Opinion | Education System: Reform or Stagnation?

In recent years,India has achieved the enrolments at the elementary level, reflecting the decades of policy focus and expansion. On the other hand, there are several challenges such as less opportunity in the government sector, and learning outcomes.

Over the decades, India has made progress to reach the universal-enrolments and improve access to education. Enrolment rates for children of aged 6-12 are now close to universal, and transition rates from primary to secondary level have increased significantly. Government initiatives, improvement in the conduct, infrastructure development have strengthened the system’s outreach. Moreover, dropout rates at the secondary level have also seen a gradual decline. These trends indicate that the state has largely succeeded in bringing the children into classrooms.

However, the access to the classrooms does not equate to quality. The real crisis and fault remains within the modus operandi of our classrooms. As teachers have to be trained with respect to modern teaching aids and skills. Multiple assessments have shown that a significant number of students struggle with basic maths and arithmetic skills. This shows that the enrolment number has increased but has not been matched by an equal emphasis on learning.

Further, the new trend of dependence on private coaching and tuition institutions highlights a structural issue. Several families are shifting to urban areas for private academies and better quality of education. This trend has led to lack of trust in the public education system and has led to a widening divide between the economic expenditure of poor students, those who can’t afford private education.

Another major problem is the gap between employment and education. The current system remains exam-oriented, emphasizing rote learning over critical thinking and practical skill development. Students complete degrees but lack skills required for the job market. This mismatch is highly visible in higher education, where enrolment has increased but employability outcomes match unevenly.

However, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, was aimed to address many of these challenges. This policy was aimed to replace exam-oriented education by skill development, multidisciplinary learning and flexibility in learning pathways. While these reforms, especially the NEP 2020, are well-intentioned and ambitious, their success depends on the effective implementation at ground level.

Although, the rate of female students at schools has significantly increased, which strengthens the further motive of ‘AATMA NIRBHAR BHARAT’, where the girl child is also well-educated, independent and self-sufficient. Meanwhile, other social challenges such as biasedness within the classrooms, inequality on the base of region and socio-economic background must be barred and erased from the educational institutions, whether private or government educations institutes.

In conclusion, India’s education system is improving, and is caught between stagnation and reform. While there is a necessity for more upgrades in the infrastructure, technology and tools of the classrooms to coincide with the modern education, skill-oriented launchpads and foundational learnings. As the system has improved and expanded in scale, transformation in substance remains incomplete.

The way forward remains in shifting the focus from quantity to quality. Strengthening the foundational learning, elementary mathematics along with core subjects, investing in teacher training with modern learning tools, aligning curriculum with real-world skills are essential steps. Equally important is restoring faith in public institutions and bridging the equity gap to ensure that education serves as a true equalizer.

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