Source-This post on Issues with India’s education system has been created based on the article “The real scam behind NEET we need to talk about” published in “The Indian Express” on 24 June 2024.
UPSC Syllabus-GS Paper-2- Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Context- The article emphasizes that while the focus is on alleged corruption in recent NEET exams, the real issue is elsewhere. It argues that India’s systems fail to meet the aspirations of its youth, as shown by 24 lakh students competing for only about 55,000 government seats. This highlights a significant lack of opportunities.
What are the issues with Indias education system?
1) Employment and Economic Challenges: -There’s a significant mismatch between the aspirations of India’s youth and the available opportunities. Many young people struggle to secure basic formal employment despite working hard.
2) Inequality Magnified by Narrow Definitions of Success-India’s societal emphasis on “merit” and success defined by wealth and power deepens inequalities. Celebration of a select few as national symbols of achievement ignores the systemic issues that restrict opportunities for most young people.
3) Barriers to Upward Mobility – Many talented individuals do not get the opportunity for upward mobility. This contributes to issues like high levels of unemployment and incidents of despair, such as suicides among students in places like Kota.
4) Lack of Unified National Strategy- The current approaches lack a cohesive, comprehensive national strategy. There is too much focus on isolated instances of success, which are insufficient compared to the widespread need. There is no clear strategy to make these opportunities accessible to all.
What should be the way forward?
1) Politicians must unite across party lines to acknowledge the problem’s magnitude and develop a systematic approach. This will necessitate substantial public funding to enhance education infrastructure and create more opportunities.
2) There is a need to give up dismissive attitudes towards the working class and promote social unity.
Read more- Issues and trends in India’s higher education system
3) India’s wealthy individuals must move beyond self-satisfaction with their own accomplishments and actively work to increase opportunities for underprivileged youth.
Question for practice
What are the challenges in India’s education system? What steps should be taken to progress in this regard?
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