How can the Indian Educational System escape its rut

'I was born intelligent, but education ruined me.'- Benjamin Franklin

India is a young nation. As times change it would only make sense to keep up with the changes. India has progressed and adapted itself in many ways with the modern times. However one aspect it always seems to be lagging behind and that aspect is perhaps the most crucial one of all. Education. The way our education system is built resembles more like the education system during the Industrial Revolution rather than that of present times. But how did things get so bad? Here are a few possible reasons why and how we could improve them:

1) Shifting Focus from Memorising

In a time where we have machines and computers that can store a lot more information than we ever can, the rest of the world has become focused on the application of the information rather than the memorising aspect of it. However, in schools in India, we are only taught to focus on memorising the different data present on books rather than on real-life applications. Schools should focus more on the application of the information as what is the use of the information in the mind if we can't apply it.

Practicals should be given more importance. There is a situation going on where schools don't prepare the students for the practicals that will take place in the 10th and 12th standards. Instead, they just hand out practical files of the seniors so that the students copy out the information and get good grades. The student doesn't realise what they are missing out on though. This is a tragic fault on the part of the schooling system.

2) Identity Skills

In most of the schools abroad, skills of all sorts are given importance and the students are allowed to pursue those skills at which they excel. In India, this isn't the case. Students are made to learn things that won't really matter and made 'Jack of all trades and master of none'. There should be a standardized test that a student should give after the sixth standard to find out what they really excel at and they should be at liberty to follow that.

3) Learn Skills That Are Worth It

This point might seem in contraction to the other point but in today's world where only the best of the best survive, schools must teach the useful and applicable skills to the students. In previous generations, one would have to dedicate themselves to a single particular skill however technological advancements are rendering this flow ineffective now. You can't just learn something for 12 years and expect to do the same for the next 40 years of your career. We need to learn how to interweave information together and make the decision of whether the information is worth the time and effort or not.

4) Apprenticeship

Even the government now is focused on the need for having more skilled workers rather than a large number of workers. At least one hour a day in school should be allocated to teaching students skills that will be useful later in life. Calculating your taxes, managing finances, learning programming. In this world only the best survive and at the rate the education system is progressing, the Indian students don't have a chance.

5) Reduce emphasis on marks and exams

It seems that society takes it for granted now that if a child is scoring good marks, then he/she is a brilliant student. This doesn't present the bigger picture. It might mean that the student is fluent in the subject's syllabus but will they be able to pursue it further with passion? Will they be able to apply it in real life? Does the student study for the passion or simply because they are forced to by society and it's standards. The objective marking system should be eradicated and something more subjective should be introduced.

6) Introduce Logic Reasoning and Verbal skills in Syllabus

 This is an integral part of learning and sharpens the brain developing the "so-called IQ". Quantitative and Verbal abilities are an extremely important aspect of human intelligence that has now been acknowledged worldwide. These subjects are stronger than general knowledge when sharpening of the brain is needed. 

7) Dedication to effective teaching methods 

The teachers too play a vital role in the education of a student. A good teacher can make a student fall in love with the subject while a bad one can make a student dread the subject for life. Teachers too should attend regular workshops and have regular exams to make sure that they are up to date with the latest trends in teaching.

There is a fine line of difference between studying and learning. Indian students need to gain sight of the difference. Learning, unlike studying, isn't finite. If education in India is to be improved, students need to be passionate about learning. They need to learn things because they want to amass knowledge, not to pass the test or clear the entrance exam. I should want to learn physics because I want to be able to understand and explain natural phenomenon, not because the coveted "JEE" requires me to.  I should be allowed to pursue literature because I like it and not be judged by a society that I will turn out to be a failure. The Indian education system still has a long way to go and until then it is up to the student to make the best use of a broken system.

- Zoya Chettri 



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