Indian Education System-Through the Eyes of a Young American

Time and again we are reminded how plagued Indian Education system is. Mere rote learning and emphasis on scores rather than understanding the concept. People are trained on how to crack exams instead of being educated. These words got a shriek-er tone when echoed by a young American.Working with an educational organisation, give you insights into your own and other educational systems.

I met this Young fellow who has come to India  to teach English in a government school. He is on a Fulbright scholarship here.To be more technical and sound so, he is an ETA-English teaching Assistant. It has been quite sometime since he has landed on this multicultural land. On outward appearance (as per Indian standards) he would seem to be a full grown man with a spotless complexion and a certain repose on his face but he is just out of school. You can guess the color (colour). He joined us(me and few friends I made at work) for lunch after his normal day at school. We got chatting and he told us how school was. What he did. And every time we (Indians) get acquainted with an American,we are more interested in knowing if they have picked up Hindi. Like EVERYTIME. But they never ask why we haven't picked much of  English even after speaking it since so long. The poor chap did come up with some words he managed to learn from the kids in school like "Muje Hindi nahi samaj aata", "Boht acha".

Supposedly he was an invigilator today for an exam. He told us how excruciating it was to stand for so long. Not just that he was puzzled why students required two hours to write a 50 marks paper.(I just thought to myself he meant it was not enough!!). He said it was too much. He was disappointed with the question paper how most of the questions were straight out of the book. (How happy I would have been!). Most of the students even after repeatedly telling would write the entire question on their answer sheets wasting a lot of the time, drawing figures again. They write the whole sentences in their answer sheet in case of  fill in the blanks which can be done in the question paper and should be submitted along with the answer scripts.(Little did he know that if WE submit question paper how can we DISCUSS it and make others feel WORSE !!)
 More interestingly for me than for him, he gave us a very fine example how students in India answer their paper. "There are 50 students in my class. I asked them "why is the tree green?". To my surprise not one had an answer dissimilar to his fellow classmate. All of them had the SAME exact answers and most of them begun from BECAUSE. The students in America would have tried coming up with absolutely bizarre reasons but there is a thinking process behind it which is missing here". The usage of BECAUSE is inevitable for Indian kids which they think can save them even during the walk through the valley of the shadow of death.Indian kids really struggle framing sentences on their own and they solely depend on their book line by line. Even marks are awarded for book accuracy than your own sentences.

It is not just the fault of the kids. Our education system from the very beginning has never focused on transforming us to thinking individuals. Our grades reflect how well we have crammed.Bookish knowledge can definitely help us to be a part of the race but how long can we remain in there will depend on what we have Learnt. Creative individuals researchers and innovators are never rewarded. We need to bring in lot of changes imparting skill based education rather than rewarding the best crammers. Get smarter people to teach.It's time we to get superstar Teachers who are from different fields like leaders, entrepreneurs, corporate gurus. Embrace technology and internet for greater good than creating communal tensions. We need to use new tools and innovate instead of using outdated models of brick and mortar.Personalize education-instead of making it centralized. If it is good for me it doesn't mean it is the same for the other.There should be availability of choices to choose.

It is not a surprise that this time too none of the Indian universities figured in the top universities. But we need to LEARN from it. Our education system needs to come out from the clutches of the colonial education system which was geared towards generating babus and pen-pushers and still is. May be then few years down the line , when this America Friend of mine comes visiting again, the kids he taught  might just surprise him.

A Bus Ride in My City

Its a humid afternoon. I am walking towards a bus stop near my place.The Sun is out bright and there is a cool gentle breeze at irregular intervals which provides some relief from the burning sunshine on my face.I have reached the bus stop. I thank God for the canopy of trees adjacent to the bus stop, as under it, is my favourite waiting spot.
I am waiting for the inevitable.I am waiting for one of the most gruelling bus rides on the face of the earth.I am waiting for the everyday in a lifetime opportunity,where I get to test my physicality,put my wits to the test,improvise and survive till I get down at my destination in 1 piece. Yes, this is exactly how one feels after a bus ride in my city.
Soon a bus arrives and people flock to it as if this is the one and only bus remaining among the large fleet of busses plying in the city everyday.Anyway, so I somehow manage to board the bus, not before the automatic doors close on my foot which was hanging outside the bus while the bus was already in motion, reminding me to PUSH!!! through and try to get in.Finally, I am in.
After struggling to get a ticket for myself and for the 5 other people who sprinted to catch seats and now cant get up to buy tickets for themselves for the fear of loosing their seats, I find a place to stand,comfortably,near a big window, which provides a decent outside view.As the stops pass by it becomes visibly clear that the number of passengers just keep on increasing.I mean  isnt anyone getting off the bus or what??Soon I see myself crammed against the window,rendered paralysed with the only part of my anatomy allowed to move, being my neck.
I am 2 stops away from my destination.Its now or never.On my way towards the door(I know I am sounding very dramatic because the door is right in front of me)which will take me 2 stops to reach, I  push,pull,grab and finally make it.The door opens and I just have to stand and let go.The crowd getting off just takes you along with it and puts you onto the platform of the stop.
I try to regain my balance after having my glasses knocked off by a guy who is apparently in a rush,and then walk away thanking God for leaving me unscathed.

The fall of the Rupee

The recent depreciation of the value of Indian Rupee has created a furore. With the public looking apprehensive,the government trouble shooting and an apparent 2nd Asian financial crisis looming,it is a mess all around.Many reasons have come to the fore regarding this and I was all the more intrigued by them because it seems the pit, into which the Rupee has fallen looks bottomless.Anyway, so I had this conversation with my father related to this and here are some of the reasons which I could comprehend.

1.Widening Current Account Deficit:The Current Account Deficit or CAD,which  in lay man terms, is the difference between what India earns from the rest of the world by exporting and what it pays them by importing, is pushing up demand for the Dollar.Trading all over the world is majorly done in US Dollar,which is a widely accepted currency.With India's imports being more than its exports, it needs to make these payments in Dollar.This in turn drives up the demand for Dollar.With the demand exceeding the supply, the value of the Dollar shoots up,which results in one shelling out more Rupees to buy a Dollar. This is just like inflation affecting onions.More demand, less supply, price goes up.

2.Policy Inaction:Another generous contributor.Foreign investors see a lack of clarity in the policies framed by the government for the setup of an environment in which the investors can function.Be it the clearances involved from the different ministries or restrictions imposed on capital flow eg:- increase in CRR, all prove to be a hinder to attracting investment.          

3.Falling Foreign Exchange Reserves:India's foreign exchange reserves are enough to cover imports of 7 months only.Foreign Exchange is basically income earned by India.So if the government needs to meet the demand of the dollar, lets say for its imports, it needs to spend from its foreign exchange reserves by converting Rupee into Dollar.

4.Economic Slowdown:India's GDP growth fell to a decade low of 5%in 2012-13 and 4.5% in the January-March quarter. As a result foreign investors are loosing confidence in investing further.

5.Recovery in the US: Another big factor.Recovery of the US economy is making the Dollar stronger against other currencies.This will encourage foreign investors to put their money there, in the US, for better returns also subsequently resulting in withdrawal of investment from India.

Well thats about all that I could understand and believe is behind this fall of the Rupee.Lets keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.