The Harsh Truth About Our Education System | Indian Education System - Reality Exposed

The biggest dream of India is to become a superpower. This can only be achieved if we vanish unemployment poverty, terrorism, increase our economy and some more things. But if we try to find out,they are all dependent on India's youths, directly or indirectly. But on whom does India's youths depend? Clearly, it's proper education which comes first in our mind. And as we know we are getting education in India but can we say that we are getting 'proper education'? Of course not.

But why? Let us find out.

The Problems With Our Education System

Let me start with some illustrations. Just have a nice look.

You all know what is this. A smartphone. Or we can say a modern day phone.

               And this is a telephone of around 150 years ago. Noticed the difference?

                This is known as a luxury car.

     And this was known as a car in around 1870s. Everything changed now.

Of course you know it's a classroom of 2020.

And this is again a classroom of 150 years old.

Any difference? May be the designs of desks and board have been changed but the whole classroom is overall same. Just see how much modernization has been there from the previous 150 years. But the classrooms (or say, schools and the system) have merely any difference. We are been taught in the same way as we were taught more than a century ago.  Actually, we are not been taught. We are been manufactured. Manufactured to a robot, a degree taking machine which can do a job. We need to enhance skills of a student, not making schools as a factory. First thing first. Who transformed our schools to factories? In our ancient India, we did had Gurukuls. And you know, what was special about them? There were no specific things which were taught there. Every student was taught to how to adopt in every situation of life, some basic knowledge, and the guru used to secretly analyze every student and find his that special talent in which he was good at.

Skills

“Everyone 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.

                                                         -Albert Einstein

And the same applies for our schools where the fish is nobody else other than students. Our system mainly focuses on academics. But we need to understand that not everyone can be measured on the same scale. Some students are good in studies and some are in other activities. Every student has different talent. In defence of this, there are arguments that schools provide different sports and extra-curriculum activities. But the point is, talent don't only means sports, music, painting, etc. There is a lot more in the name of skill. Every student needs a teacher who do not teach but guide. A teacher who can help him/her identify and follow their passion. Not everyone can love history, physics or math. Some are good in critical thinking, decision making, observing and learning and many more.

Image Source: Google

The Rote System

And here comes the most common and popular complaint of our system. I don't think that there is much need to elaborate this but I will. In today's world, there is merely any importance left for knowledge. Everyone is focused on swallowing and spitting out but not on what they are gathering.

The Eat and Spit Stereotype

There is a difference between cramming and learning. Remember, a robot's memory is also faster but what it lacks is the brain. And the brain and thinking ability of a student is killed in school (bitter but truth).

The Teachers

Before continuing here, I would like to tell that there is no competition or doubt in teacher's knowledge in their specific topics. But the problem that lies here is the way of teaching. Everyone tries to teach their best but not everyone is successful. Nowadays, a lot of teachers (not everyone) demotivate students than inspiring them. A student commits suicide in India every hour, in which a lot of them are due to teacher's sarcastic comments, their scolding and their way of treating children and their mistakes. For example, a 14 year old girl committed a suicide last year feeling humiliated because her teacher mocked her during class in front of everyone for adjusting her dress. The actual truth is that not anyone can be a teacher. Being a teacher who can teach their students in a wonderful and realistic way is a special talent. Actually the role of teachers is not only to teach but engage students in what they are teaching. The teachers in schools should be selected not only on the basis of knowledge of their subject but also on the basis of how much they know to read children's minds, to motivate them, and encourage them to know and march towards their passion.

Exams

Not because students hate exams the most, but there is a reason behind it. As I have previously covered, the rote learning is the basis of passing exams. Children who are expert in cramming up (or we can say, who are parrot fashioned) things easily passes the exams with outstanding grades. But what happens after the exam is over? Is there anything left? Nothing. Everyone forgets what they studied. And after the results everyone thinks that the person who has topped is the most knowledgeable one. But ask him/her, what do they know? And they will defend themselves by saying "You can see it in my grades".

The Syllabus

Straight forward, whatever we are taught at school, around 75% is not useful in our life. Now some of you may think that- math is useful here, social science there or something like that. Actually, not everything we think is important is not. Let's take the example of English. What we are taught under this 'subject' is grammar, literature (Oh, sorry! Some Chapters which we actually learn). Let me ask everyone of you one question. Whatever your mother tongue is, say Hindi (for me, may be different for you), how did you learnt that? Did you learnt the grammar, rules, etc. first? Or did you learn it by listening it from your parents or other people and trying to speak? You know the answer is very simple. Probably everyone would have chose the second option. Listening to people speaking any language, understand it and then try to speak ourselves is the best way to learn any language. Also what is the need to learn (actually rote), what happened in different parts of Europe during 1800s? Which we forgets after passing the grade. Okay, we need to learn history, but our country is enough. And that too should be taught in an interesting and a story-type way. Also, what is the need to ask questions about it in exams? What is the point? Everything should be taught in a fun way, not in a sleeping classroom.

Everyone knows, but no one stands

And it's a fact that everyone knows about it. Nearly everyone knows what the system's cruelty is doing to it's students but nothing happens. Even if someone raises the voice, everyone becomes like a deaf person.

The change is necessary. And you also know this. If you are a teacher, or someone working in the education department, then it's your duty to have your say. If you are not satisfied, then you can still read millions of articles on net and watch billions of videos on YouTube or any other platform. May be your eyes open.

We need a revolution. Let it start...

  

                  - Parth Mittal