1

CHAPTER-1

INTRODUCTION

1. It is very difficult for anyone to ascertain which

education system is better and which is not. Because,
both countries USA and India has lot differences in their
culture, demography, history etc. Both governments may
be framing educational policies which are best suited for
their people but we cannot rule out the fact that the
outcome of any policy lies in the way of its
implementation. There are so many things which can
affect the effective implementation of education system
like political will power, availability of funds, social
background of people etc. Although there are so many
things which affects education system but still its basic structure can make a great impact. Hence
it is very important to study the basic structures of education system of both the countries for their
comparative study.

2. In this project work we have studied both Indian and western education system stage wise.
For better understanding both the systems have been elaborated separately and the comparison
has been made in the later part. Maximum emphasis has been given on the higher education
because it is a critical component of human development. Higher education is considered as a key
for economic development and improvement of social structure of a country.
 2

THE APPROACH

 Western Education System equalsEducation System in United States

 Salient Features of Indian Education System

 Salient Features of U.S Education System

 Comparison between the two countries

 Issues with Indian Education System

 Recommendations/Suggestions

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

We have used secondary sources of data in this study which includes books on education
system of India and USA, Government websites of education departments and other website
containing similar data.
 3

CHAPTER-2

HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN INDIA

History
1. The history of education in India is very rich and interesting. One can trace the ancient India
education to the 3rd century BC. Research shows that in the ancient days, sages and scholars
imparted education orally, but after the development of letters, it took the form of writing. Palm
leaves and barks of trees were used for education and this in turn helped to spread the written
literature. Temples and community centers often took the role of schools. When Buddhism spread
in India, education became available to everyone and this led to the establishment of some world
famous educational institutions Nalanda, Vikramshila andTakshashila. These educational institutes
in fact arose from the monasteries. Nalanda University had around 10,000 resident students and
teachers on its roll at one time. These students included Chinese, Sri Lankan, Korean and other
international scholars. It was in the 11th century that the Muslims established elementary and
secondary schools. This led to the forming of few universities too at cities like Delhi, Lucknow and
Allahabad. Medieval period saw excellent interaction between Indian and Islamic traditions in all
fields of knowledge like theology, religion, philosophy, fine arts, painting, architecture,
mathematics, medicine and astronomy. Later, when the British arrived in India, English education
was imposed to help the European missionaries. Since then, Western education has made steady
advances in the country. With hundreds of universities and thousands of colleges affiliated to
them, India has positioned itself comfortably as a country that provides quality higher education to
its people in specific and to the world in general.

Women's Education in India

2. Women constitute almost half of the population in the world. But the male dominating
ideology made them suffer a lot as they were denied equal opportunities in different parts of the
world. The rise of feminist ideas has, however, led to the tremendous improvement of women's
condition throughout the world in recent times. Access to education has been one of the most
pressing demands of the women rights movements. Women's education in India has also been a
major preoccupation of both the government and civil society as educated women can play a very
important role in the development of the country.

History of Women's Education in India

 4

3. Although in the Vedic period women had access to education in India, they had gradually
lost this right. However, in the British period there was revival of interest in women's education in
India. During this period, various socio religious movements led by eminent persons like Raja Ram
Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra
Vidyasagar, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Periyar and Baba Saheb Ambedkar were leaders of the
lower castes in India who took various initiatives to make education available to the women of
India. However women's education got a fillip after the country got independence in 1947 and the
government has taken various measures to provide education to all Indian women. As a result
women's literacy rate has grown over the three decades and the growth of female literacy has in
fact been higher than that of male literacy rate. While in 1971 only 21.97% of Indian women were
literate, as per census of year 201164.63% female were literate. The growth of female literacy rate
in 2011 over 2001 is 20% as compared to 7 % of that of male literacy rate.
 5

CHAPTER-3

EDUCATION SYSTEM OF INDIA – AN OVERVIEW

Stages in Indian Education System

1. The following stages are involved in Indian education system:-

(a) Pre- PrimaryIt consists of children of 3-5 years of age studying in nursery, lower
kindergarten and upper kindergarten. At this stage student is given knowledge about school
life and is taught to read and write some basic words.

(b) Primary It includes the age group of children of 6-11 years studying in classes
from first to fifth.

(c) Middle It includes the age group of children of 12-14 years studying in classes
from sixth to eighth.

(d) Secondary It includes students studying in classes ninth and tenth

(e) Higher Secondary Includes students studying in eleventh and twelfth

classes.

(f) Undergraduate Here, a student goes through higher education, which is

completed in college. This course may vary according to the subject pursued by the
student. For medical student this stage is of four and a half years plus one year of
compulsory internship, while a simple graduate degree can be attained in three years.

(g) Postgraduate After completing graduation a student may opt for post-
graduation to further add to his qualifications.

Education governing bodies in India

2. The various organisations which govern education in India are enumerated below:-

(a) The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) This is the main
governing body of education system in India. It has control over the central education
system. It conducts exam and looks after the functioning of schools accredited to central
education system.

(b) The Council of Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) It is a board

for Anglo Indian Studies in India. It conducts two examinations 'Indian Certificate
 6

of Secondary Education' and 'Indian School Certificate'. Indian Certificate of secondary

education is a Class-10 examination for those Indian students who have just completed
class 10th and Indian school certificate is a Class-12 public examination conducted
for those studying in class 12th.

(c) The State Government Boards Apart from CBSE and CISCE each state in India
has its own State Board of education, which looks after the educational issues.

(d) The National Open School It is also known as National Institute of Open
Schooling. It was established by the Government Of India in 1989. It is a ray of hope for
those students who cannot attend formal schools.

(e) The International School It controls the schools, which are accredited to
curriculum of international standard.
 7

CHAPTER-4

SCHOOL LEVEL EDUCATION IN INDIA

Elementary Education

1. According to the Constitution of India, elementary education is a fundamental right

of children in the age group of 6-14 years. India has about 688,000 primary schools and
110,000secondary schools. According to statistics two third of school going age children of India
are enrolled in schools but the figures are deceptive as many don't attend schools regularly. At
least half of all students from rural area drop out before completing school. The government has
rolled out many plans to increase the percentage of elementary education. The plans such as
'Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA), District Primary Education Program (DPEP), Operation
Blackboard, Mid Day Meal have been successful to great extent.

(a) Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA)

This plan was launched in 2000-2001,SSA has achieved considerable success in

universalising elementary education. Today there are 19.67 crore children enrolled in 14.5
lakh elementary schools in the country with 66.27 lakh teachers at elementary level. This
plan covers the whole country with special emphasis on girl education and education of
Schedule Caste (SC) and Schedule Tribe (ST) children and children with special needs.
The SSA centers are mainly opened in those areas, which do not have any school or where
schools are very far off. Special girl oriented programs include:

(i) Girl education at elementary level.

(ii) National Program for Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL)

(iii) Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV)

(iv) Mahila Samakhya Scheme

(b) District Primary Education Program

This program was launched in 1994 with the objective of universalization of primary
education. Its main features are Universal Access, Universal Retention and Universal
Achievement. It aims that the primary education should be accessible to each and every
 8

child of school going age, once a child is enrolled in school he/ she should be retained
there. The final step is achievement of the goal of education. The main components of this
program are:

(i) Construction of classrooms and new schools.

(ii) Opening of non-formal schooling centers.

(iii) Setting up early childhood education centers.

(iv) Appointment of teachers.

(v) Providing education to disabled children.

The program has been successful to the large extent as 1,60,000 schools and
84,000alternative schools have been opened under this program. And work is going on for
the construction of new buildings of 52,758 schools. 4,20,203 disabled students have been
successfully enrolled into the schools.

(c) Operation Blackboard

It was started in 1987-88. The aim of this program is to improve resource availability
in primary schools of India. According to this program every primary school should have at
least two rooms, two teachers and essential teaching aids like black board, chalk, duster
etc.

(d) National Bal Bhavan

The National Bal Bhavan was opened with the aim of developing overall personalities
of children of all strata of society irrespective of their caste, creed, religion and gender. It
supplements school education by helping children to learn in play way and natural
environment. Other important endeavors taken up by Indian government for the
development of education in India includes:

(i) Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti

(ii) Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan

(iii) Integrated Education for disabled children

(iv) National Council of Educational Research and Training

Secondary Education

2. The enrolment at secondary school throughout the country was close to 28 million in 1998-
99. Efforts are being made to increase this figure through the implementation of proposed new
 9

educational strategies. Education system in India is making fast progress. The data of students'
enrollment at primary and secondary level of school education testifies to it.

Private Education

3. Out of 1.46 million schools in India 54% are managed by the Central and State
governments, 21% are managed by local bodies and rest 25% schools are private schools.
According to some research, private schools often provide superior results at a fraction of the unit
cost of government schools. The pupil teacher ratios are much better in private schools (1:31 to
1:37 for government schools)

4. According to FICCI report published in Hindustan Times on 17 Apr 2017, the average
enrolment in government schools declined from 122 to 108 students per school over five years.
Between 2011 and 2016 students’ enrolment in government school fell by 13 million while private
school acquired 17.5 million students. This drastic decline of enrolment in government schools
offers an insight into Indian government school crisis.
 10

CHAPTER-5

HIGHER EDUCATION IN INDIA

1. Higher Education in India is one of the most developed in the entire world. There has in
fact been considerable improvement in the higher education scenario of India in both quantitative
and qualitative terms. In technical education, the IITs, and in management, the IIMs have already
marked their names among the top higher educational institutes of the world. Moreover the
Jawaharlal University and Delhi University are also regarded as good higher educational institutes
for doing postgraduates courses and research in science, humanities and social sciences. As a
result, students from various parts of the world are coming today for higher education in India.

Higher Education system in India

2. Higher education in India starts after the higher Secondary or 12th standard. While it takes
3 years for completing a B.A., B.Sc or B.Com pass or honours degree from a college in India,
pursuing an engineering course would take four years and five years (with six months of additional
compulsory internship) for completing a bachelor of medicine or bachelor of law degree.
Postgraduate courses generally are of two years duration. But there are some courses like Master
of Computer Application (MCA) that are of three years duration. For those who cannot afford to
attend regular classes for various preoccupations can pursue correspondence courses from
various Open Universities and distance learning institutes in India.

Key players in the Higher Education System in India

3. The University Grant Commission of India is not only the lone grant giving agency in the
country, but also responsible for coordinating, determining and maintaining the standards in
institutions of higher education. Apart from the UGC here are various professional councils that are
responsible for recognizing courses, promoting professional institutes and providing grants to
undergraduate programme. All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Distance Education
Council (DEC),Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR), Bar Council of India (BCI), National
Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), Medical Council of
India (MCI), Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), Indian Nursing Council (INC),Dentist Council of
India (DCI), Central Council of Homeopathy (CCH) and the Central Council of Indian Medicine
(CCIM) are the statutory professional councils of India.
University Education
 11

4. Indian higher education system has expanded at a fast pace by adding nearly 20,000
colleges and more than 8 million students in a decade from 2000-01 to 2010-11. As of 2016 India
has 799 Universities with breakdown of 44 Central universities, 540 state universities, 122 deemed
universities and 90 private universities, 5 institutions established and functioning under the state
act and 75 institutes of national importance which includes IIMs, IITs and NITs. Other institutions
includes 39,071 colleges as government degree colleges and private degree colleges including
1800 exclusive women’s colleges functioning under these universities and institutions as reported
by UGC in 2016
 12

CHAPTER-6

STRUCTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN INDIA

Structure

1. In the Indian system, higher education includes the education imparted after the 10 + 2
stage – ten years of primary and secondary education followed by two years of higher secondary
education.

Academic Year
2. The academic year usually begins in June or July and ends in March or April. Institutions
located in high altitude areas (about one or two percent of the total) follow a different schedule,
beginning in March and going on to December. In most universities which follow an annual
examination pattern the academic year is divided into three terms. A few universities follow the
semester system. There is no organized system of teaching during summer vacations.

Examination System

3. In case of universities following the annual pattern, an end-of-year examination is

held between March and May and the results are declared two months later. Supplementary
examinations are held in October or November. Universities following the semester system have
examinations in November-December and March-April. Most examinations are conducted by the
universities; however, some affiliating universities have reduced the number of university
examinations for a degree. For example, at the Bachelor’s level in the humanities, the
examinations at the end of the first year may be conducted by the college, and the ones at the end
of the second and third years by the university. Centralized evaluation has also been adopted by
some universities to save time in the evaluation of scripts. Internal assessment of the work done
by the student throughout the year carries 10 to 25 percent of the total marks at the undergraduate
level, and 20 to 40 percent at the postgraduate level in some universities. The Engineering,
Medicine and Management institutions have generally adopted the internal assessment system
completely, using a letter-grade and a credit point system.

Medium of Instruction
 13

4. In most of universities the medium of instruction is English. In case of professional courses,

and for science and technical subjects, English is exclusively used for teaching. For the
Humanities, Social Sciences and Commerce faculties, the medium of instruction is both in English
and in regional languages. Postgraduate education is conducted in English in most of the centers.

Academic Degree Course

5. This undergraduate course in India is of three years' duration. After completing this course
students get a Bachelor's degree in the subject studied such as Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor
of Commerce or Bachelor of Science.

Professional Course

6. There are a large numbers of professional courses at the undergraduate level. Student may
opt for any of it depending upon their interest and condition of eligibility.

Medical Courses

7. This course at undergraduate level is known as MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor

of Surgery). It is of four and a half year's duration plus one year of obligatory internship. Various
medical colleges conduct entrance examination for admission to this course. An all India level
examination is also conducted by CBSE for admission to colleges all over India based over 15%
reserved seats.

Management Course

8. In India education in management is one of the most sort out courses. The institutes, which
impart education in management, are known as "Business Schools". In India management
education is given at two levels, undergraduate and post-graduate. Undergraduate degree
courses include BBA, BBS, BBM. Postgraduate degree course is known as MBA (Masters
of Business Administration).The other professional courses offered by Indian universities include,
Architecture, Dental, Fashion Designing, Travel and Tourism.

Distance Education in India

9. Indian Education system offers distance education to those who cannot join regular schools
or colleges. National Institute of Open Schooling offers school education through distance
learning. University Education is also offered through distance learning. Many college courses like
in arts (history, economics, literature, Islamic studies), commerce (finance, banking, accounting)
are offered by Indian universities.
Literacy Rate In India
 14

Expenditure on Education as % of GDP

CHAPTER-7

EDUCATION SYSTEM OF USA – AN OVERVIEW

1. American education system is unlike in many other countries. Though the USA Federal
government contributes almost 10% of its GDP on National Education. Education is primary
responsibility of state and local government. For example in Minnesota (a state in USA) almost
80% of the public education funds come from state government, about 17% from local resources
and less than 5% comes from federal government.
 15

2. Every state has its own department of Education and laws regulating finances, Hiring of
school personnel, student attendance and curriculum. The states also determines the number of
years of compulsory education. In most states education is compulsory from year 5 to 16, but in
some states teens have to stay in schools upto 18 years of age. So, every state has a great
control over what is taught in its schools and over the requirements that a student must meet and
it is also responsible for funding of schools.

3. Early Childhood Education (New born to 5 years) It includes day care

centers and pre-Kindergarten. Day care is not compulsory and it is not free. Day care programmes
are having a schedule of 6 to 12 hours a day. Pre-school or pre-Kindergarten refers to the first
formal academic class-room based learning environment that a child of 3 to 4 years attends.

4. Elementary or Primary Education. It is divided into 2 categories:-

(a) Lower Primary or Kindergarten It includes the children of the age between
5 to 7 years and it follows the pattern of classes as Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2.
Children generally stay in the class room for 6.5 to 7 years.

(b) Upper Primary It includes the children of the age between 8 to 10 years. It
follows class pattern as Grade 3, Grade 4 and Grade 5.

5. Secondary Education It includes middle school and high schools education from
the age of 11 to 17 years. Grade 6 to Grade 8 for children of age between 11 to 13 years called as
middle school and Grade 9 to Grade 12 for children of age between 14 to 17 years called as high
school.
 16

CHAPTER-8
HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM IN USA

1. In America, higher education starts at the age of 18 after the completion of

twelve years of primary and secondary schooling.

Under Graduate Study or Bachelors

2. A candidate who has successfully completed class XII is eligible for the
B a c h e l o r s Programme or Under Graduate Study in USA. The bachelors degree or under
graduate study usually lasts for 4 years. In some cases an accelerated Programme can be
completed in three years, while some professional fields require five years. The 4 year's
undergraduate study is considered as 120 credit hours. One course averages 3c r e d i t s .
S u b j e c t s i n v o l v i n g l a b f a c i l i t i e s w i l l g e t 4 c r e d i t s . Yo u r e c e i v e a B a c h e l o r ' s
degree or undergraduate degree when you finish around 40 courses in different
subjects within the span of four years.1st year students are called Freshmen, 2nd years
Sophomores, third years Juniors and the4th or last year students are referred to as Seniors. The
decision of the major's to be taken i s n e c e s s a r y o n l y a f t e r t h e 2 n d o r S o p h o m o r e
y e a r. D e c i d i n g t h e m a j o r s i s t e r m e d 'Declaring a Major' in US. Many colleges give an
Associate degree after the sophomore year or second year of a Bachelor's degree. It
is the degree awarded after either a college transfer or a 'terminal', One to three year
programme providing training for a specific occupation.

Graduate Study

3. In USA, higher studies after taking a degree or Bachelor's is termed Graduate study. A
candidate who has successfully completed four years of Bachelors
P r o g r a m m e o r Under Graduate Study is eligible to apply for the Master's Degree in USA. The
traditional three year degree (BA, B.Sc, B.com) holders from India must complete an additional
year of degree programme for eligibility. Additional courses which should be taken by them is
decided by the student advisors appointed for them. There are even registered
agencies that will evaluate the subjects studied in India with the courses equivalent in America
and issue a certificate.

Master degree

4. Masters degree is the first Graduate degree in the liberal arts and Sciences and certain
professional fields requiring 30 credit hours of full-time study within a year or 2years.
 17

You can get your Master's degree by taking 8 courses of subjects with 3 credits each
plus a thesis of 6 hours credit or 10 courses of subjects with 3 credits each without the
thesis. Some Universities have a final exam. Usually masters degree include M.S and M.A
degrees. I t is not particular that you continue with the same
m a j o r s t h a t y o u c h o s e f o r undergraduate study-in graduate study. But if you
change the majors, you will have to take additional basic courses for the new subjects. These
courses are called Pre-requisite courses. You have to get a pass in these courses but you may not
get credits for the same.

Research (Doctoral Degree)

4. The highest degree awarded in research-oriented a c a d e m i c disciplines,

usually requiring 3 to 6 years of full time study besides the Bachelor's
degree as preparation for University level teaching and research. Indian
students with a Master Degree can apply for P.H.D. T h e m a i n c r i t e r i o n f o r a d m i s s i o n i s
t h e a p p l i c a n t s ’ i n t e r e s t i n t h e p a r t i c u l a r s u b j e c t o f research.

First Professional Degree

5. The degree required to be academically qualified to practice in certain

professions, such as law, medicine etc usually requires a total of at least six years of
study including prior college level work. It must have as a prerequisite at least two years of college
credit.

Different Educational Institutions in USA

6. Following are the various types of higher educational institutions in USA:-

(a) Junior College or Community Colleges These colleges award only

Associate Degree of Arts (A.A) and Sciences (A.S) which involves 2 year of
study. After receiving Associate Degree, students must join a 4 years college or
University to complete the Bachelor's Degree.

(b) College It is an independent institution that offers a four-year programme of

undergraduate study in the liberal arts (BA, BFA) and sciences (B.S).Bachelors degree is
the basic requirement for graduate work.

(c) Universities Universities are larger institutions that include several

undergraduate colleges, graduate schools, and professional schools. Graduate school
involves 1 or 2 years of study and offers advanced programs in arts and sciences which
gives master's degrees like M.A or M.S, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) etc. Professional
 18

schools are institutions which specialize in a single field of study such as

medicine, pharmacy, business administration, law etc.

(d) Vocational and Technical Institution

These institutes specialize in training for the skilled trades and
t e c h n i c a l f i e l d s o f employment. Duration of the courses depends on the particular
subject. After completion, they will be awarded a certificate of completion and they can
straight away join for a job.

Classes in USA

7. U s u a l l y, f o r m o s t U n i v e r s i t i e s a n d c o l l e g e s t h e y e a r b e g i n s i n l a t e
August or early September and ends in May or June. The academic year is
d i v i d e d i n t o s e m e s t e r s , trimesters or quarter depending on the institution. The
semester system divides the year into 2 equal terms of 16 weeks. Each semester is 4
months. Trimester system has three equal terms of 16 weeks each, including a summer term.
Quarter system divides the year into 3 equal terms of 11 weeks each. Classes are lecture-
based with practical (lab or practicum in U.S). Overhead projector, computer
projections, multimedia are used along with the lectures. Printed notes and additional
information on topics (Handouts in U.S) are given. Professors or advisors are always available to
clear doubts. Interaction in class in encouraged. Each student will be assigned an 'advisor'
who is a member of the faculty. This advisor will help the students to select the
courses to be taken in each semester, plan the whole p r o g r a m a n d m o n i t o r t h e
s t u d e n t s p r o g r e s s . T h e s t u d e n t s r e g i s t e r f o r t h e p a r t i c u l a r courses with the
permission of the advisors.

Tests
8. E a c h s e m e s t e r h a s a n a v e r a g e o f 4 t e s t s . Te s t r a n g e i n s t y l e
f r o m m u l t i p l e c h o i c e (objective type) format designed to gauge your knowledge of
the subject and reasoning ability to essay or problem-solving type tests. There are 3 kinds of
tests - open book tests, closed books tests and take home tests. In the 1st type, you can
refer notes, text book, reference material etc during the test. 2nd one is usual tests
that we have in India. In the3rd one you take the question paper home and answer at
your convenience before the dead line set by the professor. Take home tests often have
essay-based questions.

Grading

9. In American Universities, they give grades instead of ranks or classes for

courses. The grades are A, B, C, D, E, F, I. A is the highest grade. Grades from A to D are
 19

considered as pass. Grade I is granted when students stop the course in between with
the teachers permission. If it is without permission this can become F grade. Marks between 100-
90- ‘A’ Grade (Excellent) Marks between 89-79- ‘B’ Grade (good)Marks between 78-68- ‘C’ Grade
(Average)Marks between 67-57- ‘D’ Grade (Below)Below 57- ‘F’ or fail.
Each grade has points. 4 points for ‘A’ grade, 3 for ‘B’ and 2 for ‘C’. The average points taken for
all the courses taken together are the GPA (Grade Point Average). It is the general
score on a scale of 1.0(lowest) to 4.0 (highest). It is difficult to get admission for graduate study if
you don't have at least a G.P.A of 3.0. G.P.A is computed using a unique formula by the
university's administration. The grades are fixed by the professor's who teach the subjects based
on the performance of the students. The success rate is high.
 20

CHAPTER-9

COMPARISON OF EDUCATION SYSTEM OF

INDIA AND USA

1. At Primary Level

(a) In India, from the elementary classes itself the stress is given more on
memorizing concepts like memorizing the table of number till 15, various algorithms to
add multiply numbers etc.

In US the stress in given more on logical and rational thinking which in turns
lays the foundation of independent and lateral thinking.

(b) In the Indian system, individuals are not asked to stand up in front of the whole
class and recite something. Instead, the whole class reads books out aloud together in
unison. This will not bring out the individual ability.

The American school system lays stress on individual ability development and
encourages kids to express themselves and their opinions from an early age. As a
result, most Americans are way better at getting their point across as compared to
people from other countries.

2. Elective Subjects

(a) In India a very few of these subjects are available as electives and most of the time
they are treated subsidiary to the core subjects like science, mathematics and social
science. This is mainly because the electives like Music, Arts, and Athletics lead to the non-
conventional career path in India, which is avoided.

In USA Visual arts, Performing arts, Computers, Athletics, Publishing, Foreign

Language and Health education can be chosen as elective subjects and these subjects
holds same importance as the core subjects.

3. Examinations

(a) The semester system is widely adopted in India with a final exam at the end of each
semester that accounts for around 75-80% of the total marks. The remaining 20-25% is
 21

awarded in frequent session tests, 2-3 in number per semester. Indian colleges follow a
strict examination pattern common for all

American institutions have a different evaluation system. Students are tested

throughout the semester in midterms and the marks distribution (which is more or less
even) is in the hands of teacher. Hence, there is nothing like a final test and one must be
sound in the subject throughout. Some tests may even be comprehensive and it is the
teacher, who sets the rules of the test,

4. Assignments

(a) Indian teachers are not terribly enthusiastic about giving assignments and like to
judge their students by the session tests.

Assignments are not that common in India as compared to US where these have
significant value and can help the student in improving the overall score. Students are given
assignments regularly, maybe weekly or after every fifteen days.

5. Projects

(a) Indian students too have to submit projects, but mainly in the final years of their
courses. Projects are not part of curriculum in every semester but only the final year

Whereas US educational institutions, have plenty of these. Group as well as

individual projects are weighted heavily in US. These are accountable for 20-40% of the
grade. This is for the practical implementation of the subject. Group comprises of 2-5
member as per the requirement of the project.

6. Percentage/Grading

(a) Indian systems stick to percentage marks obtained whereas in GPA relative marking
is implemented and student is provided a grade point on the scale of 4 or 5. It helps the
student to evaluate where does he/she stand with respect to rest of the class. Few Indian
institutes too have switched to this system on the scale of 10.

(b) The GPA (grade point average) system is widely used in American educational
institutions, while in India they’re not popular yet.

7. Language burden
(a) In India students have to learn minimum two languages and maximum three which
includes English. In most of the states English is an alien language which creates extra
 22

burden on students. In states where mother tongue is not Hindi, students have to bear a
burden of one more language i.e. Hindi.

In US, students pursue their studies in English only which is their mother tongue and
it makes easy to learn and understand the subjects comfortably.

8. Focus
(a) The education in India (and Europe) is more towards teaching the basic concepts
and a broader mass of information. Very few institutions are giving industry oriented
education.

The American college education system is industry-oriented and hence, is structured

so that it produces people who can do a certain type of job efficiently. So it is like a custom-
design factory which produces engineers/workers who can do one or two jobs very well but
require massive retraining if they have to do something new. In contrast,

9. Teachers
(a) In India less emphasis is given on employing well trained teachers. Teachers in India
focuses on what to teach and not how to teach.

(b) In US, teachers are well trained with educational processes and psychology of
education which leads to quality teaching and development of mental faculties of student.
 23

CHAPTER-10

ISSUES IN EDUCATION SYSTEM OF INDIA

1. One study found out that 25% of public sector teachers and 40% of public sector medical
workers were absent during the survey. Among teachers who were paid to teach, absence rates
ranged from 15% in Maharashtra to 71% in Bihar. Only 1 in nearly 3000 public school head
teachers had ever dismissed a teacher for repeated absence.

2. A study on teachers found that 'only about half were teaching, during unannounced visits to
a nationally representative sample of government primary schools in India. Modern education in
India is often criticized for being based on rote learning rather than problem solving. Business
Week denigrates the Indian curriculum saying it revolves around rote learning and Express India
suggests that students are focused on cramming.

3. A study of 188 government-run primary schools found that 59% of the schools had no
drinking water and 89% had no toilets. 2003-04 data by National Institute of Educational Planning
and Administration revealed that only 3.5% of primary schools in Bihar and Chhattisgarh had
toilets for girls. In Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and
Himachal Pradesh, rates were 12-16%.

4. Fake degrees are a problem. One raid in Bihar found 0.1 million fake certificates. In
February2009, the University Grant Commission found 19 fake institutions operating in India. Only
16% of manufacturers in India offer in-service training to their employees, compared with over
90% in China.

5. The country’s higher education system does not focus on the student but the grade. Most
institutions think that academic qualification and certification from a higher education institution is
far more important than a building a personality.

6. The last but not the least failure of our education system is after so many years it has not
being able to reduce social disparity in our country. In fact, social disparity has gone up.
 24

CHAPTER-11

SUGGESTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS

In order to attain a progressive growth in the education system the following suggestions
are made

(a) The Government should re-plan their education policies and should bring innovative
plans in order to set up proper education system.

(b) The standard of teaching needed to be raised in order to cope up with the
present pace of modernisation.

(c) More and more schools, colleges, universities should be established so that every
student can gain benefits.

(d) New and modern courses should be adopted in all the institutions.

(e) Education should be equally imparted in rural and backward areas.

(f) Vocational courses should also be introduced at early stage.

(g) More budgets should be allocated to the education sector.

(h) Uniform national/international syllabus should be adopted in all the institutions.

 25

CHAPTER-12

CONCLUSION

1. The education system in India is not up to the mark as compared to the western countries.
Although the education system in India is improving but we have to take necessary steps to make
it feasible and up to the mark. Indian Education System is not keeping pace with the progresses in
other fields in the country and the consequence is felt in the fields of other developments. It is like
rotten apple spoiling other sweet apples in a basket. Education System in India is a neglected
area.

2. The number of new Universities and Centres of Higher Education in India is not on par with
the increase in the population of the country. The Government is making its efforts to improve the
existing system of education by formulating certain policies and is making elementary education
necessary for everyone. Efforts such as SSA, NVPG etc are being made to improve the existing
system but it is not enough, the government should make some more improved steps in order to
compare with the western system of education in order to cope up with the western system of
education especially USA we have to make/ frame new policies and we have to make more
changes in the prevailing structure of education.

3. Furthermore the Govt. should invest more money in the education sector and it should
establish more schools, colleges and universities so that to improve the education system.
 26

BIBILIOGRAPHY

 http://theviewspaper.net/educating-india/

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_India

 http://www.unicef.org

 http://www.scribd.com

 http://recomparison.com

 Guide to the education system in the United States by Antonella Corsi-Bunker (University of
Minnesota)