“Chabuk ke daar se toh circus ka sher bhi uchhalkar kursi par baithna sikh jata hai… lekin aise sher ko hum “well trained” kehte hai, “well educated” nahi.” - Aamir Khan, 3 Idiots.
The above quote aptly depicts the reality of the education system in India. It is with great conviction that I inform you that the education system needs fixing, but it cannot because:
- It profits on the parents’ forceful desire to have “settled” children.
- Educational institutions are geared towards profit rather than providing quality education to all.
The timeline goes: Go to school -> After-school tuitions -> come home to study -> sleep.
This repeats after school, where the dreaded stream scheme prevails: Science, Commerce, and Arts. The latter is dreaded by many parents, though times are changing. Engineering is favorable for everyone, even Sharmaji ka beta, who settled in the US after securing a high-paying job of 10 crores with a beautiful wife, kids, and a swanky house. The parents drool and stare menacingly at their child’s report cards.
In this article, I argue that the Indian education system of India operates as a business focused on producing workers for employment, rather than serving as a path to holistic personal or societal development.
Just a Minute on Education
In An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, John Locke considers the mind at birth as a “white paper, void of all characters, without any ideas,” in other terms, a blank slate. He mentioned that knowledge comes from observing the world around us and reflecting on it. That’s the purpose of learning.
Well, learning is merely the acquisition of knowledge through understanding. What is education, then?
Education is the process of lifelong learning that goes beyond just formal education. According to the Sustainable Development Goals, “quality education” remains their fourth tenet, a goal ensuring “inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” They continue, “Education liberates the intellect, unlocks the imagination and is fundamental for self-respect.” It’s a “key to prosperity and opens a world of opportunities” and “learning benefits every human being and should be available to all.”
Our ancestors provided education that truly aligned with the above definitions. Gurutakshilas were one of the most prominent avenues for seeking education from the wisest of gurus and actually practicing their craft in the real world. But the definition of education changed after colonizers took us by storm.
It was in 1835 that Thomas Babington Macaulay, through his “Minute on Education,” emphasized English-based higher education for the elite class. This decision led to the closure of Oriental institutions and the rejection of native languages, leaving the masses uneducated while the elite enjoyed the privilege of education.
This marks the point where education becomes a center, or more specifically, an “institution,” a profitable market that caters to the upper classes. Developments after independence reveal how something so invaluable has been assigned a price, and a highly profitable one at that.
Indian Education Post-Independence
After India gained independence from the British, Nehru ordered the establishment of educational institutions and boards such as IIT, IIM, AICTE, UGC, along with investing in research and innovation through the creation of DRDO, Atomic Energy Commission, and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
All good for now, until the 80s when India saw the creation of Kota, Rajasthan’s Bansal Classes, which would later develop the next generation of “Kota factories” that coach students in competitive exams such as JEE, NEET, and others. Allen Institute introduced coaching centers to Mumbai, with the hope to boost your IIT-JEE and NEET preparation with trained faculty, “structured study plans,” and, of course, releasing shiny pictures of their toppers over the years.
With Narasimha Rao opening India to foreign markets and privatization becoming legal, private educational institutions emerged, and exorbitant prices were charged to provide “quality” education to children. Education was good in some colleges, but subpar in many others. More entrance exams, such as IAS, IPS, and railway exams, rear their heads.
So where do parents turn to? Private tutors and coaching centers, of course! If the school is not teaching their children well, they will pay high fees to ensure their child gets a 90% or above.
Educational Statistics
The educational sector in India was estimated to be worth 91.76 billion dollars in 2018, 117 billion in 2020, and projected to reach 313 billion by 2030. The coaching industry alone is worth 3.5 billion dollars in revenue. This is a highly profitable business in Mumbai, Delhi, and Kota, thriving on parental pressure while sucking the joy out of learning.
What’s even worse is the high supply of students and low demand. For example, for 200,000 students preparing for IIT-JEE, there are only 10,000 seats available; NEET is even more extreme: 2,140 seats for 770,000 students. Observing the widening gap, you know what the problem is.
When COVID took the world by storm, and a lockdown was imposed, BYJU’s and WhiteHatJr were everywhere. Messi became the brand ambassador of BYJU’s in 2022. WhiteHatJr ads showed parents watching their young coders attract shareholders who scurried around outside their homes.
This manipulative advertising only forces parents to enroll their children in such courses, despite exorbitant costs and low-quality teaching. WhiteHatJr was worth 484 crores in 2021, while BYJU’s was worth 22 billion dollars in 2022. Fortunately, they are no longer relevant.
A Piece of Paper
One thing that strips education of its purpose more than consumerism is credentialism. It is the idea that society and companies prefer degrees over skills and experience. The value of a degree is reduced to the college and the stream, not the overall learning of the student. Even when AI takes over the world, degrees remain important in older companies where the IIT tag, a symbol of prestige, opens more doors than experience or teaching.
This is an unfair system that promotes the idea that only students from prestigious colleges lead successful lives. Here, a degree determines the future of the student. For engineering, medical, and MBA students, a high-paying job and an “amazing left” are guaranteed. For those pursuing the Arts, it is often treated as the end of the world. This needs to stop.
Education is a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. However, when a businessman slaps a price on it, it loses its true meaning and purpose. It becomes a business that pressures parents and children alike. The pressure is impulsive and leads students to lose hope, face unemployment, or even depression, despite choosing a “safe” career option.
It is time we take a look at ourselves and the education system. Our parents forced us to study hard, from school to college, and now, with AI, unemployment is bound to rise.
It is time to raise the next generation with technology and interactive learning that fosters understanding and engagement rather than cramming, no matter how boring or difficult the subject may be.
The education system needs fixing, but coaching centers survive because of our parents’ actions. Let us not contribute further to the commercialization of education and instead focus on creating an interactive environment for future generations.
. . .
References: