Focus on education
How and what to prioritize? Following is just a random selection to discuss issues.
. Because of the magnitude of the task, it is essential that the onus and responsibility of training and employment and monitoring and evaluation be devolved to different levels.
Both education providers ( Sate and Central Governments including private sector and different apex/administrative bodies associated with education sector) and education receivers ( students & parents/guardians) should seriously ponder over the future prospects of the students. Degrees maybe distributed in any number . But can due employmet be provided to such gargantuan number ? Different extent of unemployment and underemployment bound to persists , Even with the present number it is so, What to say of further increase ? Above situation can result in any type of chaos in the country.
Education currently being a concurrent subject it should be clearly demarcated further as to what is mandatory and what is recommendatory? Above mentioned onus should be duly divided between state and central governments. There should not be any friction between state and centre because of the concurrent nature. Of course an extreme decision is to totally separate Federal (central) and State as in some countries .
Lot of friction had been going on between states and central government with respect to NEP ( National Educational Policy) since its formulation . Due negotiations should take place and see that there is absolutely no friction . Students and parents feedback maybe collected a fresh. If there is a considerable division of opinion options may be considered.
With the gargantuan number of students there is a serious problem in science disciplines regarding the funding. Adequate funding is simply not possible to impart training the way it is required. In science there are many experiments to be done and also research work. Ground realities one should know whether this is possible ? Alternative methods of curriculum and training should be thought of.
Many parameters pertinent to education /academic sector have to be thoroughly analysed and fixed and ensured in letter and spirit : Teacher to student ratio ; number of working days in an academic year for students and faculty ; number of working hours; course work/credit load on the students and faculty ; mentioning the course syllabus lecture wise ; number of colleges to be affiliated to a single university also taking into consideration the number of students ( alternatively no affiliation system but only unitary universities with colleges under a different apex body); due autonomy to the faculty to utilise grants obtained by them form funding agencies; total number of faculty in a department and university ; ensure uniformity in vital parameters like retirement age , promotion policies , availing sabbatical leave etc.
NEP devotes lot of space to school education on which again there is a friction /differences of opinion. Number of school are huge –about 1.5 million . Here again feedback of parents and students maybe taken. Same old complaints little expanded : heavy school bags (12-18 KG ) ; home work; tuitions becoming inevitable/increasing; transport problems to and from schools; heavy course load, teacher absenteeism etc.
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