edublog

It is always a clichéd thing to say, “…but India’s problems are in its numbers.” Unfortunately, it is true in the case of education in India. In ancient India, there were Gurukuls where the Gurus used to teach their chosen students. Education was in the midst of nature. That helped the students see the effects of the theories of science/philosophy prevalent at that time. The primary characteristic of such an education was the relationship between the Guru (teacher) and the Shishya (student). It was a life-long one (PhD students may somewhat relate to this!). This system continued until the British Raj in some form or the other, but then went on a steep decline as the British started spreading their brand of education throughout the Empire. I guess, around that time, Indians started having the feeling that west was the best. Dayananda Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj, and Swami Shraddhanand, were the pioneers of the modern Gurukul system. Today various Gurukulam still exist...

A lot has been written about science education in India, and even more has been written about how we have got it all wrong in our schools. One fact is often quoted by those who are on the other side of the spectrum that India is the janmabhoomi for many a scientist and technologist who have made it big outside India. While some say it was DUE to the Indian educational system, the others say it was DESPITE it. I feel differently. I have come up through the very same Indian Educational System, but with a difference that I will elaborate later on, but first, a history lesson... India has implemented some incredible educational reforms over the years. Back in the 1960’s, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) was aided and funded by UNICEF so as to develop instructional material specific to the newly independent India. But during that time itself the National Education Commission (NEC) was established under the leadership of Padma Bhushan ( later Padma Vi...