Education System In

India: Make A Living

or Make A Life?
Yet again a teacher sent to jail for having slapped a child and yet again a student
at IIT attempted a suicide! On one hand is a teacher who threw acid on a girls
face because she rejected his marriage proposal while on the other hand a
student fails in all his exams but still gets promoted and gets a first class degree
because of donation and bribery. These have become an everyday news
headline now. So who is to be blamed for all this- the Education system, the
teachers, the parents or the children?
First lets start with the basic meaning of education and its purpose.In simple
words it involves two main processes i.e. teaching and learning. The
main purpose of education is to develop knowledge, skill and the character of a
person. It is process of passing information from one person (teacher) to the
other (student). Today education is just a social symbol to prove that a person is
literate. It is both the passport and visa for getting a job with a high salary
package. But can a person with many degrees, holding a high position in a
reputed company and having no moral values be called educated?

Today, education has become a mere business. In an attempt to increase the

number of educational institutes, the quality of education is being lost. As the
number of institutes increase, the need for teachers also increases. There are
many teachers who teach for the sake of good salary and easily shift to another
school if he/she is offered a better pay. I do not deny the fact that we also do
have many teachers who teach whole-heartedly. Modern schools may teach
discipline, but when it comes to ethics and moral values, all of us know very well
what the result is. The present system teaches how to make a living not how to
make a life!!

What is life without morals? Where has the values-based education gone? There
was the time of Gurukul education where the moral values were given more
importance than the materialistic book knowledge. Teachers were treated like
Gods. In the Gurukuls everything was taught right from the Vedas to archery,
Forestry to meditation.I am not saying that we should get back to the Gurukuls
and learn the moral values and Vedas but In our education system moral values
and material knowledge should be balanced. The syllabus in schools should be
made flexible to accommodate for both the essentials. The outside world is
changing everyday and so should the syllabus being taught in schools and
colleges. If the students are supposed to just rattle off the same things that their
parents and grandparents learnt years before, then what is the use of such
education? The syllabus should include courses that enhance ones thinking
abilities, that builds up ones character and of course give an introduction to the
subject chosen by the student.

Also, parents play a very important role in determining their childs future. A
child should be given freedom to choose his/her own career. Right from
7th standard the parents pressurize their kids to study well so that they can get
admitted in top colleges like the IITs and NITs. They send their children to
coaching centres who are manufacturers of IIT and NIT products. But they
dont realize that its ultimately their kids who are going to suffer.
I am not here to talk about the drawbacks of the educational system. If I lay
further emphasis on the flaws in the system, youll surely say I am being too
pessimistic. Every coin has two sides- the good and the bad. I have spoken quite
a lot about the bad side. The modern educational system is scientific and more
realistic. It helps in building up a competitive spirit which is most required in
todays fast paced world. It has been bringing a socio-economic transformation
in the society. The Indian education system is considered one of the best
systems of education. It makes the students mentally strong to face the cruel
challenges of life.
The system could be made better with the cooperation of the students, parents
and teachers. The students first need to be clear about what they really want to

do in life. The next step has to be taken by the parents. As parents their role
should be to encourage their kids to take up what they wish to do. After a
particular class, say 8th standard, the educational institutes should make it
optional for the students to choose subjects of their interests. In colleges,
instead of laying much stress on the book knowledge, what could be done is give
an introduction about the subject to the students and then make it compulsory
for each student to do a research/project on that respective subject and finally
give a presentation on the research topic given by them.

A bit more moral-based education and a more analytical and practical approach
rather than a theoretical approach could make the educational system in India
stronger and education more worthwhile. As an individual we surely cant bring
about a change in the system but if each and every one of us who is a part of the
educational system right from the authorities at high levels to the students does
our bit individually in trying to reform the system we surely can succeed up to a
certain limit. It is up to us to decide whether we wish to opt for a living or a life!!