What Indian Education consists of?

Indian education system consists of government schools, private schools, and international schools. There are different school boards naming- State board, CBSE board, ICSE board,  Cambridge board, IB board, and IGCSE board. In a civilized society, each generation expects the next one to be better in all aspects. The role of schools, especially primary schools in India, is of great importance as it provides continuous development. The role of primary education is to make sure the child is developing mentally and physically which means that he is enabled to develop socially, emotionally, and culturally to the best of his abilities.

If we talk about education in India then you all will be glad to know that “Takshila University” was the earliest recorded center of higher learning in India from possibly in 8th century BCE. It was founded in “Taxila” and also it is one of the oldest universities in the world which is 2700 years ago. Earlier the school followed the Gurukul system where the students resided in the house of their teacher until the teacher realizes that the student has learned what he wanted. Also, subjects taught varied from Sanskrit to Mathematics to scriptures to Metaphysics and much more. The class was not limited to students teaching at one place but to develop an interest in the importance of nature.

Now the Indian education system consists of three types of schools that are government schools, The Indian school education system can be divided into either of the following ways, by means of :

  1. levels of education
  2. ownership of educational institutions
  3. educational board affiliations
The education system is divided into different levels:
  • Preprimary schools
  • Primary schools
  • Elementary education
  • Secondary schools
  • Undergraduate level
  • Post-graduation
About the structures of education system

Pre-School means ‘previous to primary school’, ‘initial education’ or ‘early year education’. In India, preschool is currently known by many other names and has fused identity with Playschool, Daycare, and kindergarten. Preschool Education typically covers children aged 1.5 to 4 years. As per ‘Preschool For Child Rights’, Preschool, Kindergarten, Daycare shall be considered together as one conceptual entity and should be known as ‘Child Care’. Preschool helps the child to get knowledge and learn new skills as it starts with numbers, letters, and words. It helps to develop the interpersonal social skills with one another.

Primary school is first to fifth grade (for 6- to 10-year-olds). The primary school focuses on learning, living, and laughing with the same number of students present inside the class.

Middle school/upper primary school is sixth to eighth grade (for 11 to 14 year-olds). In this phase a student learns something new while applying their mental ability they grab the things on how to learn and become independent. The school provides different stuff like foreign languages, advanced courses in computer technology, music, art, life skills, and the importance of health.

Secondary school is a ninth and tenth grade (for 14- to 16-year-olds). This school seems like a connecting dot between primary and a college. Attendance is very important for all the students as it directly reflects on their academic performance.

Finally, higher secondary or pre-university is 11th and 12th grade (for 16- to 18-year-olds). Higher secondary school emphasis both theoretical as well as practical. Students can choose to stream between arts, commerce, and science after they get a clearance in the secondary school examination.

Schools in India and Economic Status

Poverty is an undeniable reality in India. Education is interlinked with the economic status of the country either directly or indirectly. Over the past few years, this gap is comparatively less but has not yet become nil. It is important to fill the gap; without education, a country cannot progress. and become strong in terms of literacy. It was a time in the year 1820 only 12% of the people could able to read and write but today the ratio has flipped. As per the stats collected in the year 2018 very 5 years rise of 4% in global literacy rate is seeing, that is the rate has increased from 42% in 1960 to 86% in 2015.
Often people from financially weak backgrounds tend to avoid sending their children to school. Firstly, they cannot afford the expenses and secondly, sending their children off to work would bring them an extra income. So, a lot of children drop out at an early age to support their family as sometimes it becomes hard to continue the study further because of the small members in the family or younger sister /brother. They work as laborers and never have the opportunity to earn and live better due to a lack of education. They work as laborers and never have the opportunity to earn and live better due to a lack of education.

The major challenges faced by the education system in India
  1. Expenditure on education
  2. Gross enrolment pattern
  3. Capacity utilization
  4. Infrastructure facilities
  5. Student-teacher ratio
  6. Accreditation and branding – quality standards
  7. Students studying abroad

All about Government Schools

Government schools are primary schools or secondary schools that offer education to all children without charge and funds up to age 14. The local, state, or national government controls these schools. Since schools are controlled by the government bodies, the curriculum is also decided at the state or national levels. All government schools follow the same curriculum in India. Things you need to know about government schools in India:

  • Government school have fewer facilities as compared to private schools in India
  • Government primary schools have more students. The number of students in one class is also drastically high.
  • Schools are bound to take in the students who belong to their respective geographical zone.

In India, even though government schools outnumber private institutions, they have been grossly inadequate in meeting the needs and aspirations of the people. Due to inferior infrastructure, government schools are unable to provide an atmosphere where students can learn, focus, and feel good while writing and listening to what the teacher tries to explain inside the classroom and also because of competition. As a result, the students never have the advantage of practicing what they study in their schools.

Drawbacks of government schools in India

Lack of qualified teachers is one of the biggest problems in most schools, both government and private schools in India. This is because teaching is always the last career option for most young career people. They choose teaching as a career but unfortunately, teachers of government schools get posted to rural areas. It’s a known fact that they will either go on leave or apply for immediate transfer. The teachers at government primary schools in India not only handle combined age groups in a single classroom, but they sometimes get exhausted too due to continuous long hours of lecture.

The IQ level of an average private school student is a lot higher than the average government primary school student due to the difference in many factors. The teachers are ignorant about the child’s future. This is a serious matter which the government needs to address.

Similarly, there are many reasons for the failure of government schools. First of all, there is an acute shortage of smart teachers for primary schools education. Children often don’t get encouragement from their parents. Parents seem to be indifferent to their child’s education and only see them as additional hands for work. There is also neglect, insufficient public financing and accountability, and a lack of encouragement among some teachers to pay special attention to poor children from lower castes. Even basic amenities like water and electricity lack in such schools.

Benefits of Government School

The government schools in India do hold a significant position in making education available to the masses.  They have several benefits over private schools which cannot be denied, such as, government schools are affordable; they provide education without any discrimination. The fee is very low and also they provide food and clothes to children. The government also has policies like ‘Free and Compulsory Education’, ‘Education to The Girl Child’, ‘Mid Day Meal’ to encourage more students to attend public school.

When we ask people about the reasons why they do not want to send their kids to government primary schools in India, they say:
  • Poor infrastructure.
  • Poor student to teacher ratio.
  • Low education standards of teachers. Lack of dedication from teachers.
  • Overloading of teachers with miscellaneous works.
  • Political interference in the administration.
  • Corruption in all affairs of the primary school.
  • Lack of concern of state government in providing quality education.

 Case Study

A resident of Gurgaon works as a domestic help while her husband is a daily wage laborer. Their monthly income is between Rs.20000- Rs.22000. They have admitted their daughters to a private school. Their annual spend on school fee is Rs.40000, books and uniform are additional expenses. She wanted her children to study in a private school in Gurgaon. Therefore, she borrows money from micro finances agencies. When we ask her why she is not admitting her daughters to government primary schools in Gurgaon, where the education and meal are free. Finally, she says that private schools are better. “I want them to learn well, study English and get good jobs, unlike me,” she says.

Private schools in India improving education

With the increase of private and international schools in India, it may seem that the education system of India is healthy. In reality, a very less percentage of children are sent to private schools, while the remaining head towards government or state-funded education. Therefore, to check the reality of the Indian education system it is better to look beyond the government schools in the country.

The private schools in India keep a complete watch on the child’s education. Also, they keep a proper check on the teachers so that students have a stable environment for their progress. Notably, in developed countries with much higher GDP, the bulk of school education is in the public domain with only a few private schools.

Indian private schools have a good reputation among the parents so here they focus on results and rote learning can be challenging for expat students. Students are incredibly competitive and are forced to perform by their families and society in general. Children start taking exams as early as pre-school and a series of tests doesn’t let up until graduation. Private schools have their pros and cons

Advantages:
  • Schools often have a more demanding academic curriculum
  • Some are religion-based schools and can provide regular religious classes
  • Private schools have the advantage of smaller classes so teachers can give better individual attention
  • Access to resources like books, supplies, and computers are often better at private schools better
  • Private schools are usually very strict in discipline. If there are children that disturb classes or ignore rules, they are more likely to be expelled
  • Private schools are more traditional. This teaches students to value traditions and uphold these beliefs
  • Children that attend private schools often have a better network after school through the alumni association
Disadvantage
  • Private schools are more expensive than public schools, and many parents can’t afford to send their children.
  • Many of the children that attend private schools are from a high-class background; this often puts pressure on middle-class children who attend private schools as they feel they have to keep up with that standard.
  • The religious emphasis can be isolating for those who follow a different religion.
  • Private schools often offer a more limited curriculum and are more conventional in subject choices.
  • Some of the newer private schools don’t have sporting facilities and offer a limited range of extracurricular activities for children.
  • The decision of whether to send your child to a public or private school really depends on the behavior of your child, and what kind of education and attention do they need. Most importantly the cost of the school if that’s an option for you.

India is all set for International schools

Schools in India

Schools in India

Even more, India offers a growing range of school opportunities for globally mobile families. The rapid expansion of its international school sector, however, brings with it some drawbacks. Fortunately, many international schools have their base in India’s major cities over the years. Many more international schools are seeking to establish new campuses, providing relocating families with plenty of options.

Notably, ownership of these international schools in India is split between the government and private institutions, which receive government permission. The rest are privately owned, privately run schools, usually following an international curriculum.

IB programmes in India- Extending the options

The global expansion of international schools means that India now has a lot of English-medium international schools. Like many international schools in India, Lancers International School, located in Gurgaon in the Delhi National Capital Region, teaches the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme. The IB board is a big success story in secondary education over the past 30 years. Above all, it is now recognized as an entrance qualification to universities in more than 130 countries worldwide.

The fact is that the IB is accessible to students from any country and from different educational backgrounds. This makes it a popular choice for families and expats coming to India and concerned about their children’s education.

Certainly, international school students develop a better range of `soft’ skills such as time management, critical analysis, and independent thinking than their peers who have followed national qualification programs.

IB or International schools can be the best solution for an expat student in India. It provides the type of environment in academics from where the expat belongs. The advantages of attending IB school or international school in India are as follows:

  • Enrolment of diverse nationalities and celebration of different cultures creates a welcoming environment in which students can settle in and make friends.
  • Admission is on a rolling basis so that students can join throughout the year.
  • English is the language of instruction; however English language support is for students for whom it is not their first language.
  • Support to students and their families through the school community and programmes, to help them settle into the new environment and country.
  • International Baccalaureate (IB curriculum) provides students with a high quality ‘portable’ education that will stand them in good stead whether they return home or move on to a new country.
The disadvantages of attending IB school or international school in India are as follows:
  • Not structured for pursuing higher studies in Indian universities
  • Not very popular and widespread in India
  • International schools, especially IB schools are far expensive than other schools in India.

Importance of Technology in Indian Schools

The Education scenario in India is changing every day with more children gaining access to their fundamental rights. The IT boom is positively influencing the education system in India. Most noteworthy, Intel, the IT giant has created a program called the Intel Education Initiative, India­ – to improve the teaching-learning process in many schools in rural India. The program makes use of modern teaching aids.

The purpose of this initiative is to introduce young students to subjects such as Maths & Science through IT. They believe in to refine the critical reasoning, quantitative, and free-thinking skills of the students. The program pushes students to use computers for every learning activity. This interactive way of learning a subject makes the student feel comfortable with typical subjects. Hence, through this initiative, the students become technologically sound.

The learning initiative caters to students and teachers alike. Teachers who undergo training sessions are made aware of IT-enabled teaching aids. They then make use of these aids in classrooms to take learning to a completely new level. The students learn certain skills like the use of graphics, word, PowerPoint presentations, internet research, etc. A lot of schools in India – mostly in tier 1 and tier 2 cities – have embraced technology to make learning fun and interactive.

Some of the uses of technology in Indian education sector are mentioned below

1. Distance education

Distance education is a way of learning where students or working professionals can learn the courses remotely. They can interact with faculty via an online classroom. It helps students to interact with their tutors or mentors directly over chat, e-mail, or phone call. India is a developing country where getting an education for every child is not so possible. For many students who are living in remote places or villages getting a degree for higher education is still a distant dream. In that case, technology-enabled distance education can help them to complete their studies, upgrade their skills, learn new concepts, revised sessions, and mock test exams, and get a degree. This gives the learners or working professionals the flexibility to learn at their own time without the compulsion of going to a class.

According to a report released by the All India Survey on Higher Education 2014-2015 by the Ministry of Human Resource Department, the total enrollment of students for “distance education” comprises 11.7% out of which 46% are female students. Also, the availability of broadband and hi-speed internet along with computers to tier 2 and tier 3 cities have made learning seamless.

2. Classroom-based learning

Nowadays technology has become an integral part of classroom teachings too. Today in many primary schools and international schools in India instead of boards, teachers use smartboards or projectors. It helps the students to learn fast and record things quickly as visuals are better than written or printed format. Writings of teachers are replaced by PowerPoint presentations. Students experience a different kind of set up in today’s technology-based classroom. Especially at IB schools in India or in International schools, gadgets like tablets and laptops are for the smart learning process. Also, animated projects are created on various subjects and in different languages so that students can have a better understanding of a complex subject in a simple way.

3. Learning through mobile apps

According to a report, India has become the second-biggest smartphone market in the world after China. This shows that there is a huge opportunity for delivering e-learning content through mobile apps. Today, learning and educational mobile apps are available on popular platforms like Android and iOS. Developers are creating educational and learning apps based on particular subjects. As a result, they untangle complex concepts with easy to understand illustrations and animations, puzzles games, etc. It will create a learning mindset for every student where he engages with the educational app and clear doubts independently.

Similarly, there are tools available for learning grammar, physics, chemistry, mathematics, and so on. Just imagine how an education from around the globe comes into a palm from where a student can learn a new concept, ideas, and skills. The prices of tablets and smartphones are coming down. As a result, people from villages and remote areas can also make use of these apps to learn and update their learning skills.

Ways to improve Indian Education System

Few steps can be taken by the government along with schools in India to improve the education system in this country.

1. Replace the backdate syllabus

All the major government schools in India follow the backdated syllabus, which doesn’t fit into the modern world scenario. Because of this old syllabus, the Indian education system is not able to secure a good place in the world and the students who practice their education on the old syllabus are not treated up to the mark as they are far ahead of the current syllabus. Hence, to improve the schools in India, the respective authorities and the government should focus more on the research and development of the syllabus. The syllabus should talk about the modern world and students should also focus on relevant case studies to improve education structure in India.

2. Career-focused learning system

The traditional education system doesn’t have a career-focused approach. The modern world has changed drastically, and the lifestyle of modern people has also accordingly. More focus on exam results and not much engagement in any other activity make the student’s growth low. More than 80 percent of the students as per the latest survey said that they thought it is important for the schools to be more career-focused. The schools, especially government schools, should provide technical education at a basic level. Most importantly, skill-based education helps the students, who belong to the lower class of society. Therefore, introduced skill-based education at the basic level will help the students collect funds to continue with their studies.

3. Educating the parents

Most of the people in India are not educated enough, due to many reasons and they have a mindset that further education will not solve the current scenario from what they are going through. that is the reason they don’t encourage their children to get an education. In the first place, it is very important to educate the parents in India so that they stop forcing their children to drop out of schools and colleges. If the parents are educated they can encourage their child to study as it will not impact the thinking ability of nearby area but also boost the confidence of the other children whose parents do not allow to go to school.

4. Focus on rural education

Most of the country’s population stays in rural areas. That is the reason the policymakers should focus more on education in rural areas. It is important as it helps to create an awareness of how much education is important and what are the benefits of it that they will gain in the future. Children who live in rural areas often neglected due to lack of electricity, poor infrastructure, lack of communication, and much more.

It can be improved by giving coaching classes for English, Science, Computer and other subjects. Providing them the revised sessions for the academically weak students. Events can also be organized to provide the learning skills to the students so that they grow mentally and physically and compete with other students in sports, music, art, craft, and other co-curricular activities. If the major part of it remains unattended, India will never be able to become a superpower in 2021.

5. Technical Institutes

Technology has become an integral part of the modern generation. Students should start getting a basic level of technical education from their school. It will also reach the skilled labor force of India. Furthermore, there are organizations that look for more highly skilled people, who have good technical knowledge. The government should focus on building more technical institutes to meet the requirements in India and abroad.

6. Focus on public-private partnership

This might have come to your notice that private schools focus on providing good quality education to secure a good rank in the educational marketplace. Very few people can afford private schools and colleges. Due to this reason, government schools and colleges may opt for the public-private partnership to provide good quality education to the students.

Consequently, it will improve and enhance the quality of education in government organizations and it will also reduce the financial burden of the government.

7. Introducing smart class and smart library

Some schools and colleges are focusing on smart classes and libraries. With the help of smart classes, the students can learn in an easy way. Visuals create a great impact on the mind and once students see they easily memorize. If the government introduces an e-library, the students can easily get access to good quality books. Online education will also help the students to have easy access to world-class learning.

8. Good career counseling

Most of the students find it difficult to choose the right career for them. Therefore, the teachers should provide regular career counseling to the students so they would not baffle between what is to choose and what is their interest. Some organizations are helping the students to find the right college for themselves. In this way, good mentoring and career counseling will help the students not only to choose the right career for themselves but also help to gain confidence in decision making.

9. Regular teacher training

The training for teachers should be mandatory and on a regular basis as it upgraded the level. The governing authority should also consider the students’ feedback and reviews about the mentoring teachers. This will help the mentors and educators to provide good quality education.

10. Good support and health education

The government should focus on providing health and nutrition education to the students at a basic level. The teacher should also encourage and provide doubt clearing support to the students. As a result, these things will help the students clear their doubts and overcome their weaknesses. Students never feel dishearten due to proper connection between a teacher and a student inside the class on a particular topic, also if teachers try to explain the things when any student does not satisfy.

Above all, parents have a lot of questions related to the education system-
  • Which school to choose- private school or international school?
  • Which is the best-fit education board in India- ICSE board or IB board or CBSE board or state board?
  • How is the private school beneficial?
  • Which school is better for their children?
  • Is government school good or private school is good?
  • Are the teaching methods in government schools updated?
  • Is an International school better than any other school?
  • What are the extracurricular activities that a child will learn in school?
  • What will be the best option for their child IB SCHOOL, CBSE School, or ICSE school?
  • Which board should I choose for my kid?

Furthermore, you can visit our blogs to look for the answers to most of your questions!

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