SCRAP THE STATE BOARD EDUCATION SYSTEM

Uniformity in administration brings about an effectiveness of policy execution in any country, or even in an organisation or an institute. It is this effectiveness which translates into a successful enterprise of governance and leads to stability. If there are double standards, it becomes very difficult for an effective administration to take shape – leading to utter commotion. This is an event which we must steer clear of. Yet, we in India thrive upon chaos, find success in anarchy and cleanse ourselves in a complete mess.
Education is an important pillar of any society. It is of utmost importance that we give it all the privileges it requires to flourish. If education blossoms, it showers us with a lot of effective instruments to progress in this competitive world. For a country like India, education takes prime position. Ours is a knowledge based economy and if we dilute the effectiveness of our educational system by introducing dubious administrative policies, Dr. Kalam’s dream of seeing India as an educational superpower will be drowned in the words of his book.
Our country has seen very many policies which seem to be heading towards some success, but then again for every good policy, there are multiple policies which seem to mar the prospect of a sound educational system. The ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’ was a good step towards universal education and was pregnant with good causes and expectant with a hopeful execution. Then again, in its wake came the very unsavoury Reservation Bill and this completely manhandled the purpose of education.
The establishment of a few more IITs is an amazing step, yet the fact remains that they have begun operating in make-shift campuses or in the classrooms of the older IITs. IIM Ahmedabad won’t be allowed an additional campus in Mumbai till there is an excess, unwanted and unnecessary reservation for students of Maharashtra. What can we say about such administrative policies? Is there much to even discuss as to how clueless the babus are when they decide upon educational matters?
One facet of the Indian educational system which I believe is hampering our growth is the allowance given to states to formulate their own educational systems in addition to one existing in the centre, which is the CBSE or ICSE/ISC. With two or maybe three active educational boards existing in every state, there is a very thin line between a possibility of a chaotic environment, as a direct result of the dual board system, and a harmonious existence.
A single unified system is better because it helps us focus on what is important. It also helps the people to completely identify with the system of education prevalent in the country rather than be confused as to its implications. I have traveled a good measure of the country and have studied all around. I cannot even begin to describe the discomfort of fitting into the various systems of education which are in every state. Fitting into the different basics of each state syllabus can take a toll and is not a pleasant experience.
One might argue the presence of Central Schools across the parameter of the country, but how many families constantly on the move would make a choice of this system. Private schools offer more appealing options. Accommodation of students in this environment becomes troublesome with the addition of the state language in the curriculum. It adds to the difficulty. With personal experience I had to learn two state languages with enormous difficulty while I resided in Gujarat and Orissa.
A unified system of examination and education will also help facilitate college admission, especially in the places where prestigious colleges are placed. I have come across instances where good student and more importantly deserving students have failed to apply to the Delhi University admission process because the state board results have failed to come up in the time complying with the admission dates.
Then there is the dilemma of how the colleges and universities evaluate students of different educational background and give them admission into the courses offered. The biggest obstacle is to judge both the capabilities with judicious judgment so as not to discriminate one against the other. Still there are problems in this situation. There are no set guidelines as to how to separately evaluate every students presenting himself/herself from a different educational board. The government has not presented us or has not thought it to be prudent enough to draw up such procedures. It does not also help us when we understand that our admission procedure is all about marks and does not look at the over all student as a person.
With such kind of educational losses, which take place on both sides, it is necessary that the government lead by the HRD Ministry, needs to consolidate the entire process of education in the country thus bringing the entire faculty under one umbrella. It will help us unify the very disarrayed system of education. The problems discussed above will mitigate and help us to create an even more effective knowledge economy in the country

Educating India…!!!

These are some new slogans we have been hearing a lot lately. Now the point is, India is trying to educate its citizens and she has been trying for years! So how far has she succeeded?

First of all, the abysmal ground reality is that India’s literacy rate is still below 75 per cent. Though the rate has of course increased over the years, we are not yet there. And we still have a long way to go! The adult literacy rate (15 yrs and above) is about 61 per cent while the youth rate (15-24 yrs) is about 73 per cent. Amongst the states, Kerala has the highest literacy rate and Bihar has the lowest. Nonetheless, the growth in literacy rate has been incredible. Most people know that literate females are fewer than their male counter parts in our country. At this point, one must keep in mind that most of India is rural and a bit orthodox in their thinking.

Today, as most of you might have noticed, English is becoming increasingly popular. Ever noticed that little kid who comes to you at the traffic signal? Doesn’t he know a few words of English? So would you call him literate or illiterate? The National Literacy Mission defines literacy as ‘acquiring the skills of reading, writing and arithmetic and the ability to apply them to one’s day-to-day life’. That child may not have gone to a school; he may not even know that he was talking in English! Most of them today don’t know ‘Hindi’ numbers, but on the other hand English numbers are on their finger tips. It is the same with directions and simple words like ‘yes’, ‘no’ etc. How many times have you sat in a rickshaw and then suddenly realized that the driver knows English? Or don’t you absent mindedly give him directions in English? Or what about when you just know the address of somebody’s place, and your driver helps you point out the house? Ever thought about how he reads those house numbers? I wonder how many people have realized that the digits on a cell phone are in English and not in Hindi or any other regional language. But it is a common misconception that just because a person knows English, people think he’s educated! Most of them know English only because that is what they have grown up hearing. Come to think of it, the logic people use indirectly means even a 2-3 year old kid is educated! On the other hand, many people also think that just because a person doesn’t know English, he is uneducated. This is also not true. Many people in India are educated in their regional language and not in either Hindi or English.

Today, the government is trying to increase the literacy rate with the help of a whole lot of new programs. The ‘Sarva Siksha Abhiyan’ was started in 2001, and it aimed at ensuring that all kids between the ages of 6-14 years attended school and completed 8 years of education by 2010. This wasn’t the first program to be launched but earlier programs weren’t as successful. One of the most popular schemes adopted to attract children to schools is the ‘Mid-Day Meals Programme’ launched in 1995. The department of education has started Bal Bhavan centres all over the country to promote creative and sports skills in children between the ages of 6-14 years. They conduct programs in fine arts, aero-modelling, computer education, sports, martial arts, performing arts etc. Off late, new programs to promote the education of girls have been initiated. One such incentive is a fixed amount of money which is given to the family at the end of the school life of a girl child.

Today, private companies too are lending a helping hand to this noble cause, Like the ‘Teach India’ program launched by The Times of India, or the NGO ‘Literacy India’ which helps underprivileged children with their dreams and aspirations of good quality higher education or the National Literacy Mission which pays special attention to women’s education. Another foundation that helps educate the underprivileged is The Smile Foundation. Mission Education is a national level program started by the foundation which focuses on basic education for underprivileged children and youth. They are working with ‘partner organizations’ in various states across India. One can visit the following link for more information on the organization. http://www.smilefoundationindia.org/

Infect, recently even a telecom company has started an advertisement campaign with the same theme — how to educate more people with less resources. It is something to think about. The idea is that through the concept of distance learning we can teach those who do not have access to schools and colleges near them.

One of the major problems we face is lack of infrastructure. It is not easy to create schools for our large and ever growing population. Today ‘good’ schools mean expensive schools, mostly private which most lower middle class people cannot afford. That is the fact—every year education gets more and more expensive. It is a vicious cycle—the more the population, the more the unemployment, and the more the unemployment, the more illiteracy, and the more the illiteracy, the more the population will keep growing! We need to break this cycle somewhere. And like they say, nothing is impossible! If each one of us contributes in our own way, we can make a difference. The government had come out with a slogan, a few years back – Each One Teach One – if we follow that slogan, we could easily help the cause. You don’t need to go out on the streets to find someone to teach, just look in your own house—the maid’s daughter, or that little boy who comes to collect the garbage. They should be studying instead of working. But yes since for them earning is important for survival, we can make a difference by giving them lessons. We just need to wake up from our complacent lives and try to make a difference!

Priya Ganguli

Elementary Education in India...!!!

Education is important not only for the full development of one's personality, but also for the sustained growth of the nation. Elementary education in India, therefore, is the foundation on which the development of every citizen and the nation as a whole hinges. But making primary education available for all in India has also been one of the major challenges for the government. Moreover, the quality of elementary education in India has also been a major cause of worry for the government. In fact, making elementary education in India accessible, universal and relevant has been a goal since the eighth five-year plan.

Elementary education in India means eight years of schooling from the age of six. The government has made elementary education compulsory and free. But, the goal of universal elementary education in India has been very difficult to achieve till now.
 
Therefore it has introduced innovative ways of universalizing elementary education in India.

After the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) of 1994, the govt. has now launched the "Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan" or SSA. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan was launched in 2001 to universalize and improve the quality of elementary education in India through community ownership of elementary education. In order to effectively decentralize the management, it has involved Panchayati Raj institutions, School Management Committees, Village and Urban Slum Level Education Committees, Parents' Teachers' Associations, Mother Teacher Associations, Tribal Autonomous Councils and other grassroots level structures. SSA, apart from being a programme with clear time frame for Elementary Education, also offers opportunities to the states to develop their own vision of elementary education. It has set 2007 as the deadline for providing primary education in India and 2010 as the deadline for providing useful and relevant elementary education to all children in the 6 to 14 age group. In order to improve the quality of elementary education in India, the SSA has emphasized on improving the student teacher ratio, teachers training, academic support, facilitating development of teaching learning material and providing textbooks to children from special focus groups etc.

Despite all the efforts of the government of India, universalization of elementary education in India remains a distant dream. This is because of the persistent poverty and various prejudices prevailing in the Indian society. While the growth in female literacy is increasing at a faster rate than male literacy, the gap in the male female literacy has been a major hindrance in the universalization of elementary education in India. While the total literacy rate is 65.38% according to 2001 census, the female literacy rate is only 54.16%. Another area of concern is to reduce the gap between the rural and urban literacy rate. While 80. 3% urban people are literate, only 59.4% of the rural population is literate according to 2001 census data.

Thus reduction in poverty, promotion of female education, emphasis on rural education, providing incentives for retaining the children from weaker sections of the society would have to go together so that it can achieve the goal set by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and also the Millennium Development goal by 2015 set by the UNESCO.