Education in India: Is it suitable for the minds of our youth?

A generation of great thinkers can make a lot of difference not only for the country in which they are born, but also impact the entire world. The society’s outlook towards learning and character building is what it takes to define the attitude of the youth. The future of any country depends upon its young generation. India still being a developing country and not a developed nation as yet needs a strong education system to churn out smart professionals and reinstate the level of knowledgeable wealth our country can offer the world.

Education system in India still lacks that power to become an asset in the country’s progress. Education system in India is handled by both public and private sector. Many schools, colleges and universities are funded by the government but still many drawbacks have been pointed out in these institutions. Even many basic institutions meant to provide primary education do not meet the standards set by the government neither are they checked upon by the government regarding the way they are run. Children in villages and smaller towns do not have an easy access to primary education. They have to struggle really hard in order to obtain primary education which is their right like travelling long distance in tough conditions. Many girls are especially denied education in many parts of the country. Such schools lack basic and necessary facilities that a school should have like toilets and even roof over the school building in some cases.

If these basic amenities such as proper education are not met by the government as well as the institutions how do we expect our country to become a super power. Even the higher education system is no different. There is lack of administration in the universities itself. Strict rules made by the universities are not followed by the college authorities themselves let alone the students. Many universities have not maintained their level when it comes to education meted out to the students.

The poor quality of education in our country is not just due to the lack of facilities and administration but also because of the poor quality of teaching. The teaching methods lack depth which fails to explain the concept itself. The teaching in schools and colleges is based on rote learning. There is no emphasis on originality.  Education in India has become only exam based. When schools and colleges do not adopt proper teaching methods, students enrol themselves in private classes and tutorials which has become a money making business nowadays. It has as a matter of fact grown into huge and separate industry.

Another reason for poor quality of education is poor quality of teachers in government schools and colleges. Government institutions are unable to attract good quality of teachers because of lack of teaching facilities and low salaries. Due to poor quality of teaching in government institutions many of the people belonging to middle class send their children to private schools which are unaffordable by the people belonging to the lower middle class.

There should be equality in terms of the education given to the children irrespective of the gender and the social strata they belong to. If there is no equality in the system then the real potential of the children will remain untapped.

Another aspect that pulls our education system backwards is that it has been associated with the stigma of sexual harassment and ragging of children in schools and colleges. Many instances have been reported about sexual assaults and ragging of students even in the elite schools and colleges. These institutions are not considered safe any more for children. Parents are scared to send their children to schools fearing such things. Our laws need to be strict and stringent to tackle such issues with competence. Also implementation of these laws is equally important.

The government should make some strict policies regarding maintaining the level of education meted out to the students. Policies should also be made in order to keep in check about the facilities given to students as well as the teachers. All the malpractices should be dealt with stringent laws and punishments immediately. If these policies are regulated by the government and are checked upon from time to time then only can we expect the youth of India to flourish. In order to “Make in India”, our youth needs to acquire the right guidance and knowledge from our education system for turning our country into a superpower.