CHALLENGES IN INDIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM
Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai, Sanjay Mehrotra, Arvind Krishna – all Indians heading some of the largest global companies. The common thread that runs through each of them is that that they all had their primary and secondary education in India and then ventured out of the country for their post graduation.
So what are the challenges that we encounter? Schools in India can be broadly divided into two – the urban and rural schools. The urban schools are further divided into private and government schools whereas in the rural areas it is mostly government schools. Most urban institutions have a robust infrastructure while this is lacking in most rural schools. Lack of classroom space, toilet facilities, potable drinking water , electricity are some of the basic requirements of a school. Most rural schools do not even have trained teachers. Another problem is accessibility as students from far flung areas brave life and limb to reach their schools. Girls from low socio economic standards are often deprived of education as the general opinion is that girls will get married and leave but the boys will stay on and look after their parents. This is not true. Education has become expensive and is beyond reach of the average Indian.
The online classes during the pandemic were a boon to those girls who are subject to the patriarchal system and are prevented from leaving the confines of their homes. In the present scenario, technology plays a vital role. Children are a lot more tech savvy today than their predecessors but acquiring gadgets to use technology becomes expensive. Digitalization in education refers to the use of desktop computers, mobile devices, the Internet, software applications, and other types of digital technology to teach students of all ages. As much as AI, digitalization, digitization are the advent of the new era, the question arises as to how many students in India would have access to them. If the Indian diaspora has spread its technological tentacles in every part of this world and is leading in it; there are students in schools who have less than 50% access to the internet in India.
India being a land of many languages it becomes challenging for children to learn English when they have barely picked up their mother tongue. Outdated syllabi in addition to inadequate training, inability to evolve and change with changing trends, limited psychological knowledge to deal with emotional aspects of children’s problems, high stress levels amongst students who are unable to cope with academic demands are some of the issues that need immediate attention. Children come from different familial backgrounds, some being conducive, some violent and some neglectful. In this
scenario, the education system needs to empower the educational management, the teachers, the education related service providers to ensure an equitable and harmonious environment for the children. This would not always be possible in the present Indian system of education with great disparities in types of schools and the facilities offered by them. This results in a lethargy that sets in with no motivation to rise above their situation. This trend is noticed not only in the under-privileged schools but as well as in the privileged ones in certain parts of India. Our education system focuses more on theoretical knowledge where achieving high grades is mandatory as compared to practical knowledge and youngsters find that they lack life skills when placed in pressure cooker situations. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to address some of the biggest challenges in education today with innovative teaching and learning practices. Rapid technological developments inevitably bring multiple risks and challenges. With the wide spectrum of the levels of socioeconomic status in India, AI would contribute significantly in widening this gap between the Rich and the Poor. Children in the upper echelons would “have it all” while those at the lower strata of income would be deprived of these gadgets and techniques. The levels of inequality would be greater. Another challenge that seeks immediate redressal is the massive brain drain that takes place. Education helps in the growth of the economy.
Even though the government offers free and compulsory education for children aged 6 to 14 there are not many takers as child labour is still a scourge
that we have to deal with. The newly formulated government policy NEP 2020 deals with some of the issues outlined above, it is only when it is fully
implemented that the pros and cons of the policy will surface. I am sure that by then these challenges would be overcome and we will be looking at a fresh batch.
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