The bane of our education system is deeply rooted in our failure to keep pace with latest developments in various academic fields, world over. We still teach from redundant texts. The traditional government sponsored institutions of learning are slowly crumbling into oblivion due to lack of funds and infrastructure. Moreover, Un-regulated privatisation of education in India is another major issue. Further, today, students seek a piece of paper called degree and are largely oblivious of the need to pursue knowledge and benefits of being well educated. Worse still, the schools and colleges are busy chasing profits – it’s just another business! They refuse to provide decent wages to their army of workers. Interestingly, just a decade ago these workers used to be called educators. The result is that we have teachers who take to teaching because they could not manage any other job. There is no passion or calling – just substandard human work force.
There is a new corporate culture which has overtaken the education sector and subverted it into a regular profit centric industry with little or no ethics and moral qualms. The quality of students passing out each year has been steadily deteriorating by the passage of each academic year. These jewels are burgeoning as our new intelligentsia. These newly spawned intellectuals, products of privatised individual consumption and capitalist hegemony, form the capital that will decide the fate of our country – a frightening thought, indeed!
Yet, all is not lost! Despite the all-pervading bleak scenario – there is hope. Once in a while, we do run across a youngster studying with unadulterated thirst for knowledge; a gifted educator teaching with burning passion – a mortal who took to teaching out of ‘calling’; and a business man chasing a selfless vision for better tomorrow decides to setup schools and seats of higher learning. Yes, there still exist a certain percentage of people who realise that all private institutions are always better, efficient, and professionally managed than public institutions is a myth of modern consumer based market. It is time when we all reign in the downslide by contributing our mite before this sign of dwindling hope is lost for ever.
Also, please read: 'India Graduates Millions, but Too Few Are Fit to Hire' at
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703515504576142092863219826.html
