What challenges affect education in India?

Education is a significant and intrinsic part of our lives. Parents begin to worry about their children's education and careers when they are three years old. Education empowers a child with knowledge and learning skills. It also develops a child’s capabilities and helps in bringing out a flourishing personality. It adds value to his/her morale and cultural ethics. It assists them in concentrating and focusing on better avenues of life. An opportunity to become educated strengthened the setup of a dynamic world.

It not only generates a sense of accomplishment but also infuses a feeling of encouragement and motivation to spread awareness about its surroundings. The development of an infant to an adult turns out to be the most syndicated and comprehensive idea to propagate literacy in this world of chaos.

A phenomenon of learning new ways for subject-oriented projects is a concept of defining your idea of existence on this earthly plane. Moreover, with the ongoing policies and government schemes for imparting training in knowledge to young minds, it can be asserted that the present scenario is moving towards progression and modernism. The adaption of historically Thomas Macaulay’s education system has turned out to be a blessing, and Gandhi’s talim system largely contributed towards the upliftment of good accessibility of understanding among the educated yet liberal approaches.

Without a doubt, learning literacy scholarships is the only way to achieve the ultimate awakening of understanding the rational logic around you. It can tutor you in becoming a self-trainer so that a guiding light can show you a rightly chosen path.

Nonetheless, a disciplined attitude to prove your worth in a specific setting of this multicultural and diverse world is a source of cultivating personality development and drilling improvement.

 In the present scenario, according to the National Statistical Commission of India, the literacy rate stood at 77 per cent in 2017-18. Males make up 84.7 per cent of the population, while females make up 70 per cent. Ignorance of learning and schooling can lead to frustration and low self-esteem. As per a report, India has the largest proportion of illiterate adults, which is 287 million, or 37 per cent.

If we go by the latest reports, Human Resource Development's new schemes regarding the education sector are appalling as they show no coherent approach. It shows that the basic requirements of an education system are decided based on capabilities that necessitate the allocation of the right attitude in the mind of a child. Indeed, it’s a well-thought plan to encourage the suitable idea of propagating a unified approach through individual efforts.

Be it five-year plans or seven-year plan, an improvement in the education sector is a powerful weapon to move toward self-fulfillment and self-sufficiency. Furthermore, the plan to curtail the adversaries is an assertive idea, but at the same time, the uncertainties should be kept in mind while dreaming of a new world of unified educated Indians.

The basic challenges are as follows: 

School dropouts: Generally, the 2020-21 report by the Unified District Information System for Education, showed the annual dropout rate of secondary school students was 14.6 per cent. On the other hand, at the primary level, the dropout rate was 0.8 per cent. So, overall, this is a commendable effort made by the government.

 But at the same time, the rate also stated in the report a depressive thought of not attending school. As per an economic survey, the pandemic has also hit schools in rural and urban areas, which has resulted in high dropout rates in the schools. The dropout rate has increased due to the massive digital divide. The enrolment dropped from 135 million in 2012-13 to 122 million in 2019-20 at the primary level because of a lower enrolment of children in the 6-10 age group. This is one of the challenges that are present in front of the government.

Pandemic: Believe it or not, the fear of a pandemic is still not over. No matter how many booster doses and vaccines are administered, there is still hope of living a balanced life. But still, the latest statistics haven't shown a good picture of the world. A kind of uncertainty is still looming over the minds of many people, and that has become a hindrance to proving themselves as physically secure people. Indeed, they’ve resumed their work, but again, it seems a momentary development that is questioning the relevance of education while fighting the odds.

According to the latest Union Health Ministry report, India’s active caseload of COVID-19 cases stands at 101K. The active cases comprise 0.23 per cent of the total infections, while the national recovery rate stands at 98.58 per cent. India so far has reported 13,272 new cases and 36 deaths in the last 24 hours. Therefore, it shows that the pandemic has created havoc in terms of human extinction.

Epidemic: The sudden outbreak of the epidemic of MonkeyPox has again questioned the community population. Already, the coronavirus caused havoc in society, calling into question the relevance of the current global system, which includes education. Furthermore, the question of living on Earth has suddenly become a farce, as it only instills a sense of insecurity and uncertainty.No matter whether a person is heading to school or at a workplace, a mental imbalance has been created which is only questionable.

Health & Hygiene: According to UNICEF India, nearly 22 per cent of Indian schools lacked appropriate toilets for girls, and 58 per cent of preschools lacked all toilets. Nearly 56 per cent of preschools had no water available on the premises. Even though the benchmark achievement through Swachch Vidyalaya Puraskar is commendable in some places, efforts should be proactively diverted towards this issue within the stipulated time.

Minority Development:  A slight focus should also be given to the development of children from the minority section of society. According to the Sachar Committee Report, one-fourth of the Muslim children in the age group of 6–14 years of age are either dropouts or matriculated. For the children above the age of 17, the educational qualification of Muslims at matriculation is 17 per cent as against the national average of 26 per cent.

In conclusion, it can be said that the entire education system of India is progressive and high-spirited, which allows every individual to establish themselves as literate citizen of society. Indeed, the elephant-sized challenges are only testing the tolerance, patience, and capabilities of defining their overall governance in India. However, the key to establishing itself as a fully capable government is by accepting the testing times of challenges fearlessly and getting confirmed seats for the coming elections.