Basic concern about our Education System:
The purpose of education is to create a well rounded human personality, inspired with a right sense of human values and equipped with capabilities to deal with the problems that arise in one’s mind and in the environment surrounding us all of nature and of society
Oscar Wilde had once remarked,” that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught and that self-training is the best education”. Still there is a general feeling that formal education is must for the growth of a person
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru said “ No Subject is of greater importance than that of education. It is the men and women in a country that make and build a nation and it is education that is supposed to build those men and Women “
The vast spread of education in India has resulted into education for all in a true sense. Presently our Colleges and Universities are facing the credibility crises, especially the way the education is managed including the work culture provided. Also there are enhanced expectations from the society relating to value from the investment in education for their wards. With the increasing resources crunch, a new paradigm of “earning your own money” is becoming reality.
The Privatization in higher technical education is emerging fast. From a protected system, we are moving to a competitive system of education. Also the globalisation and breaking of communication barriers is leading to unversalisation of higher education. In this transition, public institutions such as Universities and Colleges are facing major challenges of revamping their educational system and devising procedures to meet the growing expectations of our society. For continued success, we need to develop sound educational policies including
· Institutional autonomy,
· Improved quality of teachers improved educational facilities,
· Orientation / Refresher courses,
· Decentralisation of educational administrators etc.
The rise and fall of a nation depends on the success or failure of its education system. We need to implement innovative steps to modernise. Need for value based career building education. Can we confidently say that a student who comes out of the College by obtaining a degree of graduation is an educated person?
Answer to this question depends on what we understand by the expression “Education”
· Does education means accumulation of information which can be reproduced as and when called upon to do so
· Or does this expression convey something more?
· Has education got anything to do with the development of personality of an individual?
· Is it the individual? Or is it enough to make him an expert in a particular field?
To me, it appears that the system of education has degenerated into a mere imparting of knowledge and turning out experts from the educational factories. The ancient educational system that prevailed in our country based on Gurukula, Agraharas, Maktabs and Madrasas provided intellectual education only on the firm foundation of moral, ethical, social and spiritual values. It is not enough that education makes a man an intellectual giant it must also make him good, honest and right-thinking man.
Curriculum and Course of Study
The Curriculum and the course of studies for various degrees clearly show that they are concentrating only on imparting informative or intellectual form of education and that no attempt whatsoever is being made for building up the character of the student and for inculcating in him the urge to follow the moral, ethical, spiritual and righteous path in his life
The subject areas taught in our educational system in non professional course are inadequate to equip the student to face new realities which are of great opportunities. Therefore there is need for many schools, Colleges, Centres and Courses to deal on an interdisciplinary basis, with areas in the Natural sciences, Engineering sciences and technology, Medical and agricultural sciences and the social sciences.
The Colleges and Universities must have a flexible approach, which would enable students to learn, qualify, and work out professional careers in these areas of new emerging opportunities.
Recognizing the above and the basic fact, Colleges and Universities have to perform multiple roles, like
· creating new knowledge,
· acquiring new capabilities and
· producing an intelligent human resource pool, through
· challenging
· teaching,
· research and
· extension activities so as to balance both the need and the demand,
In the highly competitive world being a mere graduate is not enough, one needs to be additionally equipped to cope up with the additional professional requirements. And for this a conscious attempt has to be made to bring about a total turn around in the process of imparting education in the country.
At College level, in addition to the Arts, Science and Commerce subjects now being taught, other subjects should find a place which is the need of the hour. Technical and Professional education should be made more broad based to include subjects like Technical and Vocational Training, Journalism, Computers, Museology, Library Science, Calligraphy, Photography Skill and Personality Development, Nursing, Catering, Technology, Business Management etc, which would offer avenues for employment and self- employment. The Syllabus should be so framed as to attract the students and make them feel that the subjects taught would help them in life. Students should also be given scope to select any subject of their choice and not binding. Facilities for teaching and training in them must be provided, to enable them to put their heart and soul into their study.
Methods of teaching:
The methods of teaching have to be modified and improved upon and should include the new instrument and equipments such as
· audios and videos,
· computers and satellites and
· modern communication system
Modern education is memory–oriented to an extent that is not only desirable, but positively harmful. This memory–oriented method should yield place to enquiry- oriented education .The students in lower and at the college level should understand the importance of the simple, but significant words WHY, WHERE, WHEN, and HOW ? They should be taught NOT TO accept anything for granted, but must be made TO ENQUIRE about causes and effects. In other words, they should be made to THINK and use their POWER OF REASONING .Teachers should be Guides and Philosopher to show them how to THINK and REASON. They must develop this habit at every stage of opportunity to train them for KPSC/UPSC and many other Competitive Examinations.
No man or woman could be considered a human being without physical intellectual and as regard to moral development the parents and family background will play an important role initially, while the teachers can mould the pupil towards right direction. Physical education is another factor not given much importance in the Colleges. Except training in some Games and Sports events. Not much is being done to develop the physique. As it is well said “A sound mind in a sound body “,should be put into practice more effectively by giving greater scope for physical exercises. The energy and enthusiasm of the youth must be properly mobilized and utilized as part of education. If these aspects of education are taken up at the earliest opportunity. It will certainly contribute much to an all round development of the younger generation.
Need for New Educational Policy:
The need for a new educational policy for our country has been discussed and debated by various sections of our educated society during last few years. However, after independence our country realised the necessity for it to keep pace with the rest of the world. It was felt that the present system of education was unfit for the nation that had won its freedom after much sacrifice. One of the most important problems facing our country is illiteracy. A majority of the people are without the rudiments of education. Millions of people do not know to read and write even to this day.
Another reason attributed to the lowering of standards is the nature of the subject taught. In most cases, the subjects taught in schools and colleges are not of much use to the students when they leave the educational institutions to enter life. A majority of Colleges work only for about 100 to 125 days in a year. The number of days for which they actually work and not what is mentioned in the prospectus of the college, and during this period, students are supposed to have mastered several subjects that form an ambitious syllabus.
Much emphasis is placed on passing examinations by hook or by crook. Any means would be proper as long as the end is achieved. This is the type of thinking that is engendered among the students. Not much importance is given for the students to exhibit their creative ability. Many young men and women coming out of educational institutions find themselves misfits in society. Hence, in recent times the Government of India has been inviting suggestions from statesmen, politicians, educationalists and even students for improving the system. The result has been much encouraging and many valuable suggestions have been given by various people by organising Seminars and Conferences, but no implementation is made. The need of the hour is a total revamping of the educational system.
Importance of Technical and Vocational Training.
Illiteracy is one of the major problems in India. Since a majority of people are living below the poverty line, many are unable to give good education to their children. As unemployment problems among educated youth is becoming serious day by day because Universities produce hundreds and thousands of graduates every year. Though literate they do not qualify for any vocation. Most of them enter the job market with high hopes. Unfortunately they remain unemployed or can secure only a low paid job. As a result the unemployment problem becomes more and more serious.
Vocational education is that type which fits a person in a situation where one can stand on his own legs, after one finishes his education. In some cases, people are also able to learn and earn at the same time through vocational education.
When we take the statistic of Minority and other Backward Classes we find that about 100 students who take admission there are about 40% to 50% dropout at S S L C. If Institutions introduce Vocational courses in the form of Short term courses conducted for 60 days during summer vacation such as Tailoring, Cooking, Bakery, Dye making Textile painting etc can help both young boys and girls to stand on their own foot. With regard to Long term courses for one year such as Automobile Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Fabrication, Electrification, Air Conditioning, Carpentry, Interior decoration and Applied aspects of Computers are introduced and If Certificate given by the Institutions are issued by Government of Karnataka it will certainly open new avenues to job opportunities in foreign countries particular to those who are Non-Matriculate.
In this form of education, training is imparted to students in particular professions which they can follow throughout their life. While, in the conventional type of education one who leaves school or college is not sure whether one would be able to get a job or not. Provision of vocational training is not an easy task. It is a costly process and many people cannot afford it. Hence vocational subjects must be included in the existing curriculum because vocational education has a definite advantage over the conventional type of education. Considering the vast natural resources that lie untapped in this country and the ever increasing number of young men and women, who have the potential to turn mud into gold, if only we could in some manner harness their energies, so that their collective efforts may prove beneficial for the country. Thus adequate attention should be paid towards the development of technical and vocational education along with the non professional courses in the interest of the students in particular and in the interest of nation in general
Dr. Mrs. Zakiya Khanum K. Ansari
Professor, Dept. of Studies in History
Gulbarga university, Gulbarga