An Opinion on the Indian Education System
The schooling system in the world’s second-most populated country is bit of an oddball, when compared to that of other countries. About 65% of the country’s population are youngsters, which is why we see a lot of Indians being selected for Multinational companies over their foreign compatriots. It can be said without doubt that though this system is what I consider to be robotic, it still delivers.
The Indian education system does not allow any room for innovative thoughts. The idea is basically forcing students to memorise tons of theories, most of them outdated. They want the students to be able to derive various equations that have already been solved (Seriously, what’s the point?).
The primitiveness of the system is quite baffling. We’re dealing with new scientific ideas everyday. The world has moved on. But well, the prioritisation of marks over practical knowledge is not the right way to choose people for organisations that strive to improve the condition of an average human being (If this isn’t fixed, world peace, which was always a bit of a long shot, will remain as such).
What more, the students have to commit themselves to rigorous study. Seriously. The Schools/Colleges/Universities recommend the students to follow a six-hour study schedule everyday, excluding the time they spend on campus. And any time they have left is spent in relaxation and recreation. As such, they do not possess the time to improve their other skills (Yeah, the skills one actually USES in their later life).
But still, many international companies seem to have an eye for Indian graduates. Although I do not know why, it seriously does not bode well for them because India is a developing country that is still following 19th century ideals. Like in all cases, there are exceptions.
Most of the international corporate giants today are of Indian origin. Satya Nadella (CEO, Microsoft), Indra Nooyi (CEO, PepsiCo), and of course, the latest entry: Sundar Pichai, the newly appointed CEO of Google. These captains of the industry are a true inspiration to their fellow countrymen. However, it is worth noting that most, if not all of them, rose to greatness through hard work and commitment, not with their grades.
The main cause for the system’s stagnation in improvement is entirely political in nature. Sure, people seem to think that the country has an almost perfect leader in their Prime Minister, but I think otherwise. A good leader needs to feel the pulse rate of his followers and take appropriate steps to ensure the improvement of all. Instead, he chooses to take a world tour and cripple the financial status of 92% of the population to root out the other 8%’s illegal monetary resource. Corruption, laziness (I know, right?), cultural stigma etc. prevent this country from clearing it’s backlogs and propelling itself into the fray as a super-power of the world.
