What We May Learn From Western Culture - Part IV - Schooling
Of late school education in India has become very costly.
There is three kind of education now, one for uber rich children who go to international schools with world class curriculam, where the cost ranges from Rs 250000 to Rs1000000 per year, then come middle class children who go to desi private schools which are commonly known in India as Public Schools, the fees ranges somewhere between Rs.50000 to Rs250000. Lastly, the lower middle class and lower strata children, there fate is to go to government run Municipal schools where
the fees is negligible, the medium of instruction is regional language, buildings are in pathetic state, teachers come and go as per their sweet wishes . Clearly it has created a vast divide in the society, pass out from international schools go abroad for higher education and after coming back grab the top jobs in MNCs and big corporate houses or join their family run business. The pass out of privately managed schools lead in engineering, management and medical colleges and grab middle to senior level government or KPO, BPO jobs. What is left for pass out from municipal schools third or fourth grade jobs in state government or in private sector. I do agree that their are honorable exceptions but you very well know exceptions can not be the rules. This is an artificial divide, none of the political party has done any thing to remove this divide. This is despite the fact that both the major national parties have been in power for some time or the other.
Now try to find out how the education system works in western society. there Public School is a school run by the state, education is free for every one . Admission to the schools is available strictly on the basis of zone in which child's parents stay.Curriculum as well as medium of education all across the nation is one and the same. Of course, private schools are also there, fees is on a very high side, the child gets individual attention but the course contents and medium of education of public and private schools is exactly the same. Of course the rich class temps to send the children to these private run schools but not because of any special course content or language, it is more because the personal attention.
In western society, learning is a real fun, more then cut throat competition, the emphasis is on cooperation, camaraderie and overall personality development. While in India, parents and teachers rather the whole ecosystem is busy in converting children into robots, mugging books all the time, they hardly get time for sports or to pursue their passion or rather something close to heart. On the other hand, western society stresses on making their younger generation more responsible citizens. With the result, right from beginning children in west learn his responsibility as a citizen, which includes not throwing garbage or waste on streets/ roads, follow traffic rules and other civil and social ethics and code, the area where the young generation in India sadly lack, besides, full opportunity to pursue something close to the heart.
Another good thing in western education is laying less emphasis on bookish knowledge, depending more on learning on site or through personal experience probably this model makes children into an independent personality. Field trips, tracking, camping,tracking, hiking, visits to post office, bank, government office, railway station, airport are more common, it also helps to imprint permanent impact memory of system and procedure. They also teach them lessons or two in entrepreneurship, taking risk in doing business, encouraging garage business and more so to learn to take risk of failing. In fact garage is a wonderful place to learn and experiment. With the result you will find Larry Page, Sergy Brin, Steive Job, Jeff, Mark Zuckerberg kind of young people who are doing billion dollar business without their family roots in large businesses. They have not grown in business by flouting the rules or because of their rich family heritage.
Can we adopt certain good practices from Western Education.
There is three kind of education now, one for uber rich children who go to international schools with world class curriculam, where the cost ranges from Rs 250000 to Rs1000000 per year, then come middle class children who go to desi private schools which are commonly known in India as Public Schools, the fees ranges somewhere between Rs.50000 to Rs250000. Lastly, the lower middle class and lower strata children, there fate is to go to government run Municipal schools where
the fees is negligible, the medium of instruction is regional language, buildings are in pathetic state, teachers come and go as per their sweet wishes . Clearly it has created a vast divide in the society, pass out from international schools go abroad for higher education and after coming back grab the top jobs in MNCs and big corporate houses or join their family run business. The pass out of privately managed schools lead in engineering, management and medical colleges and grab middle to senior level government or KPO, BPO jobs. What is left for pass out from municipal schools third or fourth grade jobs in state government or in private sector. I do agree that their are honorable exceptions but you very well know exceptions can not be the rules. This is an artificial divide, none of the political party has done any thing to remove this divide. This is despite the fact that both the major national parties have been in power for some time or the other.
 |
| do not confuse it with hotel lobby, it is an ordinary school |
Now try to find out how the education system works in western society. there Public School is a school run by the state, education is free for every one . Admission to the schools is available strictly on the basis of zone in which child's parents stay.Curriculum as well as medium of education all across the nation is one and the same. Of course, private schools are also there, fees is on a very high side, the child gets individual attention but the course contents and medium of education of public and private schools is exactly the same. Of course the rich class temps to send the children to these private run schools but not because of any special course content or language, it is more because the personal attention.
 |
| Teachers are more informal, friend, guide to their pupil |
In western society, learning is a real fun, more then cut throat competition, the emphasis is on cooperation, camaraderie and overall personality development. While in India, parents and teachers rather the whole ecosystem is busy in converting children into robots, mugging books all the time, they hardly get time for sports or to pursue their passion or rather something close to heart. On the other hand, western society stresses on making their younger generation more responsible citizens. With the result, right from beginning children in west learn his responsibility as a citizen, which includes not throwing garbage or waste on streets/ roads, follow traffic rules and other civil and social ethics and code, the area where the young generation in India sadly lack, besides, full opportunity to pursue something close to the heart.
 |
| learning more outside class room |
Another good thing in western education is laying less emphasis on bookish knowledge, depending more on learning on site or through personal experience probably this model makes children into an independent personality. Field trips, tracking, camping,tracking, hiking, visits to post office, bank, government office, railway station, airport are more common, it also helps to imprint permanent impact memory of system and procedure. They also teach them lessons or two in entrepreneurship, taking risk in doing business, encouraging garage business and more so to learn to take risk of failing. In fact garage is a wonderful place to learn and experiment. With the result you will find Larry Page, Sergy Brin, Steive Job, Jeff, Mark Zuckerberg kind of young people who are doing billion dollar business without their family roots in large businesses. They have not grown in business by flouting the rules or because of their rich family heritage.
Can we adopt certain good practices from Western Education.
Comments
Post a Comment