A Critical Look at India’s Education System

Context

National Education Policy (NEP) – 2020 has been launched as a major reform to improve the Indian education system. Though it promised reform, it has brought out even more profound issues in its implementation. The government’s approach has generated concerns through three primary areas:

• Centralisation of power
• Commercialisation of education
• Communalisation of curricula

These problems have made an impact on learners, instructors and policymakers and have impacted the quality and availability of instruction in India.

Centralisation: Weakening Federalism

• Increasing Central Control: One of the key issues is centralising decision-making around education more and more. The Central Advisory Board of Education, aimed at facilitating cooperation between the Centre and states, has not met since September 2019. Even as significant changes have been introduced under the NEP 2020, the central government, although, has not taken into account the state governments ostensibly because education falls under the Concurrent List of the Indian Constitution, meaning central and state governments have both authority over it.
• Controlling Educational Funds: The government’s financing strategy has also been questioned. Under the PM-SHRI scheme her ensuring funds from Samagam Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) – which implements Right to Education (RTE) Act – have apparently been blockage to pressure states making central policies; The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education has taken strong objection to it, asking for unconditional release of SSA fund for schools to get the necessary financial support that they are entitled to.
• Interfering in Higher Education: Centralisation is equally seen in advanced education. The draft UGC guidelines for 2025 take away state government powers of appointment of university vice-chancellors, giving power to the Central government. Since Governors function as Chancellors in many state universities, this alteration takes away a portion of control state universities have over their own business, and makes them more subject to the central government.

Commercialisation: Turning Education into a Business

• Privatisation of Schools: While NEP 2020 proposes to promote inclusive education, NEP 2020 has helped to shift schools into more private sector as the poll shows: The policy promotes school complexes, where many small schools are converged, though this is against the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act which guarantees the right to access a school near one’s home. About 90,000 public schools have closed since 2014, while private schools have expanded at an alarming rate. As a result, the existing education system has become costly, making the poor family run towards costly and unregulated private schools.
• Privatisation in Higher Education: Commercialism is also encroaching on the sector of higher education. HEFA (Higher Education Financing Agency) has introduced a market-rate loan instead of traditional UGC block grant. The institutions have to make money – and that’s done mainly through student tuition – to repay this loan. Subsequently, Universities have hiked up the fees for attendance so that education is unaffordable for many of the students. This approach involves a Perry rigged system that hurts the university and places financial burden on the students and restricts access to higher education – Said the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education.
• Financial Corruption in Education: Together with the privatisation, corruption in the education system is increasing. The recent scandals: bribery in National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), inefficiencies of National Testing Agency (NTA) reflect abuse of power, and political interference. These matters further diminish confidence in the school.

Communalisation: Rewriting History

Curriculum Changes

Another worry is the ideological renovation of course programmes. The government has rewritten the textbooks to spread a particular historical and cultural narrative. Key topics such as:

• Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination
• Mughal history
• The Preamble of the Indian Constitution

have been stripped from books in schools, drawing public cries. Some content has been indirectly restored due to backlash, but the fact of rewriting the history still remains a serious thing.

Influence on Higher Education

• Also in universities the ideological impact is increasing. Academic appointments are more often than not predicated upon political affiliation than merit and specialty. 
• Even prime institutions such as IITs and IIMs have seen that leadership positions are allocated to those with political connections. 
• The UGC’s owner showing to relax faculty qualification criteria is also a move that concerns giving ideological loyalty over educational quality.

Impact and the Way Forward

• The Centralisation, Commercialisation and Communalisation is decaying India’s Education System. Some key consequences include:
• Loss of autonomy on the part of educational institutions: State and local governments, as well as universities, are experiencing decreasing autonomy in terms of decision making.
• Increased inequality: Privatization is unaffordable for the economically weaker sections of the society.
• Politicization of education: Crises affecting academic freedom & historical truth in the curriculum.

Conclusion

It is not just to talk about economics but also democracy and progressive society through education. If the trends of the day are to hold, India is on the track not of further social night, but of intellectual and democratic night. Urgent change is required to keep education available, accessible and free from political and commercial interference. Protection of the integrity of the Educational system is a must for India’s Future and Leadership in Global context.

Source: The Hindu

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