India’s education system, a killer?

When you were a school-going kid, did you peep through the window next to you during a tedious classroom session, take a dekko at nature out there and feel how lucky birds are as they fly without conditions and ponder on how lucky and fortunate you would have been if you were born as a butterfly? Did you keep checking the wrist watch minute-to-minute and count the seconds just to hear the school bell to buzz and dart towards the exit gate to breathe afresh outside? During your schooling days, did you ever feel sad on Sunday nights as the day you were waiting for a week had passed at the drop of a hat and you had to see the school the next day? Did you act stomach ache in the morning so that you could stay back at home and watch a cricket match? Did you wait for the news that schools would remain shut for a day as soon as you heard the news of some prominent politician had passed away? Then, you are not the only one to experience them. The author of the piece as well as many others out there have had such good moments. While all these bring out the past good-old memories, they also tend to make us think about why we felt that way and found every possible opportunity to play hooky. Did all of us dislike our education or the style in which it was or is being taught in schools or colleges? The alarming rise in suicide rates of students in India not only brings to the fore the flaws in India's education system but also demands an urgent action on the part of all stake holders involved.

Before opening Pandora's box, let us ask ourselves a few questions to ferret out the reasons for the failure of India’s education system in general and students' suicides in specific. Is education turning into a vulpine killer rather than a source of enlightenment? Is education being viewed solely through an economic lens rather than a pathway to holistic development? Is education as a whole or the prevailing education system in India to be blamed for the alarming rise in suicide deaths of students? Do parents, teachers, private educational institutions, educationists, judiciary and the government have their role and to be blamed for these institutionalised killings under the guise of academic excellence, career, glorious future, economic security and others? Why aren't political parties that leave no stone unturned and make a mountain out of molehill to be in the limelight and garner political mileage casting the light on the issue? Do they feel that students' suicides issue isn't as vote-fetching as other things?

Education and Neoliberalism

What has been otherwise and should be a beautiful learning path and journey filled with joy, education, be it through schools and colleges or universities, is becoming a quagmire filled with pain, distress, depression, and pointless, aimless, lifeless and fatal exercise on the part of an Indian child/student. In an environment in which dog-eat-dog scenario is the norm of the day, thanks to crude emphasis on rugged individualism over collaboration, competition over compassion, materialism and relentless consumerism over simple, happy and safe living by the modern states and neoliberalists alike, education like any other thing has become a commodity. As a matter of fact, an investment in a child's education is akin to buying an equity stock under the guise that it performs well down the line. In an ecosystem where a child is forced to carry the baggage of peer pressure, expectations of parents, dikats of teachers, exhausting academic demands, greed and inhumane pedagogy methods of educational institutions, mere survival of the child becomes as difficult as breaking these invisible shackles. Similar to the overvalued or overpriced stock which obviously bursts due to the risks involved and potential correction, the child succumbs to the external pressure. Amidst this backdrop, not only the essence and very purpose of education is being lost and detailed but also the purpose of life and very life is being endangered.

Marred with rotten pedagogy methods and its inability to recognize the fact that each child/individual is different and requires unique and tailored-made support techniques, the prevailing education system demands absolute conformity, uniformity and homogeneity. From curriculum to syllabus, pedagogy to practice works, course design to content to be taught, and others, everything seems fixed, rigid, and undemocratic. Left with no other option, whether a child likes or dislikes it, one has to choose the same, adapt his/herself into this monotonous practice and limp through the same linear model of education.

Diversity and uniqueness are fundamental aspects and central tenets of nature. Since they have their roots in nature, it goes the same with human beings, if not with all the creatures, too. Each individual develops a distinct style, worldview, intelligence, and ability based on his observation, tastes and values. However, the structure of capitalism/neoliberalism doesn't accept it. It demands due diligence and unwavering allegiance to the prevailing economic structure/architecture. On the top of it, being naive and insensitive to the spirit of individual liberation, imparting true knowledge, and contributing to one’s wisdom, the prevailing neo-liberal education restricts an individual to think beyond this vicious and unending cycle. It capsules and traps a child/student’s life into a cobweb of insecurities. In neo-liberalism, the tentacles of education and economics intertwine with social variables of the system too. Individuals are often recognized and rewarded based on their position on the neo-liberal economic ladder. Individuals who do not fit in this relation are deemed as unfit and labelled as losers. Individuals' tastes and interests take a backseat and societal validation comes to the fore.

Though most of the private-run schools/institutes in India hail themselves for adopting western teaching practices like virtual learning, audio learning, smart learning, concept-based learning and others and try every bit to portray and market themselves as distinct players, they fall behind in putting the constructivist, collaborative, tactile, and inquiry-based methods of learning into practice. The myth that higher the tuition fee, better the quality of education has been widespread. At a time when the domain of education is largely privatized and being viewed by the businessmen as an evergreen arena to make profits, it is no wonder that parents fall prey to the marketing gimmicks. Ranks, marks and pass percentage are being marketed to attract customers i.e., students.

Rather than harnessing individual talents and abilities, the one size fits all approach of the prevailing education system is pushing students into loneliness and depression thereby ending their lives.

Since the present-day education system in India serves as the spine of neo-liberalism and helps in sustaining the same forever, it appears preposterous to expect a complete overhaul of the system. However, it is vital to design alternative models to the traditional 10+2+3 model of education that is driven by intense competition and rat race. It is also in the interest of students and their lives that all the relevant stakeholders involved should come forward and take steps to democratise, sensitise, and liberalise the domain of education.