Source:

https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/op-ed-snap-the-need-for-reforms-in-the-education-sector/

Model Answer:

Progress in education is foundational – critical for a nation to build a skilled workforce, and also to help people improve their livelihoods as a country grows. If India wants to greater growth, it must transform its universities and other higher technical education institution to world class institutions, then its higher education system must be reformed.

State of education sector in India:

• The Indian education and social arrangements are very inflexible on students and completely ignore their feelings, thoughts and ambitions.
• As per UNESCO data, India has one of the lowest public expenditure rates on education per student, especially compared to other Asian countries like China.
• Education in most schools and colleges is one dimensional, with an obsessive focus on marks.
• Added to this is the lack of availability of trained teachers at all levels. Quality teachers are the missing link in the Indian education system.
• Although pockets of excellence exist, the quality of teaching, especially in government schools, does not meet the standards.
• Not only does India grapple with poor quality teachers, it also has fewer total teachers in comparison with other countries that do a better job at education.
• Another challenge to be addressed in strengthening the Indian education system is to improve the capacity utilization.
• For example, a recent study on capacity utilization in India for higher education indicates that the capacity utilization in case of MBA is about 57 per cent in Maharashtra and 72 per cent in Haryana. In case of certain states, there are a lot of unfilled seats in institutions.
• One of the factors why the capacity utilization is low in upcoming/new institutions/colleges (both in private and public sectors) is their inability to provide necessary physical infrastructure to run the institutions.

Necessary Reforms Needed:

• We have to think of strengthening the vocational streams in schools/colleges.
• It is urged to the universities/schools/colleges to regularly revisit their curriculum by involving experts from different fields so that the curriculum can lead to knowledge development.
• Our education system should adopt certain benchmarking techniques for improving instruction models and administrative procedures in universities/colleges to move forward.
• It is suggested that we need a thorough study and evaluation of models implemented elsewhere and work out strategies to adopt such models in our system.
• Benchmarking would provide benefits to our education system in terms of re-engineering, setting right objectives, etc.
• There is a need to encourage teachers to participate by presenting research papers in seminars/workshops/conferences and receive periodic trainings for updation of knowledge/skills.
• It is equally important that a feedback mechanism from students is introduced in universities/colleges to assess and evaluate teachers’ role in the institutional developmental process.
• In India, if education has to reach all deserving students, it should be made affordable.
• Ideally, the fee structure should vary for such economically weaker students so that no deserving candidate is denied admission just for the fact that he or she does not possess the necessary financial resources.
• On the one hand, we need to improve our GER, and on the other, we need to ensure that institutions/ colleges/schools created for providing higher education fully utilize the capacity created.

If only India had begun revamping education sector at the start of economic liberalisation, it would by now have had the world’s largest pool of well-educated and highly trained workers. Fortunately, India continues to have the largest number of young people anywhere. By ensuring they get a world-class education over the next few decades, India will be well on its way towards becoming a developed nation sooner than expected.