Indian Education system - Boon or Bane
I know that this topic has been beaten to death especially since the last two years what with Aamir Khan on an education reform movement and Kapil Sibal asininely tinkering with the education system and every bit and piece making headlines now a day.
Now I know that globally, Indian students are considered amongst the best brains. But somewhere in our education system, we kill the spirit of the students. We kill the initiative taking powers of the students. If we look at our educational system, we go by a set rule.
Has anyone ever stopped and questioned if this is actually a right thing to do? Is it really necessary to have papers twice a term?
In our haste to provide some hardcore knowledge to the students, we often miss out on the softer aspects. Ironically, most of the B-schools conduct GD and PI in their selection process just to see the soft skills of the candidate and forget to hone those skills in candidate once they enter the hallowed portals of the prestigious institutions. In that context, lesser known institutions still have crowd which has better soft skills to make up for the non-presence of the brand names.
Would love to have some views on this topic!
Have written a short post to this extent at http://aashishsood.blogspot.com/2010/09/indian-education-boon-or-bane.html
In case some people feel that this is a self promotion then I will remove the link to my post. But I would want some discussion nonetheless!
I don't think it is a bane!! I don't know why everyone's got such a big problem against exams!!! They are meant to test your knowledge! You should have to give a test every term - and that is not something only Indians do. Remembering and reproducing is one of the best ways of learning.
You would say in our 'system', noone studies till the day before the exam. That is why the remembering and reproducing thing doesn't work on a long term. But that is not the system's fault; do your teachers tell you not to study till the last minute!!?! Ofcourse not! The only reason so many people have problems with our education systems is because the students are lazy asses - tutorials and vivas and projects would be so easy to do, so easy to copy, if you think about it!! People getting forced to do something they don't want to is again, not the system's fault. Blame society, blame their own parents!!!
If you really think about it, the Indian education system is far better than the western system till the undergraduate degree. We are definitely better at maths, all of us go to college after school(unlike our western counterparts), hell we even speak their own language better than them! If only we focussed on getting more people educated using our system, than trying to change it!!
Yes, tests are meant to test our knowledge... But that is not what is happening (at least not in schools).
And yes, our teachers do tell us a lot of things which you wouldn't expect from a teacher.
Ashu - As you mentione about the B scholls , it is so true.In order to get admitted they take Gd and Pi but later no attention is being paid on soft skills.Placements too become n issue later.Studnets face problems in getting placed because they are not provided the right skills.I beleive in India , we still are confused when career is being talked about.Unlike , other people we are always confused and the base is not that strong.We keep cahnging decisions and jobs.Somewhere , we do actually lack - Its education system itself or the indian people, that remains the question unanswered.
Priya - I do agree that we create a hell lot of issue about exams and I remember how much peer pressure was on me during Boards.In a way , the society is more responsible for it.
very rightly said, carrer counselling here is just not up to the mark here and placement cells of b.schools are a pity.
Priya - the scenario we are looking at is not the cream n schools of India but overall education system. All of them can't get into IIMs !!1
@Nikita Exactly!! So how can you expect top treatment when you are not in the top school!! When you did not get into the top school!
And you can't say the entrance tests to these Institutes are not fair. Because they are! They are not about remembering and writing : and they can definitely not be passed by just studying one day before the exam! And they do take GDs and PIs before admission! So they are fair to the students. And the students in the other universities get what they worked for.
It's not the fault of the system. Tell me, has every person who commits suicide because he scored less
sorry... i meant: Tell me, has every person who commits suicide because he scored less worked as hard as the topper? No! I'm not talking about intelligence, I'm talking about hard work!
We are not ready to work as hard to score as much when we know we should, and then we blame the system.
We are willing to scold and torture our children to such levels that they would rather die: but we don't blame ourselves when they commit suicide, and we don't blame them for not learning to work hard and just killing themselves: we just blame the system!!!!
@ Ashish: really a valid topic
@ Priya, Nikita, Pramod : I have been observing this conversation very closely and would like to add some inputs : The Indian education system certainly needs to be revamped completely, reservation is the main devil !
how do u expect each and every student to get a 95% for admission in Delhi University ? More infrastructure needs to be created, as reservation will always be there....
secondly there are so many boards in India, state board, CBSE, ICSE, it is not an equal footing for all, there should be a common study pattern and examination for the whole of India, and Union Minister Kabil Sibal is going in the right direction..
as pramod mentioned, career counselling is really reqd at grass roots level... and there is no ambiguity about the entrance tests, they are surely fair..examinations are never a problem, its the entire burden of a whole course which is put up on us for 1 exam...
oh...i could've written a post on it !!!
@Priya: I do agree with what @Nik said here that most of the B-schools ignore soft skills in the later phase and that is something which indeed creates problems during placements and all. Placements may be 100% but then even IIPM claims so. In fact, to be very honest, I feel that students from lesser known B schools have better soft skills because they have to compensate for the lack of Brand name association.
very worthy topic. please see the suicides after results. in a latest event here in kolkata, a couple had a fight over poor result of son. and the lady committed suicide. overburdening, over expectations, I have brought up two sons, and passed this phase myself.
I admit my eldor son was under pressure at tagore int. vasanth vihar, and I came to know later that he used to take his p.g. inmates as guardians to get all the scoldings by teachers.
I m really thankful to them to have shielded my share of bombardments.
now that he is doing his higher studies in u.s. and topping there. much more practical view.
cheating a serious offence there.
we ought to be more libereal.
@ PRIYA,
there are always exceptions, , at undergrad. level how many give placements.
after c.a.t.. etc. which only .1% get into .
which average student is not lucky enough.
@ priya, you forget the munna bhais, the obc.quotas for politician's sons, the suiciders are weaklings, imaginative , touchy students.
the system has an important role in the first place. A teacher demotivating student at top of his lungs. teacher vents out all his venom he receives from his wife on to the students.
I have myself faced a teacher who was so drastic, he once told me to answer a question,in 1978, I was knowing the answer but didn't have the guts to speak up. he came up to me, pinched the lower part of my ear and with the piercing pinch took the small flesh in his hands, blood was dripping out of my ear.
students are cramming pointless things. newer concepts have risen but the older ones have to be crammed.
So true...
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