Shailesh Upadhyay
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A CASE STUDY ON EDUCATION IN INDIA- SANDWICHED BETWEEN CULTURE AND ECONOMY
Shailesh Upadhyay
Indian hinterland is split into 29 distinct states- each speaks a different story. India has given the world many surprises- on one hand Indian entrepreneurs and CEOs are making history and on the other, a vast Indian population is still craving for three meals a day. This irony is a result of drastically opposing cultures in Indian states- for instance, Gujarat is highly entrepreneurial whereas Kerala is industrially stagnant, Goa is fast and modern whereas Jharkhand is like an African tribal state. These polarities pose great challenges before businesses in India due to which India is ranked 122nd best place to do business - 45 places behind Pakistan. One of the strongest roots of any economy is its educational system-in India education has evolved with culture. Today when the financial situation is vulnerable, India needs to gear up and update the way it trains its youngsters- most importantly, abandon the cultural practices that hamper innovation in the educational system. 1.
EDUCATION - A Cultural Perspective The engagement between education culture and economic progress is like a mixture of flavors exhibiting corruption and discrimination on one hand and heroic triumphs of individuals on the other. Entrepreneurial growth amidst poverty and uncertainty has set an example in front of an astonished global audience.
1.1. Primary Education – Facing Many Cultural Hurdles In India, 70% population is rural whose livelihood depends upon agriculture. A farmer always expects his forth coming generations to preserve his agricultural integrity and cultural heritage, by adopting farming as an occupation-which he feels doesn’t require the intervention of education. Unfortunately, education is perceived as a barrier to agricultural continuity-out of fear that an educated individual would never resort to traditional farming. As a result, India has the largest number of illiterate people in the world- a whopping 35% of world’s total illiterates. To overcome this cultural barrier, Indian government made education for every child compulsory and each one was entitled to free primary education- but in vain. Farmers preferred to use their kids as agricultural workers instead of sending them to school. The farmers were encouraged only when the government introduced a novel scheme wherein every student attending primary school got free lunch and some grains. Despite increasing the educational budget to 2.8% of GDP in 2007-08, Indian education has not seen much positive change-the enrolment rate of children going to schools is almost 96% but almost half of them leave school by the age of. The quality of education remains poor because most primary school teachers either don’t show up at work or subject the students to severe corporal punishment. In India, a teacher is referred to as ‘the Guru’; equivalent to God-a thought that prevents people from seeing the other side of the coin-result of which is shallowness and misbehavior which has drastic consequences on children. For instance, in early February 2006, the Haryana Government suspended seven school staff including two accused teachers and the Principal of Government Senior Secondary School in Durjanpur in Jind district. 17 schoolgirls of Class VIII and IX were allegedly raped for eight months by the accused teachers. 1
Shailesh Upadhyay
1.2. Senior Secondary and Higher Education- A Middle Class Contribution Indian middle and upper class love spending on education, dreaming to see their kids with jobs and a good standard of living. An inherent culture of competing in studies pushes parents to enroll their kids in the best schools and coaching institutes. Further, the craze for medical and engineering streams is making the race towards higher education so fierce that parents have started spending loads of money on entrance exams’ coaching (classes taken after school hours for entrance exams’ preparation) - giving birth to a coaching industry with an annual turnover of INR 1000 crore . The fees of these coaching centers ranges from INR 25000 to INR 120000. Going abroad is also a trend observed in upper middle class families from South Indian stateshence, middle class culture places education at the top of its priority chart and is playing a major role in globalizing India today. Culture being really variable has also been risky in few respects that we will investigate as follows. •
Culture- An overshadowing Risk In India, culture is highly plural which has preserved age old traditions and continues to absorb new ideologies and thoughts. But the social hierarchy which was engraved in culture in the past has become a scar in the economy- today casteism has become a basis of disrupting social harmony. The reservation bill recently passed, demanded 27% seats for OBCs (Other Backward Castes) in premier government colleges including IITs (Indian Institute of Technology) and IIMs (Indian Institute of Management). Despite prolonged criticism from the students and President Abdul Kalam, the bill got passed. Today the total reservation in these institutes is 50%, a figure revealing the injustice that prevails in this democracy.i Worst of all, child marriage and chauvinism continue to influence societal beliefs- these have a profound effect on women’s education and empowerment. The inflating population and the crunch in quality education are leading to very low productivity. Opposing the saying, ‘India-Unity in Diversity’, cultural polarity is pulling down the economy.
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Being Opportunistic- Find a solution by Tapping into Bottom of the Pyramid Ensuring quality education amongst India’s poor who constitute more than 40% of its population is an untapped domain.ii This sector comprises youth that has seen the worst face of life and can meet up to any challenge. But, due to lack of resources, they remain uneducated and deprived throughout their lives. If this sector is seen as an opportunity, a large number of committed and talented individuals can be added to the economy. For example- Anand Kumar, Bihar's IPS and a mathematician, founded a school, ‘Super 30’ in 2003 to help promising locals get ahead in the caste-based society. The school has shown on average around 90 percent selection in IIT Joint Entrance Examination- a feat that is considered almost impossible in India. This example presents us with a brilliant opportunity to give birth to more such initiatives which if employed, can do wonders.
2. ECONOMIC REFORMS- Unforeseen Change in Culture In the wake of severe economic crisis in 1991, India realized the need for privatization and introduced economic reforms. In tumbling times, this was a silver lining that led to a paradigm shift in educational systems which redefined culture. 2
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2.1. Employment Generation- breaking taboos, chasing bigger dreams Economic reforms were followed by rapid industrial growth that led to employment generation- longing for a good life many people migrated to cities in search of jobs- most of whom ended up as factory workers or laborers. The migration resulted in cultural change and increased awareness towards education- today the situation is such that even slum dwellers earning less than $2 a day are sending their kids to school, hoping to see their kids as doctors or engineers. Even middle class has become more ambitious in this progressive era- pumping more energy into their kids to push them into IITs/IIMs .As a result, competition has become unimaginably tough- 3,20,000 students compete for 5000 seats in IIT and 2,30,000 for 1600 seats in IIMs. 2.2. Dawn of enlightenment, Fall of Superstition A black cat crosses the road, leaving most passersby scared to hell, clairvoyants still thrive and many people think of wasting their money on saints instead of visiting a doctor while ill. These are not fairy tales but superstitions which were once an everyday story in India- but today Science and logic have replaced it in many parts of the country. Today, people both rural and urban, profess the belief of being healthy and connected. This has led to a rise in internet usage and increased the demand for better health facilities. To meet this demand, Indian Space Research Space Institute (ISRO) in collaboration with Indian educational institutes has set up Village Resource Centers (VRCs), which serve as informational and telemedicine interfaces. Similarly mobile phone technology is also spreading to rural areas, thanks to companies like Reliance Communication which have made it accessible to poor. 2.3. Entrepreneurship- All over the place Before 1991, most Indians imagined themselves in government jobs, few dreamt of Multi National jobs but only a handful even considered being an entrepreneur. At present, the scene is drastically different. Today entrepreneurship awareness programs are flourishing in educational institutes- even school kids are becoming aware of entrepreneurial opportunities. Bodies like E-cell (Entrepreneurship Cell), TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) and NEN (National Entrepreneurship network) have played a phenomenal role in incorporating entrepreneurship in educational curriculum. A liberal society has thus come into being which is free, excited, successful and highly ambitious- this burst however has a few consequences that impose a threat on the national equilibrium. •
Risk of excessive Westernization- Too cool to Handle? Metros like Mumbai are burgeoning with glory- women have become independent, industrialists have become unsurpassable and life is racing but in wake of this success, the problem of dwindling personal happiness and failure to cope with families has risen as well. Today children are migrating abroad to pursue their dreams of better education and jobs, leading to loneliness of old parents. Women have become so career oriented that they are unable to devote time to their marriages- the result is surging divorce rates and poor upbringing of children. Westernization is slowly taking its toll on the family life of citizenswhich needs to be tackled by promoting work life balance- companies like Agilent India and Google India have shown tremendous success in making employees not only successful but happy as well. 3
Bliss or Misery? Contemplating the Engagement of Cultural Forms and Economic Progress
Shailesh Upadhyay
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Private Colleges- Collateral damage of Indian Politics In modern times hundreds of private colleges have mushroomed in India, especially in the South. Industrialization led to a need for more graduates- an opportunity which was brilliantly tapped by some people who established private colleges to churn out graduates. These colleges/universities are mostly run by people with an experience in politics who collect bribes for appointing faculty, admitting students and awarding good grades and jobs. Poor faculty, outdated syllabus, illogically inhibiting rules and lack of exposure to real world frustrates most of its students who resort to mediocrity. An ongoing tradition of doing engineering or medicine prompts parents to put their children into private colleges if they don’t fare well in the entrance exams. The stiff competition in entrance exams has thus proven advantageous for private education industry. Most students graduating from private colleges are a dent on the work force and do not add any value to economic progress. According to NASSCOM iii, 3 million graduates emerge each year, mostly from private colleges. Out of these, only 25% are employable which can be extended to 30 to 40% by giving further extensive training.
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With Risks come Blessings In 2001, a group of ambitious entrepreneurs entered the ‘education’ scene and decided to revolutionize management education: a product of this was ISB, Hyderabad, an Institute that has attained a global status in less than 10 years of its creation. Today it is world No 15 according to Financial Times, London- paradigm shift that has changed the meaning of private management education altogether. Another such example is BITS Pilani, a pioneering technical institute that competes with IITs in terms of performance. Privatization has increased the demand for good practical education, which can be applied at the industrial level to add value. This makes education a big market today-where customers are longing for good services but the products of this industry are not that satisfactory yet .Businesses thus have a big opportunity to invest in quality education- which will change the course of culture and make people more open to innovation and liberalization.
3. CLOSING THOUGHT "Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense." ~Lord Buddha
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Bibliography Creaking,groaning. Economist; 12/13/2008, Vol. 389 Issue 8610, Special Field p11-14, 3p IIT-JEE cut-off may fall a bit.14 April 2008.The Economic Times-Indiatimes online edition. 6 March 2009 <http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/rssarticleshow/msid-2949570,prtpage1.cms> ISB does it again, achieves global ranking of 15. 28 Jan 2009. The Financial Express. 2 March 2009 <http://www.financialexpress.com/news/isb-does-it-again-achieves-globalranking-of-15/416179/ > 17 girl students raped: 7 school staff suspended.9 Feb 2006.The Tribune-online edition. 7 March 2009 <http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060209/main2.htm > Murthy, S.S. The business of coaching. 25 Jan 2005. The Hindu- Education Plus online edition. 7 March 2009 <http://www.hindu.com/edu/2005/01/25/stories/2005012500140300.htm > Over two lakh students appear for CAT.18 Nov 2007. The Times of India.6 March 2009 <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2549837.cms> Ruled By Lakshmi. Economist; 12/13/2008, Vol. 389 Issue 8610, Special Field p17-18, 2p The Other India.1 Jan 2008. Knowledge Commision.Gov (Frontline, India). 5 March 2009 <www.knowledgecommission.gov.in/downloads/news/news69.pdf> Verma, S.K. Cop quits Super-30, says experiment is over. 10 June 2008. The Times of India. 5 March 2009 <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Patna/Cop_quits_Super30_says_experiment_is_over/articleshow/3115540.cms>
i
The Reservation bill, which enables 27 percentage of seats in central educational institutions to be kept aside for students of the Other Backward Classes, was passed in the Lok Sabha on Dec 2006. This has increased the total reservation in these institutions to 50 percentage.
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According to The World Bank 456 m Indians constituting 42% Indian population live below the poverty line. (Source: Wikipedia-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_India) iii
NASSCOM速 is the chamber of commerce of the IT-BPO industries in India. NASSCOM is a global trade body with more than 1200 members- it includes both Indian and multinational companies which are present in India.
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Bliss or Misery? Contemplating the Engagement of Cultural Forms and Economic Progress
Shailesh Upadhyay
Global Initiatives Symposium in Taiwan 2009