All abroad!
I get a feeling that this article is almost an apologetic justification by the author for having sent his son abroad for studies…
I am one of those who have sent off one son and am wondering if I may have to send off the other fellow as well. I don’t want to, but I am fearful that I may have no choice.
Many of my friends and colleagues are in the same boat. Inevitably, we exchange notes. And it turns out that most of us send the kids with great reluctance.
Is it only me or does anyone else feel that way too?
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5 comments
I think TCA makes a very good point on the lowering of standards on education in India. The opening para is just a teaser for the main message. I wonder, have you read the entire article?
I did. TCA actually bemoans the quality of undergraduate education. Not higher/post-graduate education. And general trends are clear on the fact that students migrate westwards for their post-grad studies rather than their under-grad studies!
At the same time, I do not say that the quality of the 3 years of under-grad education in India is good. It sucks for the non-technical / medical fields.
Having not studied in India for undergrad degree, and having friends whose books are forever on their tables,several chapters untouched and a few that look worse than when bookworm afflicted, I think under-grad education in India sucks big time. I cant vouch for the IITs but elsewhere, there is really no learning done. Just a lot of mugging up.
And I dont really agree with the “sending his son” quote. I mean firstly, how can he choose to “send”? Isnt that a choice made by the son? Or does the dad decide everything that the son requires, right from eating to studying or even marrying? I dont like it when people choose for others. And I positively hate it when people let others to choose for them!
Divya, it’s actually a function of what stream one hails from. People who’ve done engineering do not feel that they’ve got a raw deal from the under-grad education in India. On the other hand, people who’ve been through BA, BSc, BCom, etc. rightfully diss the standards of education.
Apart from the 10th/12th standard results, where each percentage matters a lot, I do not think ‘mugging’ is a characteristic of Indian education. What happens is that students are so conditioned by the competitive nature of 10th/12th standard exams, that they continue to do that even into their higher education. That’s a shame, really. But the fact remains that it has more to do with the students’ attitudes and less to do with the system!
Your other point is valid. Indian parents do tend to decide what’s right for their kids. It’s a cultural thing.
Sameer,
Its true the students are to be blamed. But I have heard from several of my firends about how the teachers dont give them marks for an answer unless they write exactly what is in the book.
Even more so in Chennai where Engineering colleges have mushroomed rapidly. But the supply of quality professors has not equalled the spread of such colleges. Hence, with half -witted teachers who hardly know the subjects they teach (most multi tasking on two or more subjects), I think the lack of proper controls in the education system is also responsible.