India, with more than a billion residents, has the second largest education system
in the world (after China). Experts estimate that 32 percent of its current
population is under the age of 15.1 But counter to the image of India as a
youthful engine of economic growth where many urban-based citizens work in
some of the best technology-centered jobs in the world, males in India complete
just 2.9 years of schooling on average, females just 1.8 years.2 And for the small
proportion who do persist through primary and secondary schooling, the quality
of instruction varies widely, depending on the region of the country and whether
one is enrolled in a State-supported public school or a fee-based private school.
Despite the highly inefficient delivery of public services, high levels of teacher
absenteeism and non-teaching activity, many Indian students remain motivated
to succeed on the college entrance exams. The high level of competition for entry
into the Indian Institutes of Technology, the Indian Institutes of Management
and other top institutions is enough to spur millions of students to achieve at
remarkably high levels, particularly in the areas of science and mathematics. The
increased demand for higher education is not currently being met: only ten
percent of the age cohort is actually enrolled in higher education. But in a
country with such a large population, ten percent enrollment amounts to 9
million students, resulting in 2.5 million new college graduates a year. These
numbers driven by the private sector opportunities abroad, and increasingly,
back in India, will continue to ensure India’s prowess in delivering high-quality
technical manpower.
PICTURE CREDIT : the Hindu
Historically, Indian education has been elitist. Traditional Hindu education was
tailored to the needs of Brahmin boys who were taught to read and write by a
Brahmin teacher. Under British rule from the 1700s until 1947, India’s education
policies reinforced the pre-existing elitist tendencies, tying entrance and
advancement in government service to academic education. Colonial rule
contributed to the legacy of an education system geared to preserving the
position of the more privileged classes. Education served as a "gatekeeper,"
permitting an avenue of upward mobility only to those with resources.
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