Fundamental Problems with Education System in India: A Critical Analysis

Abstract

Importance of the role of education in the life of human beings is well known to the society which invented the concept of ‘Zero’? Even the colonial Rulers established educational institutions and encouraged the establishment of educational institutions by non-state actors by introducing a system of supporting them by providing financial aid to some extent. The very fact that the makers of the Constitution of India chose to refer to “aid out of State funds” to educational institutions in Article 29(2)17 and “aid to educational institutions in article 30 (2) 18. Project Zero’s research on “Teaching for Understanding” helps educators to answer two essential questions: What does it mean to understand something? And what kinds of curricula, learning experiences, and assessment support students in developing understanding?  Our very identity as to who we are and what we think locate us in the educational process (Mohanty 1990). Such an identity comes with a background of social, psychological, political and cultural factors and social constructions such as race, ethnicity, culture and gender (Ghosh 2000). Value-based education will promote equality, justice, dignity and liberty.

Lord Macaulay was the father of the present system of education deconstructing the traditional educational system of India. In the words of Gandhi “the colonial powers destroyed a beautiful tree during the colonial rule.” The first medical college of Kerala was started at Calicut, in 1942-43, during World War II. In 1964, the Education Commission started functioning with 16 members of which 11were Indian experts and 5 were foreign experts. The Commission also discussed with many international agencies, experts and consultants in the educational as well as scientific field. Later in 1976, the education became a joint responsibility of both the state and the Centre through a constitutional amendment.  UNESCO believes that education is an essential human right and achieving this for all children is one of the biggest moral challenges of our times. The Right to education is an integral part of the Organization’s constitutional mandate which expresses ‘the belief of its founders in full and equal opportunities for education for all’ and ‘to advance the ideal of equality of educational opportunity’. In addition, the right to education is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is unfortunate that the problems of educational system have multiplied since independence in spite of the tremendous growth of science and technology. This paper