Students are stressed. Parents are stressed. Teachers are stressed. Rote learning, unnecessary pressure of finishing the syllabus and inadequate training of the teachers has resulted in the collapsed education system in India.

Remember when Gurus sat around the tree in the open and students learned by doing and experimentation?

Those were the golden days when a lot of scientific discoveries were done and students are more inclined towards finding new answers.

The British rule brought in an educational system where teachers were asked to transfer specific information and students were expected to learn it. 

It’s 2019 and we are still stuck with what was implemented more than 100 years ago. It’s time for the Indian education system to change because we need to upgrade our teaching methods and keep the student at the center of learning.

Reasons why Indian Education system needs a makeover

 1.Unhealthy Competitive Nature

Since primary grade, knowingly or unknowingly, teachers and parents encourage students to compete with each other in terms of marks. Celebrating the student getting the highest grade or even making it a discussion point makes the rest of the “average” students feel left out. It is engrained in the minds that either you get the top rank or nothing at all.

We forget that the best of inventions or discoveries are done by so-called “average” students. We need to get out of this rat-race and celebrate each student’s uniqueness, kindness and contribution to society.

2.Untrained teachers

Rote learning is not the right way to instill lifelong learning. We know that now! The syllabus has been changed and various new methodologies such as project-based and activity-based learning. These methodologies are highly rewarding given that the teachers guide the students through the learning process.

These methodologies are complex in nature and it has been assumed by the system that they would know how to go about teaching with the help of these methodologies.

The result is chaotic and opposite of what was intended. The teachers are not trained in conducting the activity in a class full of students and the students are lost most of the times.

The responsibility of completing the project or activity comes on the parent and the child is again left out of the learning process.

Related blog: The Trends of Skill Based Education & Unschooling in India!

3.Heavy curriculum

The curriculum followed by the Indian educational system is book-driven. Most of the parents feel that the teacher must cover all the exercises in the book or else the child won’t learn what he is supposed to learn in that specific grade.

Also, the curriculum is designed to fit all types of students. A slow-learners and an average student is expected to learn complex concept as effortlessly as a student who aces all subjects. The current curriculum does not allow any room for taking time to get all students come to a common level.

4.Outdated curriculum

How many times have we said, “Why are we learning this?” or “What is the use of this concept?”? We are following the same curriculum that was relevant a few decades ago. The students can’t connect to the learning material, thus creating a knowledge gap. The curriculum should be such that it keeps abreast with the changing times while preparing students for the unforeseen future.

5.Relevance to the job market

The knowledge gained by the students today might not be relevant to the job that they have tomorrow. The Indian education system still lays emphasis on cliched streams such as engineering and medicine. The job market has changed drastically, thanks to the constant innovation of technology. Yet, our current curriculum does not prepare our students to be job ready when they graduate.

6.Not enough emphasis on creativity and innovation

The ancient gurukul system encouraged creativity, experimentation, learning by doing, and innovation. The current Indian education system does not have the bandwidth to have students be creative or innovative enough for them to learn these important skills.

If every child is encouraged to participate in discussions, be creative while presenting solutions, or innovate, there is a high possibility that the curriculum won’t be done.

As the Indian parents and schools gauge the productivity of the school year by the amount of syllabus completed, it is nearly impossible to nudge students towards creativity and innovation.

Our Indian education system hardly educates us. Mark Twain once said that” I have never let my schooling interfere with my education”. The curriculum followed by the Indian schools should be able to produce future-ready students and not some learning machines.

 Also Read:Current Education System of India: Is it the Cause for Unemployment?

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