knowledge on various subjects including maths, environmental science, moral science, social science, English, Hindi and computer science to name a few. All these subjects form a part of the curriculum from the primary classes itself. So, the students gain knowledge about different subjects from an early age.

• Inculcates Discipline

The schools in India are very particular about their timings, time table, ethical code, marking system and study schedule. Students need to follow the rules set by the school else they are punished. This is a good way to inculcate discipline in the students.

• Increases Grasping Power

Owing to the marking and ranking system in the Indian schools, the students are required to learn their lessons thoroughly. They need to do so in order to fetch good marks and rank higher than their classmates. They look for different ways to concentrate and grasp better. Those who identify the tools that help them grasp better are able to enhance their grasping power which helps them throughout their lives.

Ways to Improve Indian Education System

Many ideas and suggestions have been shared to improve the Indian education system. Some of the ways to change our education system for good include:

1. Focus on Skill Development

It is the time for the Indian schools and colleges to stop putting so much importance to the marks and ranks of the students and focus on skill development instead. The cognitive, problem solving, analytical and creative thinking skills of the students must be enhanced. In order to do so they must be involved in various academic as well as extra-curricular activities instead of caging them in the dull class room sessions.

2. Impart Practical Knowledge

Practical knowledge is very important to develop a thorough understanding of any subject. However, our Indian education system focuses mainly on theoretical knowledge. This needs to be changed. Students must be imparted practical knowledge for better understanding and application.

3. Revise the Curriculum

The curriculum of our schools and colleges is the same since decades. It is the time to change it as per the changing times so that the students learn things more relevant to their times. For instance, computer should become one of the main subjects in schools so that students learn how to work efficiently on the same from the very beginning. Similarly, there should be classes on developing good communication skills as it is the need of the hour.

4. Hire Better Teaching Staff

In order to save a few bucks, the educational institutes in our country hire teachers who demand less salary even if they are not highly skilled and experienced. This approach must be changed. Good teaching staff must be hired in order to nurture the young minds well.

5. Look Beyond Academics

The education system of our country must look beyond academics. Sports, arts and other activities must also be given importance to ensure the all round development of students.

Here are 7 immediate changes needed in the Indian education system:

1. Rote learning

We have progressed with time; however, we still have not been able to move away from rote learning. While we know that IB schools are changing the education system at their level, but we also need to understand that the population that goes to IB schools is very limited in nature.

Not everyone can afford the education system that they offer. Hence, the government needs to take the baton in their hands and eradicate rote learning from the schools at all the levels.

The schools must be encouraged to introduce conceptual learning which avoids students to mug up what they are being taught. While this will help students to understand the concepts better, they will also be able to retain and apply them better.

2. Evaluation system

Marks still continue to play the most important card in deciding the future of children and this often comes down upon students as a burdening factor. The pressure of marks often makes students underperform.

Instead of focusing the evaluation on a three-hour exam, the focus of evaluation should be classroom participation by a student, projects, communication and leadership skills and extra-curricular activities.

Only then will the students give their best and be evaluated at their best.

3. Equal respect to all the subjects

We continue to survive in the education system where science stream topples the stream hierarchy. Students are pushed to become a machine which only goes for high-profile subjects and subjects like languages, communications, arts are looked down and are not considered high-profile.

Students should rather be pushed to pursue the subject that they like instead of creating a differentiation between subjects.

4. Better training of educators

Teachers play the most important role in schools and hence, they should be given the best of class training. After all, they are shaping the future of the nation, the children. Teachers are often considered as second parents.

Thus, they should be imparted their training in a way that they can act as parents to the children away from their homes.

While teaching, they should create a congenial and home-like atmosphere where students can feel the empathy and love in the classroom and which can then be reflected in their behaviors.

5. Introduction of technology

We all know we have incepted in the era of the fourth industrial revolution. We are living the renaissance of technology and in such a state, technology and education system cannot be kept apart.

Students must be taught about technology right from the early years of their education so that it does not come like an alien thing in their later times.

Indian schools must embrace technology and education with an open heart and propagate the same to the students as it is there, where their future lies.

6. Personalize education

Indian education needs to realize that the absorption power of every student cannot be the same. Hence, the teaching method also cannot remain the same for every student in a class of 30.

Some students have faster learning pace and some are slow. Teachers must have a keen eye on observing each of their students.

While it is not humanly possible for a single teacher to pay attention to every student, schools must start looking at the use of technologies like artificial intelligence and chatbots who can become the helping hand to the teachers as well as students.

7. Teach them the purpose of education

Our education system is still having the features what colonial educators inbuilt. Education is not always about becoming a big, rich person. It should be about humanism.

Students must also be taught in-depth about the morals of life and inculcated with humanistic values. 

If the Indian education system starts taking these points into serious consideration, we can attain the level of the best education system in the world. It is high that we as a country, start taking education above the mediocre level that we have been engrained with and perceive education from the holistic approach.

Conclusion

Indian education system has been criticized time and again. There is a tremendous need to change this system to ensure proper development of our young generation.