What is the quality of education in India?

For years the Indian government has been investing millions of rupees in the field of education/research. Several educational reforms and amendments have also been implemented till now. Sadly, despite such meticulous planning and investment, the state of education in our country is not praiseworthy. This fact has been confirmed by various studies, reports, and even by reputed establishments like the World Bank. Now, let us take a look at these various reports that authenticate the low standards of Indian education.

What do the studies say about the present situation? The worst part about India’s quality of education is that it is far below the standards attained by the other developing countries such as China, Brazil, Russia, and even South Africa. This has been substantiated by reports like the ASSOCHAM study that was performed on the basis of several parameters related to the various levels of education.

Views of the World Bank: Though the World Bank accepts that the enrollment ratio of children in the schools and colleges in India has improved over the years, it is still doubtful about the actual standard of our education. According to its officials, even the IITs and IIMs are not competent enough when compared with the global institutes’ like MIT or Leeds.

Moreover, due to economic setbacks and lack of funding/resources, many students who belong to the middle-level and underprivileged sections of the society do not have any access to the good institutions in the country. Due to factors such as the increase in annual fees and rising cost of living, only the affluent can gain admission into the best institutes of learning such as the IITs or IIMs. In reference to this state of inequality in the present educational scenario, the World Bank has advised the government to make use of the funds in an appropriate manner.

However, the World Bank has not understated the efforts taken by the government to improve the quality of education in India. The officials have lauded the government’s interest in promoting girl child education, research and its initiatives for higher education programs. They have also appreciated the support given for technological innovations like Aakash tablets that have been launched chiefly for bringing about a welcome change to the educational situation in India.

Pressing need for progress and perfection: Obviously the present scenario calls for an instant and stable improvement in the areas concerning education. Recent studies, such as the one conducted by an NGO (RAND), also state that quality is the much needed factor for augmenting the progress of education in India. In case the concerned authorities fail to take proper measures, India may have to deal with social and political liabilities in the future due to issues like unemployment & employability, illiteracy, and so on.