Madan Mohan Malviya founded BHU (Banaras Hindu University) in Banaras, the place which was considered as the centre of ancient learning. His vision was to revive the standards of the ancient learning system by blending the cultures of institutes like Takshashila and Nalanda with the modern education system. In the ancient education system, the educators played a pivotal role in establishing the foundations of the students. The foundation was based on the firm concepts, critical thinking and in-depth analysis.
In the present era, the focus of the education system has shifted from the learning based education to rote memorization. Though rote memorization has its own advantages, its scope is limited to specific areas, and the whole education strategy cannot be dependent on it. Recently, one question in the
BHU 1st semester Political Science Exam Paper had baffled the students and even surprised the teachers to the core. In the descriptive paper of Political Science, the question was asked: "Write an Essay on Nature of GST in Kautilya Arthshastra." The students were given a choice in the question, and they can also attempt the substitute question which was as troublesome for the students as the primary one. The substitute question was "Manu is the first Indian Thinker of Globalization. Discuss." According to the teacher of political science, there was no concept like Globalization and GST in the ancient times, and the topics are not part of the course.
The Approach of the Teaching:
It has become a trend in the present education system across the country just to get stuck to the textbooks, while the approach of an overhauled education system requires an interdisciplinary approach. The approach of the learning should involve the content of the textbooks to be linked with the current and ongoing trends. GST has been the most current and trending topic, and its implementation and repercussions are intensely discussed. Also, the impact of the globalization has been an iconic topic since the opening up of the Indian economy in 1991. The elements of the GST in the Kautilya's Arthshastra are highly relevant from the fact that the Chanakya who was the renowned teacher of economics and political science in the history of India has mentioned the unification of the taxation system and also emphasised on the proportional tax weightage with different tax slabs with respect to the economic status of the people. One of the best practice of the teaching involves involving and engaging the students in the class and raising the interest of the students on the topic. The trick to engaging students lies in making the subject interesting through connections and associations so that the students would use their imagination to link the dots. The troublesome questions asked in the BHU MA paper has in a fair manner put the light on the necessity to change the teaching standards and new methodologies of teaching across the country that must focus on the interdisciplinary approach of learning.
Students' Perspective:
The students respond to the kind of environment, guidance, learning and training they receive during their phase of the study. The mindset of the students has become too narrow, and they resist any changes and challenges that come on their way. A teacher plays a vital role in expanding the mind of the student and to make them ready for any obstacles and surprise elements in the exam and every walk of life. A student takes admission in higher educational institutions to become the job ready. The time is changing at a rapid pace, and the globalization has set the standards that must match with the pertaining global practices. Any lag in the quality standards by the educational institutions make the students far steps behind the others. Let us take the example of the Engineering institutions, where the curriculum is outdated and are not up to the industry standards. There are jobs available in the market, but 80% engineers are not employable as per the report from the Indian Employability Evaluation and Certification company Aspiring Minds. It has come into the habit of students to get stuck to the content of the textbook and not to go beyond it and think out of the box. This pattern makes them unfit for the working standards of the companies and ultimately lead to the rejection of employment from the company being it in the field of Arts, Commerce, Science or Engineering. The students are now looking up to the educational institutions and the government to solve the menace of unemployability.
Role of the Government:
Government plays a vital role in determining the education standards through the Education policies and strategies. The government also keeps track of the quality of the education imparted to the students. The government sets the regulations and standards through government organizations like UGC (University Grants Commission), AICTE (All India Council of Technical Education) and more. It is the responsibility of the government to look after all the aspects related to the education being delivered to the students for better employability and competitiveness.
Where the Solution Lies?
The most important factor to deal with degrading the quality of education is to train the teachers and imbibe the proper skills required to deliver the lectures efficiently and credibly. The teachers must be sensitized to the requirement of an interdisciplinary approach and introducing the new methods of teaching. The selection process of the teachers must involve the assessment of teaching skills innovatively. Regular inspections and evaluations must be done by the government to check the level and quality of education being imparted to the students.
The opinions may differ on this subject, whether the questions that pinched the students in the BHU MA exam paper should be there or not. But, it is a high time now to take a serious note of the knowledge being given to the students in the educational institutions as it will frame the psychology of the students and drive them in the direction in which the methods are followed.
