Indian Education: The Need To Overhaul The System

Ruchir Arora May 18, 2019

Do you know India fares extremely poorly in the global ranking of higher education universities? Even though we have good infrastructure, educators, and we produce some of the best minds, only 2 Indian universities made it to the top 200 list of QS World University Ranking 2019. In spite of having the right ingredients, we don’t stand among the top universities in the world.

This begs the question…what is lacking in the Indian education system?

Before we dive into what we lack, let’s take a look at our strengths.

As per the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Rankings, the jewels of the Indian education system are the only ones shining on the global map. These include Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay at rank 162 and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru at rank 170.

Other institutes that have made the top 500 list are IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee, IIT Guwahati and the University of Delhi.

The strengths of Indian universities continue to be Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects with India's 8 IITs and IISc being ranked 104 times so far.

So why other Indian schools are not able to emulate the success of the above mentioned esteemed institutes or why aren’t said schools ranking higher?

What is missing?

Focus on theory, not application: A survey published in Hindu Business Line said that 95 per cent of engineers in India are unfit for software development jobs. This is an eye-opener considering the lakhs of engineers we churn out every year. These engineers are unfit because the theory in textbooks is not backed by practical application. The education structure does not allow graduates to be job-ready.

Focus on precedence, not innovation: While universities in the US, UK, Singapore, etc. are constantly coming up with a new curriculum that teaches newer disruptive technologies and scientific developments, we are still following the older syllabus. While it did work in the past, it may or may not be relevant today.

Focus on herd mentality, not individualism: Students in India are not encouraged to follow their passion and be free-thinkers. Being pushed into engineering or medicine because of parental and societal pressure is not going to produce the next Jeff Bezos – today the richest man on Earth! Only if students are allowed to pursue their heart will we have brilliant innovators.

How can these shortcomings be addressed?

Counselling and cohesive ecosystem: Exposure to different vocations is the need of the hour. Unfortunately, adequate counselling is not given to students to help them discover their strengths and likings. As every student is unique, counselling should be given to each one of them to help them identify their true calling. This will not only help find diamonds in the rough but will also ensure a successful and happy life.

Additionally, for a well-rounded education, there should be a basic understanding of various vocations. Understanding the arts will help an engineering student design beautiful solutions and understanding humanities will enable brilliant scientific breakthroughs.

Curriculum with an emphasis on practice: Students need to be imparted knowledge and taught the skills that would be useful in their professional life. They should also be taught how to apply that knowledge in the real world. The emphasis needs to shift from textbooks to practical application.

Champion new-age technologies like AI and ML: The curriculum and methodology at Indian education institutes need to evolve. The syllabus needs to incorporate advancements such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. This will help train and mould students in upcoming fields who can then go on to build game-changing products and solutions.

In conclusion

The Indian education system really need to buckle up if we want to produce talent that can compete at the global level. There is a lot to learn from the West and lot to dig up from our rich history.

Ancient institutes such as Taxila and Nalanda are some of the oldest recognised universities of learning, where students pottered with language, medicine, mathematics, logic, philosophy, metaphysics, arts, music, etc. India has been the seat of learning and culture for thousands of years and we have the potential to reclaim the throne.

Source:

https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2019