What's Wrong With Indian Education System?

Last week, my close friend posted a question on social media “do we need formal education?".  I wondered what made him post this question? The obvious answer that I could think of is maybe because he is worried or irritated with the rigid and flawfull education system of India. but that made me reflect upon several conditions that I feel are creating concerns and irritation for the education system of India.

The Indian education system, much like an ancient tree, bears the marks of both its roots and the seasons it has weathered. Its trunk—solid yet rigid—is shaped by colonial designs, while its branches are weighed down by the inequities and inefficiencies of a modern era. Let me, to the best of my knowledge, share my thoughts about the deep-seated challenges it faces and explore the consequences of neglecting its transformative potential.

A Colonial Inheritance: The Roots of Inequality

To understand the present, one must journey into the past. The British colonial administration planted the seeds of a formal education system that served their administrative needs, not the aspirations of a diverse population. Indigenous knowledge systems—rich in Ayurveda, astronomy, and localised wisdom—were dismissed in favour of creating clerks and bureaucrats. This model not only excluded traditional knowledge but also alienated the majority from educational opportunities.

Moreover, this system was unapologetically elitist. Education was a privilege reserved for upper-caste men, while women, lower castes, and tribal communities were systematically sidelined. This exclusionary framework left vast swathes of the rural population illiterate and deepened the rural-urban divide—a gap that remains an enduring challenge. The patriarchal structures of society further compounded gender disparities, relegating women’s education to an afterthought.

This colonial hangover perpetuated a sterile form of learning focused on rote memorisation. It is as if education became a narrow tunnel, devoid of light, designed to produce rule-followers rather than thinkers or innovators. The theoretical-heavy approach failed to equip individuals with the skills needed to navigate the complexities of real life.

Privatisation: The Double-Edged Sword

The rapid privatisation of education in India is akin to building castles in the air—grand but inaccessible to the majority. While private institutions offer an alternative to an underfunded public system, they often exacerbate existing inequalities. Urban elites reap the benefits, while rural and marginalised communities are left to grapple with low-cost private schools that promise much but deliver little.

Education in these private settings has become transactional. Profit-driven motives reduce the sacred process of learning into a mere commodity. Worse still, the growing reliance on private institutions has led to the erosion of public education. As investments in government schools dwindle, underprivileged communities are pushed further into the margins, perpetuating cycles of inequity.

A Numbers Game: Marks, Attendance, and the Death of Curiosity

In today's education system, marks and attendance have become the twin deities students must worship. This obsession with quantifiable outcomes strips education of its soul, turning it into a mechanical process. The result is an epidemic of rote learning, where students memorise without understanding, regurgitating information that holds little relevance to their lives or futures.

This focus on performance metrics spawns psychological stress. Students, like overworked cogs in a factory, often experience anxiety, burnout, and a loss of motivation. Intellectual curiosity and creativity are sacrificed at the altar of grades. Holistic development, including extracurricular pursuits and life skills, takes a backseat, producing individuals ill-prepared for the uncertainties of a dynamic world.

The semester system, with its credit-based approach, promised flexibility and continuous assessment. Many times this often delivers superficial learning, as students rush to accumulate credits rather than truly engage with the material. Administrators, burdened by rigid standardisation, struggle to foster meaningful innovation, reducing education to a bureaucratic exercise.

Specialised Education Administration: A Neglected Frontier

Imagine a football team managed by someone who has never played the game. This analogy aptly describes the Indian approach to specialised domains like sports administration. Generalist bureaucrats, armed with administrative skills but lacking domain expertise, oversee sectors requiring nuanced understanding. This generalist dominance stifles innovation and growth.

Sports, relegated to the status of an extracurricular luxury, epitomises this neglect. The absence of specialised administrators results in wasted resources, lacklustre grassroots development, and missed opportunities to integrate sports into formal education. Students with potential in sports-related careers are left without pathways, while the system remains fixated on standardised solutions ill-suited to the sector’s needs.

Fragmentation and Its Far-Reaching Consequences

The division between public and private education perpetuates socio-economic hierarchies. Students from marginalised backgrounds are confined to  public schools, while private institutions cater to the privileged few. This bifurcation cements societal divides, limiting upward mobility for the disadvantaged.

The misalignment between education and workforce needs compounds the problem. Graduates, trained to chase grades rather than cultivate critical thinking or creativity, enter the job market ill-equipped to meet its demands. Overemphasis on high-demand fields like engineering leaves other essential disciplines—humanities, arts, and fundamental research—in the shadows. This imbalance creates a workforce ill-prepared for the complexities of a modern economy.

On a more personal level, the system's myopic focus on metrics erodes students' mental health. It produces individuals who are efficient but lack empathy, collaboration, and ethical grounding. The societal cost of such an approach is immeasurable.

Reimagining Indian Formal Education 

The Indian education system stands at a crossroads. To move forward, it must shed its colonial vestiges and embrace inclusivity, innovation, and interdisciplinarity. Public education requires urgent strengthening, not just in funding but in vision. Holistic development—integrating life skills, creativity, and extracurricular pursuits—should be prioritised to nurture adaptable, well-rounded individuals.

Specialised domains, particularly sports administration, demand domain-specific expertise. Appointing professionals with relevant knowledge can transform these neglected sectors, unlocking their full potential. Above all, education must be freed from the stranglehold of rote learning and performance metrics, rediscovering its role as a transformative force that fosters curiosity, critical thinking, and ethical responsibility.

The Indian education system has the potential to be a beacon of equity and innovation. But it requires a collective effort to uproot its structural flaws and plant seeds of change. Only then can it bloom into an inclusive, dynamic system that empowers every individual to thrive.