My idea of writing the history of the evolution of education in India is.... just so that we have the right perspective.... I remember a lot of people talking about how great we were... we invented zero etc... but our present state made me cynical about our past.... I wanted to know what we actually knew back then... and why we lost it.... turns out we had the most brilliant ideas & theories and applications in the world (to put it very mildly)... we almost threw it all away because of several reasons some of them being..
1. Corrupt people in power thought not everybody should be educated.
2. With the division of people along the lines of varna... we lost focus on bigger issues such as national defense etc.. and ultimately almost lost the entire knowledge...
There is a very important lesson to be learned in the way Tantrism was evolved... though it had roots in Vedas.. this system of knowledge actually was developed by people who were sidelined from mainstream education... this gave birth to millions and millions of superstitions... I see Tantrism as a kind of educational revolution...
3. With the division of the country among various rulers many of whom were not even fit to be beggars on the side streets... Country was lost to a foreign company traded on the UK stock exchange... By this time our education system stooped down to such a level that this company had to employ a educational advisor to train its labor force... Now, this advisor designed an education system... which by even the standards of 1800s was not meant to really educate students but to create the idea of loyalty towards its masters....
For what ever reason, we lived with it till the masters were ruling the country... and even after 57 years after they leave we still follow the same system... without even questioning it....
Now, if the whole system itself is not designed for the students to think, innovate and be productive...... where does the question of approving different boards with in the same system arises... same goes with the EAMCET or what ever... But I agree there should a uniform education system across the country (like in the advanced countries... Japan is the best example... all kids have the same rules and even uniforms through out the country)
On the face of it... it might look like this is a huge task to change the education system... but we have to realize there are reams and reams of research already lying all over on how to change the system..... all we have to do is systematically implement it...
As for the issue of "unemployed graduate" educating the kids in a village... I think the government is already implementing it in the name of NFE... Non Formal education... But I think its a shame that we spend so much and can't provide the kids with proper education and leave them to the mercy of some guy with totally no idea of how education should be... All because these kids come from poorer backgrounds and poorer places... if we cannot provide 75% of India with the same quality of education as the rest 25% of India.... how can we say that we treat them all equally... Indian system is probably the most racist (for lack of a better word) system in the world... No wonder we need reservations in higher education....as long this bias towards urban well-off kids exists... Ambedkar keeps proving himself right...
Engineering education is only one aspect of the whole higher education... we need a total revamp of what kind of specialists we create whether its arts, sciences, engineering, medicine or philosophy...
Economics play a very important role in changing any system..... but let's take it up separately...
We don't have be pro Hindu or pro Muslim.. or pro any other religion... we need to teach the kids the TRUTH... that's where our responsibility lies... I'm not saying we have to be secular... I think being secular is most ABSURD because even the most secular guy on the street still goes to temple or mosque or church.. which makes him "NON-SECULAR"..... Only communists (Atheists) can be SECULAR... so we as people need to start admitting we are religious.. the country just happened to have more than one religion... we need to admit we are a predominantly HINDU country with Muslim, Christian & other minorities.. duh... I mean we don't even have to say it... its just plain truth... with 80% Hindus... if say we are secular... we are trying to bullshit ourselves.... we just have to treat every one EQUALLY irrespective of the majority or minority status... with no preferential treatment to anyone based on religion... But we need to teach our kids the reality of our history....
>>>>> YOU WROTE >>>>I would be very glad to hear what u guys think we should change in the current education system......<<<<<<
I'll keep my mouth shut and wait for others to respond.. :-)
-keshav
I don't know if you are aware of Sarasvati Sishu mandirs in Andhra and other places which are run by RSS or its supporters... they form the Hindu primary education centers.. BVBs are meant for higher education...
1 comment:
Budman... Like you said, I think the system should be more oriented towards making knowledgable and better Indians.
Agreed, the EGP (Educated Graduate program) may create a little bit of employment for unemployed... but it won't reduce the govt. expenditure.. it will increase because you are asking the government to pay him... on top of everything the govt. does... including eating away 85% of the expenditures...
The NFE itself I think is a big scam... Govt. officially is saying that.. "since you guys are poor... we cannot spend money on trained teachers for you.. we can give you some un-trained instructors.. and you don't need schooling infrastructure (which doesn't exist)... so lets take up some ill-equipped center as school... that way we think we can make you better Indians and better future for this country... "
Apparently this method saves 95% of the costs over a Rural primary school with trained teachers.
there are about 2.5Lakh NFE centers in the country.... According to experts they exist as a distinct second rate option in villages... meaning that the people don't like them at all... Of course they don't like it... How can they accept that their kids are considered worthy of only a 2nd rate school...
Your (EGP) solution is already working throughout India in a different way.. there are several graduates who become tution teachers and earn extremely good amount of money.... I know few people (very well actually) who did several undergrad courses like BA, Bcom, LLB etc and finally ended up having a BEd but couldn't find a job in a govt. school.. And since the govt. won't let them start a school... they opened a tuition center and started teaching the same school subjects... once the first few kids passed with good marks their business started booming and they make a very very good living now.. from being unemployed to waiting for govt. postings to this business... they have progressed a lot, I think if they got Govt. jobs they would only focus on how to escape from their duty... (I know several govt. school teachers who do that for various reasons) if the govt starts paying them (EGPs) for the number of passed kids.. I think they would try to get them only pass marks or try to find out the question paper etc... basically.. if govt. gets involved in this situtation... it would only give rise to more corruption... because who would decide on which graduate is eligible for teaching... what if he already has a job.. how would they disburse money... won't the clerk want some of it as a kick back.. these logistical questions will lead to more bureaucracy and more corruption...
anyway, I think the idea of NFE is just an admission that the system is a total failure.. if what's going on in the class is not good enough.. why destroy the class room why not try to improve the system... instead of degrading it a little bit more and start experimenting with the lives of kids??
The NFE passout rate is still about 5% for class V... which goes to prove that NFE itself is total failure... The very fact that the guy running the NFE was given a formal education tells you that NFE is not going to help... if NFE is all that great why not make all govt. schools into NFEs... No.. you'll find NFEs only in the rural areas...
I think studying under the same board with different "standards" of education is not the same...
we can keep talking about whats happening to the amount being spent.. where does it go.. and why do the private schools (in cities) get subsidies... why don't we have money for the rural schools.. etc but the point remains the same... there should be a change in the system itself... no matter how much money you put within the existing system... its not going to make better Indians...
I hope you got my drift...
About others writing... let's wait....
-keshav
Post a Comment