Indian education system has moved from traditional ‘Gurukulas’ to missionary schools to Government schools and private schools to numerous International schools.
What seems to have worked for India is our strength and capabilities in Mathematics, Sciences and Logical reasoning primarily dominated by rote and memory. This ability has helped us do well internationally in pure sciences and our famous IT field. However, last 60 years, we didn’t have any milestones for cutting edge research. Our education system has given us strength to remember, relate things, and develop logical thinking to compete in the world markets.
Mr.Sibal, a post graduate from Harvard, whose children are Cambridge graduates and post graduates from Stanford and Harvard, is proposing to over night banish existing systems and bring in a new system. His plan is to scrap Xth class board exam and replace it internal assessments.I appreciate his will to change things for better in his opinion. My suggestions are as follows:
1. Do not change what is working. Please consider research done by Malcom Coldwell and others on this subject as to why Indians are doing so well in Science and Mathematics. Do not change anything that has traditionally been working for us for centuries. Competition is good. Competition breeds competency. However, if there are a minor few, who are feeling stressed because of marks, they should have separate schools that do not give out ranks but, just give out grades. Changing it for the entire country damages existing system. We cannot implement strict and consistant assessment systems for schools over night. We have schools that donot have basic infrastructure for attending classes. It will not be a fair assessment for students wanting to change locations and goto better schools for XI and XII.
2. Children can accomplish a lot more today. We have to supplement them with more learning activities before we take away what is working. Kids of the west are tremendously stressed due to their social circumstances and hence the addition of marks stress may derail them. Their system is based on different needs and skills. Our social/economic situations are different. It is foolish to imitate the west and focus on communication skills, presentation skills, etc while loosing our fundamental sciences and mathematics. Let’s not trade one for the other.
3. We are loosing quality in our education system. Children know less of any language now than previous generations, their strength in sciences is reducing, etc and the list goes on. Lets look at what is working, retain it and add some more for improving on other thingslike communication skills, etc.
4. One system doesn’t suit or is not enough for entire Indian school system. We have different sections of students coming from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Based on the capacities and background of students, we need a tiered (levelled) learning system. Students who can accomplish more should have advanced and gifted programs by various boards. This is what we should ape from the west. Right now, our education system is reduced to the level of ‘passing’ everyone possible to encourage enrolment. This should change.
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I agree with you on loosing the quality in education system. When I was in high school I used to participate in science fairs and quiz competitions with students from other schools. I think those science fairs helped me to understand the science not just from the books but also from the experiments I made. Also when you present something you'll learn more about the subject because that makes you responsible for the presentation. Children should be taught not only the subject from the books but also how to use that in real life. Communication and presentation skills are also important while the world is coming much closer with globalization.
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