Delusive and shallow education system of a developing country
Literacy rates in India have improved in past years but at a very slow rate. Today, though India boasts a rate of 74% literacy, the truth is , many of them cannot even write a complete sentence for anybody who knows how to write and spell his name is considered literate in here.
Although India has made tremendous shift from 12% literacy rate during British rule to 74% in 2011,
a lot remains to be done yet; for the level of literacy is far below the world average literacy rate.
Moreover numbers of graduates have indeed increased in past years but it is in no way beneficial to the country and is a complete failure. The reason for this is that education system of our country is keenly focused on academic studies and has a very closed, covered and narrow approach to education, instead of broad and open. With issues like adult education still remaining a taboo it is pointless to have a high literacy rate.
Real education should be one that prepares its pupil for lifelong learning. As Clay P. Bedford said:“You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.” It seems to me that Indian government is not interested in lifelong learning of citizens.
This, disinterest is the reason why India has witnessed literacy to grow at a sluggish rate. The reason why India still shows no sign of becoming “developed” from being a developing is that education in India is not only poor but is inadequate. Therefore, well educated people as well are failing to input in development of the country. Indians are competing at global level with countries where lifelong learning is promoted. Reportedly in foreign countries people get back to studies after retirement because their academic sessions inculcate an aptitude for learning in them; whereas ours prepares us for scoring alone.
It is sad that number of heinous crimes in country is being committed by graduates and well educated people. India also need lifelong learning to be a developed country for leaning in Indian schools is not proving beneficial to improve moral standards and civic sense in citizens; but much before that it needs an aptitude for lifelong learning.
Let's hope government of country get an accurate idea of direction in which the masses have to be lead lest it will be no use of running in opposite direction after boarding on for wrong direction. The fact that government has become so lenient to declare a person as literate if only he could write or spell his name does not indicate good signs on the road of progress.
