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EDUCATION IN INDIA PROS & CONS
Introduction:
With its plurality and paradoxes, India never ceases to fascinate. And education in
India is only one among various other elements that have captured the attention of the
world. While the United Nations is worried about the presence of a large number of
illiterates, various other countries are amazed by the quality of some of the human
resources that the Indian education system has produced.
The growth of the Indian economy in the recent past and the compulsion to
sustain it is also forcing the Indian government to accelerate the process of developing all
the branches of the Indian education system. Therefore, it would be very interesting to
understand and analyze the various structures of education in India, its present condition
and future developments.
India Education Historical Background:
The Vedas, Puranas, Ayurveda, Yoga, Kautilya's Arthasahtra are only some of the
milestones that the traditional Indian knowledge system boasts of. There are evidences of
imparting formal education in ancient India under the Gurukul system.
Under the Gurukul system, young boys who were passing through the
Brahmacharya stage of life had to stay at the Guru or the teacher's home and complete
their education.
Although the ancient system of education has produced many geniuses and still a
major area of research, it was hardly egalitarian. Women and people of lower castes
gradually lost their right to educate themselves. The spread of Jainism, Buddhism, Bhakti
and Sufi movements did have some liberating effects on the condition of the women,
sudras and atisudras. But it is the English language and the reformation movements of the
19th century that had the most liberating effect in pre-independent India. Thus, the
Britishers, although rightly criticized for devastating the Indian economy, can also be
credited for bringing a revolution in the Indian education system.
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India Education Present Condition:
Soon after gaining independence in 1947