While quantitatively India is inching closer to universal education, the quality of its education has been questioned particularly in its government run school system.
Course: Language Laboratory, Spring 2012
Taught by: Prof. Nihar Ranjan Mishra
Slide 2
What is the importance of Education: Wducation plays a vital role in our personal growth and social development for all of us. Our behaviour, our daily habits, our dreams are all a reflection of our education. They way we interact and socialize with others also depends upon eduction. If one has knowledge of computers, then he/she will be interested in talking to other people about computers. If someone is good at studies, then he/she would be interested in talking about studies. Education makes us capable of serving the people for common good.
Slide 3
In the Sravana stage of education, students received shrutis knowledge, which was passed orally from one generation to another. The second stage was Manana which means that pupils had to think themselves about what they have heard. They have to make their own inferences and assimilate the lesson taught by their teacher into the life. The third stage Nidhyasana means complete comprehension of truth and its use in the life.
Few of the most important universities of India in the ancient times were Taxila, Vikramshila and Nalanda. Nalanda was the highest learning center not just of India but also of the entire South Asia. Students from foreign countries like China, Japan, Korea used to come here for higher studies. It had around 10,000 students and teachers on its roll cards. The University had eight colleges. And one of the colleges had four-storied building. It was one of the earliest examples of residential cum learning complex.
India had several great minds at work, which contributed in every aspect of life. The Concept of zero, Decimal number system, Pythagoras Theorem were all developed here. As India progressed from ancient to medieval its education system deteriorated. Various factors were responsible for the degradation of this most efficient and most ancient education system of the world.
Slide 4-7
The UNESCO's International Institute of Educational Planning study on corruption in education released recently says that 25% teacher absenteeism in India is among the highest in the world, second only after Uganda that has a higher rate. The global average of teacher absenteeism is about 20%.
Teacher absenteeism does not just affect quality of education; it is also a huge drain on resources resulting in the wastage of 22.5% of education funds in India the study said. Politics in teacher appointments and transfers is a major reason for teacher absenteeism according to a professor at National University for Education Planning and Administration.
In Bihar two of every five teachers were reported absent. Teachers also believe highly in private tutoring a practice identified by UNESCO as unethical. It does not complement learning at school and leads to corruption the report said. The practice of ghost teachers and involvement of teachers in mismanagement of schools were other gray areas identified in the Indian education system.
Another indictment of the sorry state of Indian education was the view held by students that cheating in examinations is their traditional right. In India universities cheating is now well-established. The fees for manipulating entrance tests ranges between $80 to $20,000 for popular programmes such as computer science, medicine and engineering the report said.
Slide 9
The Act makes it mandatory for every child between the ages of 6-14 to be provided for education by the State. This means that such child does not have to pay a single penny as regards books, uniforms, etc. Any time of the academic year, a child can go to a school and demand that this right be respected. Private education institutions have to reserve 25% of their seats starting from class I in 2011 to disadvantaged students. Strict criteria for the qualification of teachers. There is a requirement of a teacher student ratio of 1:30 at each of these schools that ought to be met within a given time frame. The schools need to have certain minimum facilities like adequate teachers, playground and infrastructure. The government will evolve some mechanism to help marginalised schools comply with the provisions of the Act.
There is a new concept of neighbourhood schools that has been devised. This is similar to the model in the United States. This would imply that the state government and local authorities will establish primary schools within walking distance of 1km of the neighbourhood. In case of children for Class VI to VIII, the school should be within a walking distance of 3km of the neighbourhood. Unaided and private schools shall ensure that children from weaker sections and disadvantaged groups shall not be segregated from the other children in the classrooms nor shall their classes be held at places and timings different from the classes held for the other children.