Draft:The Journey of Indian Education System

THE JOURNEY OF INDIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM

A major shift in the education system can be observed since the pre- and post-British rule till today in India. Initially, children were educated in Gurukuls which was later modified and the modern education system was introduced.

Historical Milestones

Ancient Education Systems such as Gurukuls, Nalanda, Pathshalas, etc.

A gurukula or gurukulam (Sanskrit: गुरुकुल, romanized: gurukula) is a type of education system in ancient India with śiṣya ('students' or 'disciples') living near or with the guru in the same house for a period of time where they learn and get educated by their guruji.Tradition by contrast, the word Guru has a very restricted use and not generally applied to individual teachers, while the institution of Gurdwara has a major social role instead of a monastic one.) The word gurukula is a combination of the Sanskrit words guru ('teacher' or 'master') and kula ('family' or 'home'). The term is also used today to refer to residential monasteries or schools operated by modern gurus. The proper plural of the term is gurukulam, though gurukuls is also used in English and some other European languages.

Nalanda (Sanskrit: नालंंदा) was an ancient Mahavihara, a revered university which served as a renowned centre of learning, in the ancient kingdom of Magadha (modern-day Bihar) in India. The university of Nalanda obtained significant fame, prestige and relevance during ancient times, and rose to legendary status due to its contribution to the emergence of India as a great power around the fourth century. The site is located about 95 kilometres (59 mi) southeast of Patna, and was one of the greatest centres of learning in the world from the fifth century CE to c. 1200 CE. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Students at Nalanda studied the Vedas and were also trained in fine arts, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, politics and the art of warfare. The ancient Nalanda was a centre of learning from the 5th century CE to 12th century CE.

The pathshala was an open air institution having no paraphernalia like permanent structures, furniture and staff. A pathshala carried no name. It was usually known to people by the name of the guru who ran it. The pupils sat on the ground. They were, however, free to bring from home their own gears to sit on, such as small-sized mats made of cane, bamboo reeds, barks, leaves etc. The guru maintained his honour and difference with the rest by sitting on a wooden stool, which was again brought from home. As the guru maintained the pathshala all alone as an enterprise, he admitted students to the limit he could well manage. The gurus mostly came from the Hindu Kayastha caste, which was socially specialized in teaching and serving in state and business establishments. The pathshala was open to students of all religions and castes, though predominantly Hindu students attended pathshala and Muslim students maktabs.

Colonial impact on education (british education reforms)

In the British colonies, as elsewhere, religious missions were instrumental in introducing European-style education. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, the Moravian Mission, the Mission of Bremen, the Methodists, and Roman Catholic missionaries all established themselves on the Gold Coast (Ghana) between 1820 and 1881, opening elementary schools for boys and girls, a seminary, and eventually a secondary school (in 1909). In Nigeria, Protestant missions were opened at Badagry, Abeokuta, Lagos, and Bonny from 1860 to 1899, and the Roman Catholic missions entered afterward and opened the first catechism, primary, secondary, and normal schools. In Uganda and Kenya the Church Missionary Society, the Universities Mission to Central Africa, the White Fathers, and the London Missionary Society opened the first mission schools between 1840 and 1900.

The first official lay schools came later and for a long time constituted a weak minority. In 1899 in Nigeria, for instance, only 33 of the 8,154 primary schools, 9 of the 136 secondary schools, and 13 of the 97 normal schools were government-run. Similarly, in the Gold Coast in 1914 the government was responsible for only 8 percent of the schools. In Kenya and Uganda all schools were conducted by missions. Not until 1922 did the British government assume some responsibility for education in Uganda, by opening the first government technical school at Makerere (the future Makerere University College). Only in territories seized from the Germans in World War I did the British take over the administration of existing government schools. Generally, the British preferred to leave education to missions, which were given variable financial aid, usually from local and inadequate sources.

Following the publication of critical reports in 1922 and 1925—when there was growing uneasiness among the Africans, the missions, the governors, and the administrators—the necessity of a precise policy on education was imposed on the British authorities. In 1925 an Advisory Committee on Education in the Colonies, created in 1924 and presided over by William Ormsby-Gore, published an important report. The ideas, principles, and methods formulated in this document covered the matters involved in defining a policy—namely, the encouragement and control of private educational institutions, the cooperation by the governmental authorities with these institutions, and the adaptation of education to the traditions of the African peoples. Special importance was placed on religious and moral instruction, the organization and status of education services, subsidies to private schools, instruction in the African languages, the training of native teachers, the inspection of schools and the upgrading of teachers, professional training and technique, and the education of young girls and women. The structure of an educational system at the most advanced stage was to consist of an elementary education (generally six years), diversified middle and secondary education (four to six years), technical and professional schools, specialized schools of higher education, and adult education.

Post-Independence Reforms

Major educational policies and commissions (Kothari Commission, NEP 1968, 1986, 2020).

The National Policy on Education (NPE) is a policy formulated by the Government of India to promote and regulate education in India. The policy covers elementary education to higher education in both rural and urban India. The first NPE was promulgated by the Government of India by Prime Minister Indira Gandhiin 1968, the second by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1986, and the third by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2020.

Kothari Commission (1964-1966)

• National Education Commission (1964-1966), popularly known as Kothari Commission, was an ad hoc commission set up by the Government of India to examine all aspects of the educational sector in India, to evolve a general pattern of education, and to advise guidelines and policies for the development of education in India.
• It was formed on 14 July 1964 under the chairmanship of Daulat Singh Kothari, then chairman of the University Grants Commission.
• The terms of reference of the commission were to formulate the general principles and guidelines for the development of education from the primary level to the highest and advise the government on a standardized national pattern of education in India. However, the medical and legal studies were excluded from the purview of the commission.

The Kothari commission’s report focused on education and national development. The tenancy of the commission was from 1964 to 1966 and the report was submitted by the Commission on 29 June 1966.

Development of primary,secondary and higher education

Education is one of the most important drivers for ending poverty and boosting shared prosperity, as well as for improving health, gender equality, peace, and stability. Guaranteeing the human right to a basic education means little unless schooling leads to learning for all children and youth. Growth, development, and poverty reduction depend on the knowledge and skills that young people acquire—not just the number of years they sit in a classroom.

But learning levels remain alarmingly low. In low-income countries, many young people complete basic education without acquiring fundamental literacy and numeracy skills. Even in middle-income countries, many students do not acquire the basic skills that are expected by employers and needed to secure a job. Today, an estimated 250 million children around the world are unable to read and write, even after spending three or more years in school. The urgency of improving the quality of education and accelerating learning globally has never been greater.

Improving learning outcomes requires strategic reforms and interventions at all levels of the education system. Major challenges in access to a meaningful education remain for the most disadvantaged populations, and there is a need to close these gaps and to improve the quality of service provision through better policies and stronger institutions.

Higher education has grown very rapidly in India over the last 30 years, with the proportion of those who attend tertiary institutions to the relevant age group rising from 6% in 1983 to around 20% by 2011.2 This growth has been greatly com- pressed into only a few areas.

Impact of Globalization

The curriculum and pedagogical framework of school education will be changed to better react to the interests and demands of learners at various developmental stages, which correspond to the age groups of 3–8, 8–11, 11–14, and 14–18 years, respectively.A 5+3+3+4 design, consisting of the foundational stage, preparatory stage, middle stage, and secondary stage, will therefore serve as the basis for the curriculum, pedagogical structure, and curricular framework for school education.

Rise of private institutions and international collaborations

The many changes to higher education in recent years have led to new thinking around the value and potential of international partnerships and linkages. While most institutions have traditionally focused their efforts on establishing student exchange agreements and collaborative-research partnerships, many institutions are actively exploring new ways of engaging.  This includes, for example, establishing academic continuity programs, forming collaborative degree programs, and setting up discipline-specific micro-campuses. With the mainstreaming of online learning, institutions are also increasingly engaged in COIL programming, course-level virtual exchange alliances, micro-credentialed programs, and blended learning off shore hubs.

Modern smart technology introduced by Industry 4.0 is transforming all facets of higher education, including international partnerships and collaborations. An array of educational organizations now provide savvy tools to assist institutions with the development and implementation of partnerships that include data and content management systems, interactive digital learning environments, and related platforms to facilitate international engagement.

In all respects, establishing and sustaining international partnerships and collaborations can be complex and requires considerable expertise and perseverance. Gateway is well-positioned to support institutions and organizations around the world with establishing and maintaining effective partnerships and collaborations.

Current Trends and Future Prospects

In schools around the world, computers, tablets, smart whiteboards and other technological devices are being used as part of the learning process. Technology provides a window to the world and access to thousands of learning resources. Learning to work with technology and using computer coding gives children the skills and confidence to help them get good jobs when they leave school – and in turn come up with more new technologies.

The number of children around the world using handheld devices, like mobile phones and mini-tablets, is growing. Agencies and organisations are taking advantage of the technology to deliver education where it is most needed.

Technology can be used as a tool for delivering education where it is most needed, especial in humanitarian emergencies such as war or natural disasters.

Many of the jobs available today may be gone within a decade. With increasing automation and other factors, more children will need to leave school with the technological skills needed in the future economy.

Students need to be learning the skills necessary for the jobs that have yet to be created.

In its September 2016 report, the Education Commission – a group of world leaders and experts set up to investigate how to deliver education for all children by 2030 – said: “Far-reaching innovation is needed to equip young people with the new knowledge and skills they need for the new economy, to provide education to millions more children effectively and efficiently, and to take advantage of new technology and new understanding of how children learn.”

Digital skills are necessary for taking part in the global economy. Mobile technologies have reached even the poorest parts of the world – but skill gaps remain and school students are often taught skills that will not help them to access jobs in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).

There is a risk of technology being deployed in a way that rewards young people in richer countries and leaves others in low-income countries lagging behind when it comes to getting the skills needed for the new economies.

The Education Commission said: “Most new technologies are made for those who already have some access, rather than being designed and deployed in a manner that proactively prioritises the most marginalised. As a result, many initiatives over the last decade have not managed to live up to expectations. Fortunately, a more reflective use of technology for education is emerging.”

Challenges and opportunities in the contemporary education landscape.

The foundation of society advancement is education, which offers people chances for personal and professional growth as well as information and skills. However, there are many obstacles in the modern society that prevent education from realising its potential as a transformative force. In this essay, we will examine the many difficulties that modern education faces, from issues of accessibility to pedagogical concerns and the influence of technology.

1. Obtaining Education Making sure that everyone has equitable access to education is one of the most enduring concerns facing the field today. Despite tremendous advances, a number of issues like poverty, gender inequality, geographic isolation, and violence prevent millions of children and people from having access to a high-quality education worldwide. Governments, organisations, and communities must work together to close this gap by giving marginalised groups access to education and making sure that no one is left behind.
2. Inequality in education Despite the fact that differences in educational performance continue, education is meant to be a great equaliser. Socioeconomic issues frequently play a role in educational disparity, with students from underprivileged homes frequently encountering obstacles that limit their chances. By addressing the larger concerns of income inequality and social fairness, as well as increasing school facilities and resources, this challenge can be overcome.

Education Quality Simply having access to education is insufficient; education quality is crucial. The provision of high-quality education is hampered by a number of issues, including outdated curricula, inadequate teacher preparation, and crammed classrooms. Modernising educational practises, emphasising learner-centered strategies, and funding teacher professional development are crucial steps in raising educational standards overall.

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Technological Disparities

While technology has the potential to revolutionize education, it also exacerbates existing disparities. The digital divide is a significant challenge, as not all students have equal access to devices and internet connectivity. Bridging this gap and ensuring that technology enhances rather than hinders education requires innovative solutions and targeted interventions.

• Technology Inequalities Although technology has the capacity to completely transform education, it also makes already-existing inequalities worse. Due to unequal access to devices and internet connectivity among pupils, the digital gap is a serious issue. It will need creative solutions and focused interventions to close this gap and ensure that technology benefits education rather than detracting from it.
  • Changing Pedagogical Approaches The evolving nature of work and society demands a shift in pedagogical approaches. Traditional, rote-based learning is giving way to more interactive, student-centered methods that emphasize critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. Educators face the challenge of adapting their teaching strategies to prepare students for a rapidly changing world.
  • Cultural Diversity and Globalisation The importance of cultural variety in education has increased as a result of globalisation. While variety enhances the educational process, it can also create issues with inclusivity and cultural understanding. In their curricula and institutional practises, schools and organisations must actively encourage cultural sensitivity, tolerance, and diversity.
  • Conclusion The problems that face education today are numerous and linked. Educators and politicians deal with complicated concerns, from issues of access and quality to the impact of technology and the necessity for evolving pedagogical approaches. But these difficulties also give chances for invention and development. Societies can create a more egalitarian, flexible, and inclusive educational system that equips people to succeed in the contemporary world by tackling these problems head-on. Overcoming these obstacles is crucial to realising the full potential of education, which continues to be a key driver of growth.