IS INDIAN EDUCATION BAD?

 IS INDIAN EDUCATION BAD?

                 Too often people would nod in the affirmative, though they would not be able to substantiate or make plausible arguments thereof. Yet, they would be eagerly ready to chide our system of education. Some of them have their son or daughter in the software industry / biotech firm making designed drugs or in some University as a faculty in bio-medical engineering or Asia-Pacific geopolitical studies or a practising physician in Brooklyn or Massachusetts, not to ignore high tech positions in NASA by the way. Any or all these are high in the list of Asian candidates predominantly of Indians and only next to the Chinese. Let us consider as to why are we unhappy ourselves of our education. Understandably, we succumb to popular notions fielded liberally in the marketplace or parks or temple corridors, where some elder-looking citizens sow such seeds of disenchantment borne out of some misadventure in their life. The age of the person confers ‘erudition’ on to the [wo] man.

               Leaving aside such ‘make believe’ efforts, let us try to understand the system of education, in our country and what one needs to look for a critical appraisal instead of hearsay  interpretations. Ours is different from that of what the West practices.

              Though ours is criticized as a brain child of MACAULEY, as of generating a local task force to suit the then British needs in India, we can take note of its formal format different from that of traditional learning in the Indian context. What was oriented towards religious format for learning languages and its application through Astronomy, Astrology and the related mathematical regulations there in, the formal learning in schools was organized so as to develop connections with other cultural outfits through ‘language- based’ interactions, highly formalized and modeled on British lines. But, for ages we have had the recitation-learning of multiplication tables.  The process was a systematic daily exercise in the morning and in the evening respectively before opening and closing sessions. By repetitive utterance, pupils got into the habit of correct data retention. From primary level other subject territories of History, Geography Science and Civics were taught making the process of learning more comprehensive instead of being rigidly compartmentalized. Learning languages is continued through Graduation studies, though for graduation, a specific subject is learnt as the major item.

                Though specializing in a ‘major subject’, students learn contiguous territories as Ancillary or subsidiary subjects. This provides the necessary support in augmenting ideas about interrelationships among interactive knowledge territories. It is here that the Indian system makes learning more comprehensive and largely self-reliant, as every graduate has a sound base in Mathematics, related fields, English for liberal exchange of ideas. So, our graduates are ‘broad-based’ in study and application. This puts them in a state of advantage in pursuing Post-Graduate study and also smooth-sail into research.               

                Indian students from even average institutions/ Universities are ‘easy-fitting’ in research domains because they are fairly well –trained in calculations and formulations of required dosage of chemicals or enzymes for higher-level research. They are not baffled by language or tabulation of data / statistical data analysis having had a general balanced training in these domains.

                It is not my mission to say that ours is the best. But, we do have to develop a sense of equanimity to ascertain facts of reality. At the same time it is not fair to speak ill of our training system. Whoever raises the bogey of odd comparison with the West, let me politely remind you of the need to compare cost input if you wish quality parity. All our Universities are not financially sound with serious crunch for resources. Yet, we manage to deliver reasonable training and the correct orientation whereby our girls and boys learn to learn in any ambience and readily grasp the need to reorganize thought and effort to live up to.

                Ask yourselves the question: If our education system is no good, why would any Western university or research lab recruit our youth in their prestigious projects? How many of our Doctors are holding high profile responsibilities across the globe? Is it not a fact that teachers from India are among the sought after in US, UK, Australia and Germany? Are we not a proud Nation to have spontaneously extended the arm of warmth through Anti-CoVid medication and timely release of Vaccines? Obviously, our system of education cannot be bad if the indices of global acceptance are any indication. Remember –our cost effective Satellite-launch schemes float the satellites for any nation at the orbit of their choice. So, ours cannot be an arbitrary deal- right? Anything Indian need not be bad; we are flexible and adaptive to realities.

               Prof. K. Raman