I am of the same opinion that Indian education is good and not bad. Having come through what others sometimes call bad education hasn't made me any the less effective. I think the real question to be addressed is not whether Indian education is good - it is when you think of how it works given the terrible constraints it works in  - but of how to make it better - so that the quality hits a high that is evenly  spread out in an even greater self sustaining way. I studied in Kerala all my life , till very recently, and whenever I meet people from the 'Heavy' institutions they are surprised by the standards I achieve, despite etc. Perhaps I may be an exception but it is not really so. Even if it is it may not be the case of the exception proving the rule, but rather of him getting an opportunity to showcase abilities in different realms, whereas the others don't. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Interesting article and an issue worth debating about. Infact, its a constant battle/ debate that many of us - educators, who believe in progressive education are faced with. Be it at parent- teacher conferences, staff rooms, discussions with parents or discussions with other teachers from different schools. I personally feel that the Indian system of education has come a long way and changed from the time that I was in school. The forms of assessment are undergoing reforms and very slow changes being incorporated. There are new schools emerging that function with a different philosophy- incorporating new methodology, pedagogical practices, smaller student- teacher ratio, ongoing assessments........

The reason that we dont remember a lot of what we learnt in school also speaks volumes of the methodology and learning that took place in our classrooms. We seemed to have just memorised facts/ material without truly understanding them and as a result we do not remember them and the years of education seemed to have been very superficial.

The new practices of good education will truly lead to better understanding and better future citizens. Unless we go deeper into the learning material and provide adequate scope for experiential and interactive learning the understanding would not be complete.

Good question, and one definitely worth debating over, as Beena said. I too have come through this Indian education system and have gone on to study in some fine higher ed. institutions in India and the US. I'm not sure I can truly answer the question - "am I what I am today, because of my Indian schooling or in spite of it?". In fact every time I talk about the use of old methods of rote learning that are still prevelant in our classrooms, and how I don't remember much of what I was taught, someone or the other reminds me that I too am a product of this system and I did not turn out badly (smile)!.

This elog does raise several questions - "Has my schooling hindered/helped in achieving what I could or have achieved in life" and, more importantly, "What is a measure of success or quality of an educational system?"

Our students who go abroad for higher studies usually do excel in institutions where they compete with others from all over the world. But I should add that the percentage of kids who go abroad is not very large, even though absolute numbers may be large compared to foreign students from other countries who go to the US/UK/Australia for further studies.

In some ways, this reminds me of the arguments I have had with several educators (and others) over the years about using technology in education. Good teachers (note the qualifier) have done fine for years (and continue to do so) without technology. Why then should we try to introduce something that is new, and when there is not much data (in terms of improved academic achievement) to back the argument for using technology. It just boils down to the fact that I have seen, experienced or been a part of learning environments that have worked well thanks to technology. Similarly, common sense dictates that where there is good understanding and thinking, there is more "learning" happening, and so that type of educational environment must be better than one where there is rote memorization and regurgitation of facts, even if the latter produces kids who seem to be ahead of their counterparts in other countries.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this; I'm quite sure this elog has given me much to dwell on, and that there will be more I will have to say about it....

I am not so sure that Western education is the answer to our educational thrust to become better at what we are doing. It is a juggernaut , I agree, but it cannot be touted as the only successful way of education when it isn't even  monolithic and contributions of Indian thinkers haven't been taken into account as an earlier post pointed out. While discussing the philosophy of education both successful and failed models seldom discuss the ideas of an Ambedkar or a Gandhi , let alone the experiments tried by a Krishnamurthi or a Tagore. One can say the first two are only theoreticians but that is to forget that they were students once upon a time. The comments above are interesting because they do not answer certain issues. For example, Socrates says something to this effect - I do not remember large sections of what I learned in science or maths in school and did not understand it. I presume he is talking of himself - my counter question is do students who learn in schools like Eton, Rugby and Harrow really remember all the things they learn for ever after? Oxford, Cambridge, Hull, Yarrow, Yale, Harvard etc. - do they really produce exemplars of the educational system. Do they understand everything they learn? Recently I watched a film version of Tom Brown's Schooldays and it was horrifying to see Rugby during/before Thomas Arnold, that great educator. We need to think in a balanced way about where education is going in the global scenario and not think of the globe as being only/primarily America, Europe and the UK. The future is bright for us here in India and the past was not so bad.

Well said, the past wasn't so bad. Our teachers of yesteryears were probably not trained, but they sure were very knowledgeable of the subjects they taught.Whether convents, public or private schools,the 'guru-shishya' feel was there, which seems to have got lost in the newer ideas on education now. So whether we have evolved for the better, or the whole system like everything else has got diluted is a matter of debate.

The NCERT and other such bodies involved in education keep revising the curriculum, keeping in mind the changing trends, and of course the child. Whatever knowledge is assimilated over the schooling years cannot be negated.After all we do forget or choose to forget those portions which are not of our interest. Nevertheless doing away with the rote system and striking a balance between the new and the old is probably required. 

The article written by Megha Shyam who has lived for 30 years in Corvallis,also touches upon our joint family system,where our youngsters also learn from all that rustic wisdom prevailing.It also says so much of the parents, where they take pride in their childs education.That in itself is building certain values in our children, which also helps them to hold their ground when they are abroad to pursue their studies.Megha Shyam has along with that, talked of the study patterns. Well I'm all for it...all the way...Evolve gradually, isn't it?

I have referred to the QUEST supplement to today's Hindu in another comment - and here's another article from it that speaks to this good discussion on Indian Education. It's written by an 11th std. student from Kochi and is titled "Can I have an education please?" which made me think "Is education like a burger she can order at MacDonald's?" Anyway...

The points she makes are about sharing with kids the relevance of what they are taught - "Students have to study this chapter, but are not told, either in the textbook or by their teacher, the actual need for it."; about using technology to make learning interesting "Wildlife documentaries would make classes interesting, providing insight into the life of a species and a better understanding of anatomy and physiology."; the poor quality of prescribed texts which are "poorly written, the style dry and monotonous and with appalling grammatical errors."; the need to move beyond the four walls of the classroom (as discussed in an earlier elog here on the Philosophy of Education) - "mere book-learning cannot clean up a river or safe a life in a real-world situation."

She ends with "At the end of the day, the truth is that we do not remember all that we are taught in school. And we must admit, we do not really need to remember them. What we remember are the talents discovered, the appreciation we gained, the issues we woke up to and the knowledge that we can change the world if we try hard enough."

Very well said, Anupama Kumar! I think you should become a teacher when you grow up...something tells me you'll make a good one....

Well this has been a good discussion - thanks to all who contributed, but I do not want to end this just yet!

Remember the cover story of India Today a few months ago (Nov. 2006) "What's wrong with our teaching?" The survey and research that led to that report and story were conducted by Educational Initiatives - an educational organization that specializes in conducting assessments that are a test of understanding rather than rote learning. The results (in the form of detailed reports, including the tests that were administered) are for all to see on their website.

The picture does not look pretty, and brings us back to our discussion of the stress on rote learning and not understanding.

Its exam time and teachers probably are steeped in corrections, and once again lamenting over this rote system and learning without understanding. In science some concepts cleared , some not.In english some phrases not understood, essence of some chapters have not thoroughly been understood. The teacher is left puzzled, wondering where we went wrong. New ideas crop up, excitement to change the style and perhaps come up with better, more challenging, imaginative concepts do cross the teachers mind. But the new session starts in a whirlwind, no time to get the message across and be heard. It just goes on, and we are still in the same old rut, the same problems remain. If changes could be brought in slowly, bringing in application of the text learnt, maybe correction time for the teacher every end of the year will not be so depressing.