Reforms in Education

At the time of Independence, one important deficiency in the education system was that education was heavily art and humanities-based. With passage of time, this deficiency has been removed to some extent. Now, India has the third largest number of science graduates in the world.

But one serious flaw is still there. Indian scientific teaching is not basically search-based. Thus the young Indian scientists do get some established scientific knowledge but not many of them can do research or show any research results because research is a costly affair and Indian laboratories lack proper facilities for the same. Still, it can be said with pride that in the fields of nuclear, space and computer research, Indian scientists are next to none.

Because of a haphazard Churning of arts graduates, doctors and engineers in the Indian institutions, there has been wide spread unemployment on a large-scale in these fields. And many of our brilliant young scholars have to seek admission or employment in foreign countries thus leading to ‘brain drain’ on a large scale.

It is heartening that now several new courses related to commerce, agriculture, industry, medicine, engineering, textile etc. have been started in various universities and institutions in different parts of the country to keep pace with the rapidly advancing world order and trade and to cater to the needs of the teeming millions and to raise the standards of the masses.

The media has also brought about a revolution in the field of education. Teaching through satellites and open universities has opened new vistas for the employed and those who cannot attend any educational or vocational institution. The new communication systems, including the web and Internet, have brought about new type of revolution.

In spite of this, the typical institutions, particularly in rural areas and small towns still lack basic educational facilities. The class-rooms are over-crowded, the syllabi are outdated and the teachers...