The Issues of the Indian Education System
The Indian education system is plagued by many issues that I touched on in other portions of my website. There is a significant divide between the quality of public and private education in India. In fact, in many areas of the country, it is viewed as a dead end to go to public schools. In addition, there are severe problems with a lack of enrollment among the poor and girls in certain areas. It is also seen that generally speaking, public schools in India lack funding that the good quality private schools do.
There is also a serious problem with attrition in public schools in India. In India most of the jobs that require a higher education are concentrated in certain major cities. With 67% of all Indians living in rural areas, there are not very many high education jobs or even jobs that require a high school degree around them. The children in these areas also tend to hail from relatively poor families. As a result of this combo, they often tend to drop out of school early and take up employment instead at a job that does not require much education.
The quality of education is also lower at public schools versus private schools. This is primarily seen through teacher absenteeism, engagement, and satisfaction. If we are to look at public versus private schools, the private schools win out in every category. The very fact that private schools have a higher quality of education as opposed to public schools is particularly worrying as the majority of poor students will also tend to attend public schools as opposed to private schools. Without motivated and enthusiastic teachers, students will often not be as enthusiastic about the subject material as well. The lack of enthusiasm will result in lower overall performance in standardized tests. Standardized tests in India are the only determinator of the future of a child’s education when all other factors are held equal such as a child’s parental connections. What all of this means is that public school students have worse outcomes and performance in general when compared to private school students when all other factors are held equal. Why private school teachers have greater performance is another topic that needs exploration; however it is extremely important in the disparity between public schools and private schools.
In addition, there is a significant problem in terms of higher education in India. There are a lot of colleges in India, however, the majority of them lack proper credibility and it is difficult to get a high paying job or even a well paying job from all but a select few. Often times, the colleges that are prestigious in India will also have a prebuilt pipeline from the best private schools of India. These private schools are often extremely expensive and out of reach for the vast majority of the Indian population. What this means is that often times, the education of the student will serve as a way of preserving the pre-built class stratifications based around caste and wealth in India.
Overall, the indian education system has several key problems that cause the wealthy to remain wealthy and the poor to remain poor. Even the middle class does not enjoy good opportunities in India. As a result, many Indians leave the country for better education for their children.
There is also a serious problem with attrition in public schools in India. In India most of the jobs that require a higher education are concentrated in certain major cities. With 67% of all Indians living in rural areas, there are not very many high education jobs or even jobs that require a high school degree around them. The children in these areas also tend to hail from relatively poor families. As a result of this combo, they often tend to drop out of school early and take up employment instead at a job that does not require much education.
The quality of education is also lower at public schools versus private schools. This is primarily seen through teacher absenteeism, engagement, and satisfaction. If we are to look at public versus private schools, the private schools win out in every category. The very fact that private schools have a higher quality of education as opposed to public schools is particularly worrying as the majority of poor students will also tend to attend public schools as opposed to private schools. Without motivated and enthusiastic teachers, students will often not be as enthusiastic about the subject material as well. The lack of enthusiasm will result in lower overall performance in standardized tests. Standardized tests in India are the only determinator of the future of a child’s education when all other factors are held equal such as a child’s parental connections. What all of this means is that public school students have worse outcomes and performance in general when compared to private school students when all other factors are held equal. Why private school teachers have greater performance is another topic that needs exploration; however it is extremely important in the disparity between public schools and private schools.
In addition, there is a significant problem in terms of higher education in India. There are a lot of colleges in India, however, the majority of them lack proper credibility and it is difficult to get a high paying job or even a well paying job from all but a select few. Often times, the colleges that are prestigious in India will also have a prebuilt pipeline from the best private schools of India. These private schools are often extremely expensive and out of reach for the vast majority of the Indian population. What this means is that often times, the education of the student will serve as a way of preserving the pre-built class stratifications based around caste and wealth in India.
Overall, the indian education system has several key problems that cause the wealthy to remain wealthy and the poor to remain poor. Even the middle class does not enjoy good opportunities in India. As a result, many Indians leave the country for better education for their children.
Works Cited
Princeton University. "Educational Inequalities in India:A Study of School Enrolment in the States by Gender, Religion and Social Groups."
Princeton. Princeton University, 27 July 2007. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.
Kindon, Geeta G. "Private and Public Schooling: The Indian Experience." Private and Public Schooling: The Indian Experience (n.d.): n. pag.
Harvard. Harvard University, 5 Oct. 2015. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.
Chitta, Sumudranil. "Gap between Private and Public Schools – How It Is Hurting India?" Maps of India. Maps of India, 12 Dec. 2013. Web.
22 Nov. 2016.
World Bank Staff. "Rural Population (% of Total Population)." Rural Population (% of Total Population) | Data. World Bank, 24 Jan. 2016.
Web. 07 Dec. 2016.
Princeton. Princeton University, 27 July 2007. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.
Kindon, Geeta G. "Private and Public Schooling: The Indian Experience." Private and Public Schooling: The Indian Experience (n.d.): n. pag.
Harvard. Harvard University, 5 Oct. 2015. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.
Chitta, Sumudranil. "Gap between Private and Public Schools – How It Is Hurting India?" Maps of India. Maps of India, 12 Dec. 2013. Web.
22 Nov. 2016.
World Bank Staff. "Rural Population (% of Total Population)." Rural Population (% of Total Population) | Data. World Bank, 24 Jan. 2016.
Web. 07 Dec. 2016.