Category: Education

Indian education needs to know its historic context, its evolution during the freedom struggle and its future! What are the education ideals and the current practices that grip our attention? The international rankings of universities by the London-based Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) ranks India’s higher education very low. And the news is that this…

But free movement of people! That seems a big current issue! Oxford Vice Chancellor is in India! The Madam Chancellor wants more Indian students. But then the British government puts a cap on free entry of Indian students.The UK universities relax qualifications for the Chinese students.So, more money might come from China. How many Indian…

Indian education has to accomplish range of roles to protect and promote India’s multiple languages Of course, retain the English language as an all India medium. Make India an education hub. The many ironies, contradictions and anomalies of Indian education are there and it is for the genius to resolve issues and draw up a…

Education reforms not so easy and that calls for deep thought! Former President Pranab Mukherjee was in Nagpur the other day. That raised many eyebrows. For the right and wrong reasons! The guest speaker said that India’s identity is about tolerance. Fine, perhaps we would have said, Indian polity too should be known for its…

Education in an uncertain world Education for Enlightenment! Please understand one and all! Yes, Indian education today is being driven by the sheer mindless market forces! Everyday, we are flooded with full-page newspaper ads claiming this or that targets of first rankers or other exams. But do you know the world outside? There is resistance…

The nitty-gritty of education! Yes, education for what? Skills, jobs or migration? Indian education, in our view, is in deep crisis! No one in authority has a clue where our education is heading! It is heading simply in the way market forces to push education pursuits. The rising middle class, not the old middle class…

A provocation for this column is a news item I read in the Kolkata edition of the Times of India. The Governor of the West Bengal State, Keshari  Nath Tripathi  has sent out a letter of invitation to several city intellectuals for tea at Raj Bhavan on April 26.The letter was sent to atleast 16…

A new committee? Waste, waste, sheer waste! Of time and money and energies and our own imagination! Government sets up a committee to probe the leaks! Yes, this is done. It is in our view a big waste! Waste of precious time, energy and our own imagination! The very structure of the highly centralized CBSE…