Education in India: Birth right or Investment?
The current education system was designed in the industrial age and it was meant to prepare students to efficiently grasp and follow orders which were given to them. This format is based on memorizing and follows a “Just-in-case” model of learning. In this model, the students are taught concepts that they may need in the future.
“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” — Albert Einstein
The industrial age is long gone and we are currently in the Digital age. Where access to information is almost instant and limitless. So here, the just-in-case model doesn’t make any sense. We can easily afford to learn concepts only when we actually need to use them. This method is popularly referred to as the “just-in-time” model.
But the bigger problem is seen after school hours. There was a time when going to tuitions after school hours meant that the student was performing poorly in school and needed extra help. But that is not the case anymore. Tutions and coaching classes have started to boom lately. They have found a very smart way to capitalize on the fear of board/entrance exams that the parents instill in their kid’s minds. This puts a lot of unhealthy pressure on students as well as parents.
These coaching institutes charge very heavy amounts of fees which is not at all justifiable. But the parents are blinded by the dreams of seeing their kid’s apparent success. So, they invest large amounts of money. This is happening on a very big scale which is putting the country in an educational bubble. This has to stop. Or this bubble will someday burst and things will get really ugly.
Changes required
- Eradicate the dependence of students on tuition/coaching classes.
- Encourage self-paced learning.
- Provide real life “study materials” created by real experts on demand.
- Reduce spoon feeding and let students figure things out on their own
- Let students explore different career options and make decision based on that
Education 2.0
We need an education 2.0 where everything works differently. This should be a system where education is perused with the intent of learning and not as an investment. Students should be able to explore various streams without exams getting in the way. There are so many more things but most importantly, education should be free and decentralized. No single entity should dominate in the field of education. Because Education is not an industry, it is one of the most basic necessities of life.
