Nurturing holistic development
School education has witnessed dramatic changes over the past few decades
Children are like buds in a garden and should be carefully and lovingly nurtured, as they are the future of the nation and the citizens of tomorrow,” Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of India, had said once. “Only through right education can a better order of society be built up.”
India has travelled a long way since the post-Independence era when the number of students (especially girls) in schools were woefully low.
According to figures given by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the National Institution of Educational Planning and Administration, there were just 5.4 million girls in the primary school stage (classes I to V) and barely 500,000 in the upper-primary (classes VI to VIII) in 1950-51.
By 2015-16, the figures had shot up to 62.2 million and 32.9 million respectively, revealing the enormous progress that had been made in expanding school education to girls.
Likewise, there was a sharp surge in the number of girl students in the standards IX and X category; they were up from a mere 7.4 million in 2000-01 to 18.6 million in 2015-16.
DRAMATIC CHANGES IN SCHOOL EDUCATION
The country has indeed witnessed dramatic changes in the school education sector over the past few decades. With a growing number of educated Indians heading abroad for jobs in the Gulf region (including the UAE), the US, Europe, Australia and Southeast Asia, millions of Indian parents including a growing number in rural areas, are looking at providing quality education for their children.
The first and second generation of Indians who have migrated abroad in recent years, also lay great stress on educating their children in their adopted lands. Consequently, many NRI school-going kids – whether in the US, the UAE or Australia – are seen to be among the brightest, who perform exceptionally well in school, get into the best of higher education institutions and build their careers.
Schools in the UAE that are affiliated to the two major Indian bodies – the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) – are also geared to ensure that a pre-dominant majority of the students graduating from classes X and XII do so remarkably well. This ensures admission to the best of higher education institutions in India and other parts of the globe.
ENSURING A BETTER LIFE FOR THEIR CHILDREN
There is growing recognition among parents, both resident and overseas Indians, that investing in primary and secondary education is what matters the most to ensure a better life for the new generation.
“Investing in the development of innovative and industrious human capital not only improves the earning capability of an individual but also enhances the social well-
being of the surrounding communities,” noted ‘Vision for School Education 3.0,’ a discussion paper and vision document on the school education scenario in India by a team of experts from FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) Arise and EY LLP. “Hence, a dynamic education system imparting robust skills and knowledge is essential for driving economic growth as well as for the development of a knowledgeable society.”
Considering the enormous amount of efforts put in by NRI parents in the Gulf region to provide good school education for their children, the Indian government encourages further studies in colleges.
The government had earlier approved a scheme enabling supernumerary quota of 15 per cent seats in all institutions of higher education and universities offering higher and technical courses for, among others, children of NRIs in the Gulf. This could be over and above the approved intake.
HOLISTIC TREATMENT FOR SCHOOL EDUCATION
School education is now also being treated holistically without segmentation from prenursery to class XII. The government announced the setting up of Samagra Shiksha, an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class XII. Its broader goal is to improve school effectiveness measured in terms of equal opportunities for schooling and equitable learning outcomes.
The recent budget saw the government escalate the allocation for its National Education Mission to a hefty Rs385.72 billion (from Rs323.34 billion last year), with most of it allocated for school education for students from the pre-primary stage to class XII.
An overview of the Indian school education system by the British Council a while back noted that it was one of the largest and most complex in the world.
“The complexity of the system stems from India’s need to maintain standard and uniformity, while giving scope for its diverse culture and heritage to grow and flourish across the length and breadth of the country,” said the report. “After independence, India has worked hard to provide access to almost all its young people, but it has only just begun to focus on aspects of quality and seek to improve learning outcomes.”