This Teachers’ Day let us take a moment to re-evaluate the essential flaw in the Indian social structure responsible for hampering the growth education in India. The education industry has expanded tenfolds over the years, and yet – it hasn’t impacted the the large population in the positive manner that its growth should have. With all the burden of educating a child contrasted with the burden of having to run a household, many people find it difficult to choose the former of the two. The burden of educating India seems to inordinately have been placed on the shoulders of teachers, disregarding the role of the central and state authorities. Here we look at some insightful quotes, answering why education in India suffers, despite a gifted brood of teachers nationwide.
SACHIN TENDULKAR
“There are over 200 million illiterate women in India. This low literacy negatively impacts not just their lives but also their families’ and the country’s economic development. A girl’s lack of education also has a negative impact on the health and well-being of her children.”
SHASHI THAROOR
“Education in India has made monumental progress since Independence but continues to face daunting challenges at multiple levels, particularly in terms of quality, infrastructure and dropout rates. We have islands of excellence floating in a sea of mediocrity.”
N. R. NARAYANA MURTHY
“The primary difference that I have found between the system of education in India and other countries, particularly the U.S., is that they focus on problem solving and relating theories to reality around them. These two things are lacking in the education system in India.”
YUSUF HAMIED
“Unfortunately, the mechanism for doing philanthropy in a structured way isn’t yet in place in India. I already do a fair bit and support various causes such as education, sanitation, health. But selling costly drugs at affordable prices is philanthropy in itself.”
While the quotes above do highlight the intense tussle in the industry of Indian education, a recent report emphasized that the nations struggle for an educated new generation may be due the obsession with english as a medium to teach in. A research collated by UNESCO shows that, “children who begin their education in their mother tongue make a better start, and continue to perform better, than those for whom school starts with a new language.” Such is not the case and though India may have come a long way in the sphere of education, it still needs to rope in almost half the population and drag them to schools.
This teachers day, we thank the hard-working, inspirational and dedicated teachers working across the nation to bring together a brighter generation for the India’s tomorrow.
