Education plays a very crucial role in the development of the nation whether it is economically or socially. Education starts with the birth of child and continue till death. In this process, child learns skills, education and ethical values. It can be imparted in formal or informal setting. According to Mahatma Gandhi, a great Indian leader, education is not only meant for achieving a status or earning a money, but it must provide freedom to the individuals. When India got Independence from the British rule on August 15, 1947, this provided the masses of the nation the freedom to change the education system according to the demands of the fast-changing world. But this act was not free from strict responsibilities because they had to change the whole structure of education which was based on some theoretical nature. At that time, the country needed a large number of skilled people who could participate in the development of the nation. There were several problems in the field of education before the independence such as primary and secondary education needed to be improved, development of vocational education at various levels, women education which was difficult to tackle. To fulfil these objectives, State and Central Government made many policies and efforts to implement these policies in an effective way.
Historical Background:
Education in India has a great and interesting history which can be divided into different periods according to the era such as ancient period, middle ages, British rule and Post-Independence era. In the following periods, many changes took place in the field of education.
Ancient India (Vedic Period, 1500 BC -500 BC):
Education in ancient India had been the source of motivation for world’s education systems because it is considered as the oldest system of education in the world. In ancient India, Vedas (the oldest and large scriptures of Hinduism) which were written in the Sanskrit language were the basis of teaching. The importance of education was well recognized in India, ‘Swadeshe pujyate raja, vidwan sarvatra pujyate’ “A king is honoured only in his own country, but one who is learned is honoured throughout the world.”
Education was confined to the elite class which means teachers used to refuse to teach students who belonged to the poor families. Grammar, composition, reasoning, logic, sciences, skills needed for occupation etc. were the subjects of education. Education was imparted by sages and scholars. The system of education was Gurukul (dwelling houses of the teacher in natural surrounding) which means the pupils had to stay at their teacher’s house for the whole learning process. The main objective of this education was character building. Education of poetry, drama, philosophy etc. was also imparted in the Gurukuls.
In this period, teachers were given a lot respect by their students. They were the symbol of purity for their pupils. They not only treated their pupils as their own children but also giving full attention towards their teaching. Teachers were doing their duties selflessly and single-mindedly.
Middle Ages (8th to 18th century AD)
India witnessed a large number of attacks in the starting of the 8th century. Many foreign invaders and rulers invaded the country. Traders all around the world came to India and started their businesses in the form of colonies, bringing their culture with them which got mixed with Indian culture. Education in this period experienced a new perspective. The Mughal rulers invaded and established their empire. Education was developed with a new aspect during this period.
During the medieval period in India, there could be seen great flourishment in education under the Mughal rule which started in 1526 until the end of Mughal empire in 1848. There was a developed education system before coming of Muslims in India, but in this era, the education was shaped with the finding of learning institutions. Muslims started their primary schools which were given a name of Maqtabas and secondary school called Madrasas: aimed at training and educating people helping them to become a useful resource for the society.
Education system was free from all restraints. There was a great respect for females during this period but there were no changes for the education of all girls. The medium of instruction in maqtabas was Persian which led to the introduction of new language ‘Urdu’. The vocational and technical education was the most important development in this period.
Higher education was imparted at world famous universities such as Nalanda, Ujjain, Vikramshila and Takshashila. These universities were the centre of learning and specialized in a particular field of study. Takshashila was famous for medicine study, Nalanda handed all branches of knowledge while Ujjain specialized in the study of astronomy.
British period (1800-1947):
The British came to India during Mughal empire in 1600 AD, particularly for trade and commerce. When the Mughal empire declined, the British developed East India Company Under a Charter. This company ruled over India for over 150 years. They organized education in India during different periods such as:
1. First Period 1800-1853
2. Second period 1854-1900
3. Third period 1901-1919
4. Fourth period 1920-1947.
In the 18th century, indigenous education was general. Education in India was governed by Board of Directors of British East India company according to Charter 1813. This was the stating of western education in India.
● In 1835, Lord Macaulay introduced a new system (Macaulay’s Minute) of education in India to promote English language. Printing of English books made free under this system which increased use of English in India.
● In 1854, Charles Wood (Wood’s Despatch) introduced a document in which it was clear objective to spread education and make education accessible to all Indians.
● There could be seen lots of changes in the country and education system after the revolt of 1857 which affected the country in a big way. During 1857 A.D. Calcutta, Bombay and Madras Universities were established.
● Hunter Commission: It was the year of 1882 when Hunter commission was appointed. WW Hunter was he chairman of this commission. It focused on its recommendations on primary and secondary education.
● Raleigh Commission: In the year of 1902 the Raleigh Commission was formed to make a list of changes that needed to be done in the Indian universities for their betterment.
● Indian university Act: The act set up in 1904 by Lord Curzon had to face opposition from Indian people because according to this act the universities would be under the control of government.
● Gokhale's Bill (1910-1912): This bill was introduced by Indian leader, Gopal Krishna Gokhale which focused on the allowance of compulsory primary education but it could not successful because government opposed it.
● Calcutta University Commission (1917-1919): In 1917, Indian Government appointed the Calcutta university commission whose chairman was Dr Michael Sadler, the Vice-Chancellor of Leeds University. This commission was appointed to make suggestions to reform Calcutta University. It was concerned with the Calcutta University, but the other universities had more or less problems that it examined.
● The Government of India Act (1935): The longest British Act of Parliament was passed in 1935 which was The Government of India Act. Never such a longer act was enacted by that time. It divided all the educational activities into two categories – Federal or Central and State or Provincial. The whole country was divided into 11 provinces.
● Dr Zakir Hussain Committee (1937): Wardha committee was organized under the chairmanship of Dr Zakir Hussain. The main objective of this committee was to plan a final report of the All India conference. The report was submitted in two parts in 1937 and 1938 respectively which defined principles, curriculum, administration and the correlation between the basic handicrafts and other subjects consisted in the curriculum.
● Sargent Report (1944): The Indian education system was to be reconstructed according to Sargent report and there was also a benefit for the students from 6 to 14years age group. They were allowed to get free and compulsory education.
● Modern Education System:
It was the priority of Indian government to make education available to all the Indians after gaining freedom from the British rule. Discrimination on the basis of caste, creed and gender was the major problem in the healthy development of the Indian community, so they have been made unlawful by the constitution of India. According to the 86th amendment of the Indian constitution, there is a recommendation for elementary education that has been made fundamental right for children from 6 to 14year age group. Literacy rate in India is 74.04% according to 2011 census.
The current education system in India consists of primary education, secondary education, senior secondary education and higher education. Elementary education takes 8 years to be completed and secondary education and senior secondary education takes 2 years respectively. Higher education starts after passing senior secondary or 12th class. Graduation generally consist of three years of education and post-graduation takes 2 years. After completing post-graduation, the scope for research in different fields remains open.
The Director of Education controls the Elementary education and Secondary education is under the control of The Director of Education in states, supervisors responsible for the supervision of schools. The Indian Universities have the freedom to act independently, while secondary institutions are under the control of the State Government, local bodies and private control, but aided and recognized by the State departments of education. The educational institutions are managed by non-governmental organizations, such as local agencies, religious or private bodies or individuals.
Indian Institute of Management, The Indian Institute of Technology Indian Institute of Science, National Law School etc. are some famous institutes in India.
Higher Education (post-Independence): Universities in India had to suffer and face many problems due to their drawbacks from the starting of university education in India in the 19th century. Universities are the points from where society gets skilled people in various spheres of country life. By education we learn to coordinate and understand the different perspectives. Education is a training of mind and spirit which should aim at inculcating knowledge and intelligence; traits of personality. But universities in India had to work under limitations and suffer from many possible evils, which may spoil academic growth.
After independence, changes in political, economic and social structure threw the great responsibilities and challenges before the universities. Universities had to meet a growing demand for every type of technical and professional, higher learning-literacy and scientific.
The University Education Commission in 1949, the establishment of the University Grants Commission in 1953 and establishment of national laboratories and higher technical institutions and engineering Education were some of the main incidents in the sphere of university education after independence.
The University Education Commission (1948-1949):
Soon after gaining independence, the first step, the Indian Government look forward in the field of education was the appointment of the University Education commission under the chairmanship of Dr S. Radhakrishnan, a scholar and former Vice-chancellor of Banaras University. The main duty of the commission was to study the issues of Indian university education and to propose measures for the improvement of university education keeping in view the aspirations and demands of the people. The commission was inaugurated by Abdul Kalam Azad on December 6, 1948 and he gave it the necessary directions.
The commission made very significant recommendations, which were as follows:
1. The aim of education must be to teach that life has a meaning, to awaken and promote the innate capability of an individual and to train him/her for the growth of self and democratic attitudes. Thus the objective of education is to keep an individual up-to-date with all knowledge and information.
2. The commission focused on the role of post-graduate education, research and training to compete with another world.
3. The commission recommended English as a medium of instruction in higher education should be replaced by Indian language.
4. It emphasized the role of the university in studying agriculture in an agrarian economy like India and proposed to pay special attention to the development of higher education in rural areas.
5. The commission recommended a thorough study of the scientific methods of educational testing after realizing the weakness of the examination system and magnitude of the wastage.
Many commissions and committees were appointed by the government of India in the following years to restructure the education system of India.
1. Report of the Education Commission, 1964-66
2. National Policy on Education, 1968
3. Draft Policy on Education, 1978
4. National Commission on Teachers-II, 1983
5. Challenge of Education: A Policy Perspective, 1985
6. National Policy on Education, 1986
7. National Policy on Education: A Programme of Action, 1986
8. Towards an Enlightened and Human Society- A Perspective
9. National Policy on Education: A Programme of Action, 1992
Secondary Education Commission (1952-53):
The Government of India appointed The Secondary Education Commission on 23rd September under the chairmanship Dr A. Lakshmanaswani Muldaliar. The commission felt that the problems of education at the elementary and university stages had been surveyed but there was no examination of the problems of secondary education so this commission did a survey and a report on problems of secondary education was made and submitted. There were 15 chapters in this report including introduction, Appraisal of the existing system, reorganization of Aims and objectives, study of language, dynamic methods of teaching, problems of administration, finance and so on. This commission was required to suggest some measures for reforms on the problems. The commission proposed the following recommendations:
*needs of education in republic India
*Importance of education in developing democratic citizenship
*quality of vocational effectiveness
*Educational leadership
*Development of personality
*importance and contribution of libraries
*Status of teacher
*New systems for organizations
*Technical education
Indian Education Commission (1964-66):
Considering the development of the country in various levels and fields, the government of India introduced five-year plans including different levels and kinds of education. But plans did not get expected success due to some drawbacks. The main reason for the establishment of the university commission and secondary education commission by the government was to make improvements in the education field. But there were still many demerits in education which need to be removed and for this purpose, the government of India formed an education commission known as Kothari Commission in 1964 under the chairmanship of Dr. D. S. Kothari.
The main focus of this commission was on the issues in the education of the nation and to eliminate them by proposing remedies. According to this report, the status of prosperity, security of the masses and welfare of the society can be outlined with education. In its report, the Education Commission proposed that education should:
● be according to the needs of individual and society as well
● science education should be made compulsory in schools.
● Be effective so that it could improve efficiency through work-experience, improvements in scientific and technological education.
● Play a role in social and national integration;
● keep the community up-to-date through knowledge and inculcate social, moral and spiritual ethics in the folks.
Universities should run advanced courses for teachers in different school subjects, conduct experimental schools, assume greater responsibility for the training of teachers at all levels, create new curricula, text books and teaching materials.
National Policy on Education, 1986:
The national policy of 1968 was announced by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to promote progress and prosperity of the country, to strengthen national combination and a sense of culture which focused on the need for a complete reorganization of the education system, to improve the quality of education system and paid much attention to technology and science, inculcating ethical values and so on. The most important development has been the acceptance of the same education structure all over the country and the implementation of the 10+2+3 system by most of the states of India. Science and mathematics were given a great place and made the compulsory subjects at school level and work experience was also given importance. There were some advances studies centres which were established for post-graduate education and research. A new policy was placed before the Indian parliament on April 20, 1986 having some recommendations:
1. the job-oriented curriculum must be there at secondary level.
2. make the student aware about scientific and technological developments so that they could use them in their future life and education as well.
3. To encourage the government and non-government bodies so that they could contribute to eliminate illiteracy.
The national form of education, learning, the role of ethical values in life, reforms in the examination system, education for all, starting of open universities, women education etcetera were the main issues to give emphasis on.
Special attention was paid to the women education in this policy to uplift their standard. It was demanded that women should be given a due place in technical and vocational education so that the differences between men and women could be decreased. Another thing demanded in the policy that textbooks should be written according to this policy.
The National Policy on Education 1986 and Programme of Action was updated in 1992 and some of the issues were founded. Then a new committee was formed under the chairmanship of Prof. Ram Murti who suggested to examine the previous education policies and to suggest new ideas for the development of the rural areas of nation. It also suggested the Operation Black Board Scheme of 1986 policy to make it more growing and successful.
Janardhan Reddy Report, 1992:
Under the Central Advisory Board of Education, Prof. Ram Murti submitted a report in 1990. For the examination of this reporta new committee was formed. It was formed to observe the growth of education of scheduled and backward castes so that they could be brought to the certain levels of education. It was also recommended by the committee that all the state government should form similar committees to educate the scheduled and tribal people as soon as possible. The committee also showed its interest in common school system so that the weaker sections of the society could get benefits from it. It also suggested that Navodaya Vidyalaya school should be there in every district of every state so that the children could get free schooling.
National Council for Teacher Education (NCTC):
In the year of 1915, the government of India established a new committee that is called National Council of Teacher Education and its main focus was to achieve coordinated and well established development of the teacher education system, standards of teacher education.it has the rules and regulations for the standards of pre-primary, elementary and secondary education places and correspondence and distance mode of education.
National curriculum Framework 2005:
National Curriculum Framework is basically a document which provides a framework that teachers and schools can choose according to the thought of what their children should have means it helps to make textbooks and teaching methods within the school. It also addresses the problems related to the educational aim, experience, organization and so on. According to this framework there are some guidelines with different aspects of education which are not similar to curriculum and syllabus. It was published four times in 1975, 1988, 2000 and 2005 but it had to face criticism by The Central Advisory Board of Education. The National Curriculum Framework emphasized on the rural areas and its recommendations were for the education system all over the country. This framework is not only being used by the Central Board of secondary Education schools but some of the state schools are also using same textbooks based on this framework.
It has influenced the syllabus of all states when it was translated into 22 languages which are approved by the Indian constitution. The National Council of Educational Research and Technology is also promoting this curriculum framework by giving some money in the form of educational grant to each state so that they could promote NCF in regional language. With the help of this, there are some plans to make new changes that might be done in the education system in the following years.
The Perspective of NCF:
● The main objective of the NCF is the holistic development of the children
● Provide quality education to all to produce good resources for the nation
● To decrease the load of curriculum to make the students feel free
● To start with some changes systematically
Guiding Principles:
● Use of knowledge outside the School life
● Ensuring flexibility in exam system and classroom
● to nurture democratic policy of the country
● ensure learning shifted from rote learning
Curriculum Areas:
● Implementation of three language formula; mother or regional language, National language ‘Hindi’ and international language ‘English’.
● Teaching math to enhance logical reasoning of the students and solve problems and active learning.
● Teaching science to nurture natural creativity, curiosity and aesthetic sense.
● Social Science to make students more aware and to promote problem-solving ability in the citizens of tomorrow.
● Assessment: which needs to be continuous and based on school to provide quality education to all.
School and Classroom Environment:
The classroom environment and school infrastructure should be according to the needs of the students, which means the infrastructure of the school should be protective and safe. The teacher must focus on the equity of the school and treat all the students equally and give them equal opportunities to participate in activities without any partiality.
Systematic reforms:
It also want to reform the education system to make it more flexible, student-centered, focus on education. It wants to make guidance and counseling available in the schools.
The National Knowledge Commission (2005-2006):
The National Knowledge Commission is formed by Dr Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India in 2005. It is a high-level Advisory body whose aim was to make India more educated society and for this purpose, this commission submitted 300 recommendations. The recommendations are still underway to the national and state levels.
The terms of reference of NKC are:
● make excellent changes in the education system to compete with knowledge challenges of the 21st Century.
● promote scientific and technological knowledge and laboratories.
● make changes in the management of institutes
● promote knowledge applications in agriculture and industry
The report included some reforms such as Right to Education, English language, higher Education, Legal Education, Medical Language, Vocational Education and Training etc.
Yashpal committee 2009:
Yashpal Committee, 2009 focused that the students at the level of undergraduate should be exposed to various disciplines like humanities, aesthetics, social sciences etc., in a balanced manner. This should be irrespective of the discipline they would like to specialize in, whether general or professional. Therefore, the Committee recommended that professional institutions, such as IITs and IIMs, should be returned to universities in a complete administrative and academic.These type of steps will open the possibility of new types of course-designing for professional learning in various fields. The committee has focused on the education for the poor and made important recommendations about vocational education for them.
Education for all:
According to the 86th amendment in Indian constitution, education has been made compulsory and free. The elementary education has been made a fundamental right of all children in the age group of 6-14 years. To fulfill this purpose Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) has been formed.
Features:
● universalization of elementary education
● quality education for all the people of the country
● a chance to enhance social justice through equal education rights
● the link between central, state and local governments
Sarva Siksha Abhiyan aims to provide quality elementary education which will enhance the life skills by focusing on girl's education and children with special needs. It also wants to provide computer education.
National Programme for the education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL)– This Scheme is an effective way to address the problem of girls’ education at micro level through flexible, decentralized processes and decision making.The National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for Higher Educational Institutions Bill, 2010 recently introduced in the Parliament which suggests to make accreditation mandatory for all higher educational institutes.
Problems and Issues:
● Education System Promotes Rat Race: Indian education system promotes rat race among students which means they read the whole text books without any understanding and get above 90 out of 100 by memorizing texts.
● It does not develop a persona of a child: It means by securing good marks in exams does not mean students has developed their personality. Without contacting outer world it is difficult to build a personality.
● No creative and critical analysis skills: Indian education system does not teach students to think creatively and critically. The students often fail to do a critical analysis of a single passage.
● Medium of Language: It is still a question of great thought that what language could be more beneficial for students so that they can get knowledge about their subjects. More emphasis is given to the English language where the majority of students are aware of what the teacher is teaching. So this problem needs to be addressed.
● Old school curricula: Indian education system has a very old and traditional curriculum which has been being taught to the students since ages and this curriculum does not have any application in student’s daily life.There is also a lack of practical knowledge in Indian education system because more emphasis is given to theoretical aspect.
● Growth of Private Schools: After gaining independence, there has been a rapid increase in secondary schools and most of them are the private properties which belong to particular caste, political party etc. and we can easily make an idea about the teaching and learning process in these type of schools. These schools are just like a business to earn lots of profit not for the sake of nation but for their own benefits.
● Expensive higher education and reservation system: There are so many people who do not have access to the university education due to high cost and reserved and limited seats at university. It is very often that a brilliant student from general category (for whom there is no reservation) fails to enrol in university education just because of reserved seats which are for special categories’ students.
● Women education: Another problem of Indian Education is the problem of women education. Indian constitutions have given quality to both men and women but it is found that women of India are still lag behind many respects. According to one survey in late 20s, there were only 26 girls studying at the secondary stage as compared to 100 boys.
Solutions:
● More technological should be adopted by schools which will help to eliminate many problems.
● More teacher training should be provided to teachers because they hold the destiny of their students in their hands.
● Education provided to students should be of high-quality so that they can compete with another world.
● Education policy must be updated and include some aspects of personality development of the students.
● Education policy should include all the sections of the society from weaker to the rich.
Recommendations: There are some more changes that can push the Indian education system to high level. Under the Chairmanship oF present Prime Minister Narendra Modi, many people are hoping regarding the effective changes that are about to implement in coming years. These changes may include:
● motivation for parents, students and teacher
● more policies for female students
● introduction of new methods of teaching including practicals
● elimination of the differences between the quality of education in private and public schools.
Conclusion: After so many efforts to make changes in the education system for the betterment of India, quality and equity in India constantly haunting the policy makers till present. The main reason behind this is the spread of poverty and other social evils. Some aspects of the Indian education system need to be updated and reviewed. If Indian educational authorities continue the old methods, they shall keep on wasting the youth which might affect the future citizens of India. It would be better if Indian education policy makers make a balance between the education system and theory of development. If the education authorities fail to change their reactions, the future generations may lack general knowledge and fail to compete with the demands of the world. In five years plans, more emphasis should be given to both the primary and the higher educati