In ancient times in India, a specific strata of the society had access to scriptures or could invest in learning something which would enlighten their minds, the society being largely agrarian in nature. As much as these people- the Brahmanvadis tried to incorporate people of higher caste and class into the hegemony of a knowledge system, an increasing number of people were excluded. This entire system was basically oral-scribal in nature until the advent of the East India Company in 1600 after which print culture was introduced to the people.
The British did not aim to aid the education standard of their occupied land as we know how Thomas Babington Macaulay in his Minute on Education stated that “a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India”. While the missionaries in order to spread Christianity distributed copies of The Bible, Bristish officials were trained in the local languages in institutions such as the Fort William College in order to get a better hold of the existing culture and understand the language of the common masses. Thus, amidst the “oriental-occidental controversy” English language and Western style of education was introduced in the country which impacted the whole professional and legal system.
Charles Wood, who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1846 to 1858, sent a dispatch to Lord Dalhousie in 1854 which is said to have laid the foundation of the present system of education in India. Education departments were established in every city and graded schools(Indigenous Primary schools, Middle schools, High schools, Colleges) were founded along with vocational education institutions and universities set up on the model of the London university in big cities. Several measures for educational reconstruction followed but none of them satisfied or included every section of the society.
DIFFERENCE IN ACCESS
There is a great difference in the accessibility of educational facilities between men and women, upper and lower classes, upper and lower castes and urban and rural population. Further, the D.S. Kothari Commission, also known as the National Education Commission (1964-66) attempted to evolve a generalized pattern of education in India, for people who have always been multilingual, multi-religious, and multiethnic. Despite the announcement of the National Policy on Education by Indira Gandhi in 1968 in order to adopt a new education policy, a large portion of the population still remained anonymous to this whole process.
Elementary or primary education is not only essential but also the right of every citizen. It is required not just for progress but also for the acknowledgement of such rights. At a young age, a child’s mind is curious and acts as a wet clay which needs to be mould under careful supervision and freedom.
Before looking into the problems faced by children not being able to avail this right, let us look at the problems faced by the ones who can.
OUTDATED MEANS OF LEARNING
Rote memorisation and cramming has long been the characteristic of educational system in India. Age old syllabus accompanied by one-dimensional learning can suck the interest out of anyone.
As Abdul Kalam said, “Creativity is the key to success in the future, and primary education is where teachers can bring creativity in children at that level”, mechanisation of education can only churn out products and not individual students with distinct personalities.
INABILITY TO ACCOMMODATE INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
“Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Should a standardised testing method modeled by a government body be the yardstick for the assessment of every student? Each individual’s area of interest as well as the method of learning or grasping is different.
LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE
The condition in rural areas is no better, areas which constitute more than half of our population. Various surveys, be it by the Department of School Education and Literacy or the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) depict the poor condition of the infrastructure, teacher’s salary and the high drop-out rate. Poverty poses as a major hindrance for the people in acquiring interest in the long process of education as they prefer availability of 3 square meals via physical labor over waiting for years for their children to go to a school and later earn something.
IMPERSONAL LEARNING, OVERSTUFFED CLASSROOMS
Another reason for the teachers not taking up the required responsibility of giving the amount of attention needed for each pupil is the Student-Teacher ratio- about a 60, 70 or above in a single class, topped with the restriction of time and compulsion to complete the syllabus. Teachers are treated as clerical workers training clerical students, so naturally creativity and the time needed to be spent on the same seeps down the drain. A visit to a school will show us an array of students belonging to families who can somehow afford it, still coupled with gender and caste disparities.
LACK OF A PROPER GRADING SYSTEM
The withdrawal of the pass-fail grading system posits another hazard for teachers as it becomes mandatory for them to promote the students to higher classes. Thus, a study conducted across many schools brought forward how students belonging to middle school were unable to either, say, read a book of their second language course from the primary school, or even if they are capable of reading, they cannot comprehend the meaning. However, an article by the Times of India confirms the pass-fail system to begin again for classes V and VIII from March 2019, as said by Prakash Javadekar.
OVEREMPHASIS ON ACADEMICS
Co-curricular activities always have taken a backseat whenever it came to education. It is important for the schools as well as the parents to know that they are as much a part of the overall development of their children as the “main subjects”. While some schools still incorporate singing and dancing in their regime, encouraging students by holding competitions and organizing events, activities like street play, playing instruments, drama, etc are hardly incorporated in the curriculum.
POLICY PROBLEMS
Another point to be taken into consideration is the loophole in the recruitment of teachers, be it through Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examination or in private institutions. While factors like the question paper being leaked or the distribution of wrong papers resulting in consequent cancellation of the SSC examinations and thus delay in employment; private schools open up the path for “pay donation, get admission”. This capitalization makes education a luxury for the elite.
Defence has always dominated Education in the Annual Budget list, in fact, in 2018, an amount of 8.5 lakh crore only was allocated for expenditure in education . And let us not go to the controversial debate of how much money is set aside and the amount that is utilized. The increasing demand of the knowledge of English Language as a criterion in professional field leads to the hierarchy of English medium schools and schools teaching in vernacular language.
The family’s aspirations from a child govern choice of education but education shouldn’t ever be treated as a choice. We probably need to conjure more teachers like Nikumbh sir into the system.
- Simreen Biswas
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