BAJPAI 1

MEASURES TO INITIATE EDUCATIONAL

REFORMS IN INDIA

SUBMITTED BY:

SUBMITTED TO:

ALANKRIT BAJPAI

MRS. ALKA MEHTA

ROLL NO. 8, SECTION C

DEPT. OF ENGLISH

SEMESTER 1, B.A. LL.B (Hons.)

HNLU, RAIPUR

HIDAYATULLAH NATIONAL LAW

UNIVERSITY
UPARWARA, NEW RAIPUR
DEPT. OF ENGLISH

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DATE: 20-08-2014

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this research work titled Measures to

Initiate Educational Reforms in India is my own work and represents
my own ideas, and where others ideas or words have been included, I
have adequately cited and referenced the original sources. I also declare
that I have adhered to all principles of academic honesty and integrity
and

have

not

misrepresented

or

fabricated

or

falsified

any

idea/data/fact/source in my submission.

...
(ALANKRIT BAJPAI)

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Date:

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I, ALANKRIT BAJPAI, would like to humbly present this project to
Mrs. Alka Mehta.I would first of all like to express my most sincere
gratitude to Mrs. Alka Mehta for her encouragement and guidance
regarding several aspects of this project. I am thankful for being given
the opportunity of doing a project on Measures to Initiate Educational
Reforms in India. I am thankful to the library staff as well as the IT lab
staff for all the conveniences they have provided me with, which have
played a major role in the completion of this paper.
I would like to thank God for keeping me in good health and senses to
complete this project. Last but definitely not the least, I am thankful to
my seniors for all their support, tips and valuable advice whenever
needed. I present this project with a humble heart.

-ALANKRIT BAJPAI
SECTION C, ROLL NUMBER 8

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SEMESTER I, B.A. LL.B (HONS.)

TABLE OF
CONTENTS
COVER PAGE....1
DECLARATION.2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT....3
TABLE OF CONTENTS.4
INTRODUCTION..5
THE REAL PROBLEM...6
MEASURES TO INITIATE EDUCATIONAL
REFORMS IN INDIA..7
SOLUTION METHODOLOGY9
ONE NATION ONE INSTITUTION...12
SUGGESTIVE MEASURES..13
CONCLUSION14

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INTRODUCTION
Indian Education System needs serious reforms and changes. In India, the
preferred choice of learning is memorizing facts. To judge the students talent
has only one parameter i.e. marks in examinations. The general current
system focuses only on examinations rather than training students for the
future and really testing their knowledge. Because of this, students are forced
to take tests that show only their retention powers, not their actual capacity or
knowledge. So the students just mug up the facts with no actual gain of
knowledge, just to get good marks and not with the intention of learning
something new. Indian education is therefore spoon-feeding. The Indian
education and hence the social systems are very harsh on kids and completely
ignore their capabilities and ambitions. Kids are pushed to study from the age
of 3. Non-performers are treated as dolts and are shunned by parents and the
community. Every parent thus expects its child to score 95% and not less.
According to me there should be only two grades; pass or fail, at least till 10 th
grade. So that the main aim of any student becomes to gain knowledge and
not score 95% marks by mugging up.

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THE REAL PROBLEM

There is no practical knowledge in our education system. Our education
system mainly focuses on theoretical knowledge. Some basic theoretical
knowledge is indeed needed but practicality brings in more understanding. So
that in future, if a situation arises where in a person is required to apply the
knowledge he had learnt in school, he can easily apply it practically rather
than speaking up like a parrot and not actually applying it. For example, the
schools can take the students to market and make them analyze it as a part of
economics syllabi or taking them to parks and telling them about various trees
as a part of Biology syllabi. It will not only make it interesting but also bring
in the implementation and the execution of the theoretical knowledge. It
should be based on creativity rather than mugging.
Basic mannerism should be taught at primary level teaching that earlier-times
schools used to do. Children should be taught how to eat, pray and speak to
elders. The basic development of a child takes pace between 5 years to 8 years
of age. So at that time, good habits should be inculcated in them.
We are following the same procedure and subjects again and again. There is
no change in the basic structure of the syllabi since ages. If we want to get the
desired output, we have to make changes in that algorithm and execute it.
There are some topics that are of no use so as to be studied in schools. Topics
like integration and differentiation or co-ordinate geometry are of no use in
everyday life, unless one becomes an engineer. So, these topics should only be
taught at higher levels as the specialization subjects. So, if one aims to go to an
engineering college, he gets to read it. If not he doesnt.

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MEASURES TO INITIATE
EDUCATIONAL REFORMS IN
INDIA
Some subjects or rather, they can be regarded as activities, should be made a
compulsory part of syllabi. These include sports, public speaking, current
affairs, etc. Sports are very much essential in ones life. As it s well said, all
work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Children today are very inactive.
Neither do they prefer playing in the fields nor do they have stamina to do so.
So, making sports a compulsory curriculum will make children active and
zealous. Another thing that is talked about is, public speaking. Most schools
do not have public speaking as a curriculum. Children of those schools may
have knowledge but are afraid to speak up in public. Making public speaking
a compulsory activity will make students not only interactive but also
confident. Every person has to, at one or many time in life, speak in public.
One has to give presentation, debate on particular topic and interact with a
large gathering at some point of time in life. If this activity were introduced in
schools as compulsory activity, one would never have stage fear and be afraid
of facing public gatherings. The next thing is current affairs. We see that
children of this generation do not read newspapers in general. Interest has to
be developed for newspaper readings. Current affairs should be made a
compulsory subject. Current affairs keep the person updated about the recent
happening in the world around. So, if at the developing age, a child is kept
updated about the current events, he will automatically develop interest in it

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and therefore, when he grows up, he will then still try to keep himself updated
of the current affairs.
So the main point is that the syllabus needs to be updated according to the
need of the hour. Traditional method of teaching should be foregone. New
subject and methods to teach are to be introduce which make the student
skillful and not aim at scoring well in examinations.

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SOLUTION METHODOLOGY
Another thing is that as subjects, the basic subjects that a child is taught are
science and mathematics, with some of basic social sciences. After 10 th he is
expected to choose subjects from science (math and biology), commerce and
humanities. When a child has no idea of what other subjects are except science
that he has been actually taught till 10th standard, how is he expected to choose
his area of interest amongst the three, of which he has knowledge of only one.
The point is that, by making him study science throughout till his 10 th grade,
his thinking, interest and aim is narrowed and delimited to science and
mathematics only and therefore, the two major choices most children have is
to become either an engineer or a doctor. An overview of other occupational
specialization should be given to them so that they can have a wider scope to
choose between subjects and determine their area of interest with the
knowledge of that particular subject. For example, basic law of the land can
be introduced to student to develop their interest towards law. Being a law
aspirant, in my 11th and 12th grade I had no specific subject to be chosen for
this career. At the end of 12th, I realized that what I had studied may have
theoretically added knowledge to my mind, but was practically of no use. So in
this case, when all the classmates, who aspire to become doctors and
engineers, find classrooms the most interesting place is, for a law student, just
a place to be present for passing the minimum attendance requirement.

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Another reform that is to be needed is in examination of 12 th grade. There can

be two things done. Either there can be two type of result, pass and fail. Or
there should be entrance examinations in all the universities and colleges. The
major problem is when a person even after trying at the fullest of his
capabilities score 50%actually fails. Even after being very happy to score
50%, he has to face the trauma of not getting admission in any of the
university. So even when his score sheet says pass he ironically fails to even
apply for the university he wishes to go to because most of the universities
dont give examinations to those scoring 50% or less. He then tries to reappear in his 12th only to realize that he cant do any better. Instead, there
should be either pass or fail category. Where in a person who fails is at least
mentally prepared to re appear and then works harder and harder to pass. So
all the students passing can at least apply for the colleges they wish to go for.
The present condition is that firstly score above 50% in boards (which is 80%
in most reputed universities) and then apply for entrance tests. Instead there
should be only one criterion either boards marks, which is pass or fail, or
entrance test that should have no relation with the board marks. Because a
person may do exceptionally good in entrance test if it is of his interest and
may not score that well in boards.
Another important thing that is seen is the lack of capable teachers. A very
important thing for becoming a teacher is that he should be able to convey his
knowledge. A person may be very intelligent otherwise, but every intelligent
person may not be a good teacher. Good communicating skills are required to
be a good teacher. What we see these days is a student of even 5 th grades going
to tuitions because of the simple reason that the teacher at school is not

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interactive enough to make him understand the subject. The existence of

tuition centers refutes the whole idea of having schools. When there actually
arises a need to go to tuition centers, why do parents spend so much to send a
child to school? Instead there should be proper training for teachers
communication and interaction skills so that they can at least convey to the
students what they try to teach. Course should be Qualitative not
Quantitative.

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ONE NATION ONE INSTITUTION

One education board should be there that has proper evaluation system and
gives equal importance to both practical and theoretical learning. Too many
certification institutions with their own curriculum and procedural
functioning have led to a state of chaos and confusion and due to this a proxy
war has ensued between them for their ideologies. If government opens new
schools/colleges

providing

quality

education

through

same

syllabus

throughout the country, I think it will open doors towards higher education in
a way that students from backward states and those belonging to poor families
can avail quality education in the country's best institutions.
The general education system is focused only on examinations rather than
training students for the future and really testing their knowledge. Because of
this, students are forced to take tests that show only their retention powers,
not their actual capacity or knowledge. So, engineers today cannot do actual
work in technology. Students are more oriented towards professionalism and
they take examinations for the same rather than to gain knowledge, or do
research in the subject. In our colleges, we have infrastructure and good
faculty, but there is no motivation to do research. Even in the field of
medicine, no one is motivated to do research because everyone wants to score
good by mugging up as this is the only criteria recruiters follow to recruit.

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SUGGESTIVE MEASURES
True that educational pattern in India needs reformation. India reforming its
education will become developed from developing. The steps that should be
undertaken are:
Despite having the desire and skills, thousands of students in the
country are not able to pursue education. Only 50 per cent of the
students in the country have access to proper education. This situation
should change and be assured by the government.
Practical knowledge should be given, to make the subjects more
interesting and bring in implementation of the rote theoretical
knowledge.
More curricular activities like sports, public speaking etc. should be
made compulsory in schools.
Introduction and overview of commerce, law, architect and other
professional subjects should be done so as to broaden and widen the
scope and let the student discover his area of interest from the variety of
subjects.
Basic mannerism in primary schools should be introduced.
The main aim should be that children be made skillful for subjects and
not merely scoring good marks.

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Teachers should be made interactive and communicable.

CONCLUSION
According to a global survey conducted in 74 countries, India was ranked
73rd in terms of quality of education, while China got the top spot. We need to
do more to improve the quality of our school education. Thus, it is high time
that we take certain steps immediately so that not only the level of education is
increased which will enhance an individuals knowledge but also it will in turn
lead to the up liftman of the country that we really need and certainly India
will become one of the best in terms of education and soon it will be a
developed nation. Hence, it can be rightly said that Indian Education System
Needs Serious Reforms. The society need to change its maximum marks
mentality and encourage the children to go ahead in other fields also.
The last and the foremost important thing is that the Central and State
governments should work towards making the higher education accessible to
all. Even after being able to afford and being capable enough to score good
marks, in many areas, there is no existence of schools, let apart the
infrastructure facilities. The assurance to open up schools in the rural areas is
the first need of the hour. Now it depends upon the government as to how it
interprets the real problem and how fast the reply comes on the face of it.

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