A Take on the Indian Education System

by jithela on August 27th, 2010 2

All through our growing up days, we have been told to be free in our thinking and that we are allowed to express freely. The kids are told that they have the whole world at their feet and they can let their imaginations go wild. Also thanks to our constitutions that grants us our right to freedom of speech and expression, we live in world of denial.

When I talk about the freedom of expression I speak of schools and colleges where the students are in the best age of creativity and experimenting with the real world. Today most of the colleges under autonomous rule have stringed rules and regulations that restrict students in every way possible to express them. Dress codes are something that has been debated ever since they have been imposed which many colleges have especially the ones in Bangalore and Mumbai. But it is a fact that as far as a college is concerned decency and code of conduct comes first and is important.

But another problem that students feel is the restriction on free thinking and creative way of working in colleges. Our university system, still being in the 21^st century is dominated by old school system where everything is ruled by traditional ways of teaching controlled to books and libraries.

Merlin from Christ University feels that “that they curb freedom because you have to think about rules constantly and getting to right people when they are in the right mood. But in think it’s not just individual universities, but the whole educational system that itself is based on memorizing and reproducing. That’s what curbs the freedom. You can always work around the rules and regulations. But when you are told to learn and do things in a specific way your imagination and creativity in limited from that moment itself”

Assignments and exams come as a part and parcel of the colleges and university but it always poses a question as to how much are you allowed to think and work beyond what you have been taught? Right from the beginning of the college till the last year the students are trained for the industry. If the educational system are not updated with the current industry system how are they to build the students for it?

“Rules and regulations need to be present in any institution. Especially in an educational institution. However, these rules should not curb one’s thinking to such an extent that the student is not able to bring out his point of view with regards to certain issues” Smriti. R, Chennai.

It is surprising to see that the books referred today are still ten years old which most of the colleges follow. Whereas the students who look up internet for references are turned down saying they are being plagiarized or they are not authentic information. Today in world where everything revolves around information revolution and competitions we still doubt whether the educational system is good enough to train the students for the stiff neck competitions. The life of the students revolves more or less around the marks and grades which as a matter of fact countless as far as industry knowledge and experience is concerned in the corporate world.

Debates have been on for more than a decade now questioning the credibility of the educational system in India, but very less has been done to revise and update them. Everything comes down to having the best infrastructure which most of the college lack but then there is no comprise on the heavy fees which every college demands.

Many a times we feel the gurukul system that existed many years ago was more effective since they studied in the open where the students had the freedom to see, think and express freely. As today where the students are restricted in the four walls of the classroom, their thinking and free expression are curbed owing to college morale and ethics of the university.

Image Credit: University of Minnesota Simpletribes

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