Restructuring the Indian Education System

Two aspect of Indian education system is worrying. First is lack of emphasis on experiments and practical exposure. Second is, some what related to first one, fixed rather than evolution style of education. I will elaborate both of them below.

Lack of experiments and Practical Exposure
In the name of practical what is done, lab where you will be given the set of instructions to follow, expected result etc. If I know all these things upfront, then it’s not an experiment. It’s just verification of established fact. I do agree that it has its own place, but we should encourage students to venture into unknown areas and come up with results which they are not aware (professor off course can know).

Because of encouragements to follow the preset or guided paths, even when graduate students come out of collage and join industry they continue to expect that some one will tale them exactly what to learn, take a class etc. It’s very rare to find an individuals who given the objective and goal can find their way. Many of them just get psyched or loose directions.

Lack Evolution Style of Individual Education
First 25 year people don’t do any thing but just read and read. I was wondering why study period has to be continuous. Why it can’t be intermittent with work experience in between. In all places course are fixed. I can not study subjects one after another as per my liking and needs. I can’t work in computer industry for five year and then I felt the need for knowledge of basic of programming language. But I can not enroll for a semester for these few subjects. Of course there are some correspondence course are available but even those are modeled on the same line. I would like to get a degree in engineering slowly-slowly as and when I feel the need of theoretical backing on certain subject. This way I will be able to better relate to real world.

I would like to put forward two suggestions two mitigate these problems:

1. Allow professional to enroll for few subjects: depending on experience and some basic qualifying exam, a professional should be allowed to enroll in just one-two subjects. This will not force people to leave their job to pursue higher education. At the same time class can benefit immensely from the experience and exposure such students can share.

2. Industrial exposure: A student in engineering of graduate level should be sent to industry for at least a year. Student will get their grades from industry. Unless student get this grades from industry after working for a year or so, his degree will not be complete. This will allow student to gain valuable exposure and make them better profession before they graduate.