Education signifies rebirth of the mind, a stage where you learn to live and understand, when the main objective of it was to become a learned person and not just pretend to be one. The Indian education system still has a long way to go in this respect.
Indian educational system lacks in the application of the practical aspect of all the subjects. Studies prove that an average Indian student from an Indian university/college has very less practical knowledge compared to his counterparts in other countries. The emphasis laid on practical experience and exposure to real life problems portrays a dismal picture. Training, working in a professional environment and independent research can help ameliorate this situation.
Not only the students but even the teachers disappoint. The bulk of the faculty in higher education -- almost 84% -- is not expected to do research in India. The strength of PG students is only 9.3 and even among them, 67% do not have an atmosphere of research which is a prerequisite for PG education. The universities which constitute the fertile soil for research have only a fraction of the total higher education faculty (16%). Developing an environment favourable for research and creating the right kind of opportunities for the propagation of it will go a long way in improving the higher education standards of the nation.
Shown below is a graph representation of the average retention rate in the Primary classes across a few states in the country:
The present system offers little choice of subjects, that too only in the senior secondary grades. The division into different streams too is more often done on the basis of marks rather than choice. Offering the child more flexibility in these areas would actually enable him to think of what he/she really wants.
Talking about improving the present system, technology can aid in more ways than one. This is where technology can help in bridging the gap between the so-called educated and the actually educated people, at least to some extent.
Subjects like English that involve more of stories, essays, writing compositions, etc. can utilize technology to create an interactive session where the students can collaborate and share their work with the help of mesh connected computers. Mathematics, in the primary grades, which involves concepts like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, etc. can create simple but effective modules that convey to the student the basic concept being taught in class. A man is the best judge of himself, so say the wise, hence a student can evaluate his progress till some extent and correct himself/herself wherever needed.Creating presentations, videos, uploading pictures, etc. relating to a process in chemistry or biology will save hours of the teacher’s explaining as the children will be able to view for themselves.Ebooks, how-to books and further research books uploaded in one place will further enhance the resource that will be available at hand for the student.
Games are not just activities that kids waste time over, they can be educational as well. Developing the right kind of game for the appropriate subject and teaching in the appropriate manner can make the subjects fun and an activity that the children would be willing to devote time to only because they want to. Word games like Scrabble, puzzles like anagrams, etc. can teach a child how to spell, write, pronounce, improve his/her vocabulary and diction. Maths can never be more fun than during games like puzzles, Sudokus, etc. that not only teach them the concept at hand but also develop in the child a thinking ability for solving a general problem. Physics can involve simple balancing and logic based games, where the students can design simple machines to perform a task that can be made interactive so that the students respond to it and understand live physics being applied.
Technology can serve administrative purposes as well. Examination results can be sent directly. Important announcements can be made online. Teachers can organize their work better with the help of computers, systems and connection to students, other teachers and the administrative office of the school.
Technology aids a lot where collaboration and team work matter. Group discussions can be carried out online. If there are some changes that need to be introduced in the course or some action that needs to be taken with regards to some problem that involves the presence and vote of all, technology can prove to be a blessing.
The education system has the power to shape a whole nation’s future and cannot be taken lightly. Teachers are an instrument that can influence minds. Technology can only solve some of the problems existing in the system today, but it can make an appreciable change nonetheless. And since, “there are miles to go before we sleep”, it is but these little efforts that can make a difference, that can introduce Change.
