I wrote the article a year back while pondering over quality and areas of improvement in education system. Apparently many people think that educational system needs improvement and I am no exception to that. I wrote the following as an open letter which expresses my opinion and feelings. I think in future I’ll agree with some points and disagree with others…

I address this letter to all the highly qualified faculties, which have changed several things in their lifetime for betterment of society. I address this letter to all the authorities present in education system who are responsible to manage and run them. I address this letter to teachers, principals, professors, deans, directors, registrars and retired teachers.

I ask authorities to pause for a moment. Please, just for a moment stop thinking about the works you have done. Now look at the education system we have collectively built. What kind of education system we continue to build? Yes there have been some students who have shown exceptional performance and made us all proud. But is this the true potential of a country with more than 1.2 billion people? Won’t you agree that the number of exceptional students are extremely less when compared to total population of our country? If it is, than doesn’t it indicate that we are doing something or maybe somethings wrong.

Today I had a long chat with an integrated M.Tech student (which comprises of 5 years) studying in 5th semester. At exactly the halftime of total course duration. I am an engineer from a University which is at level three in our country. I am from UPTU. Back then I considered that all UPTU colleges are like this only and situation is better in IIT’s, IIIT’s and NIT’s. But today I was forced to rethink. I understand that having a chat with just one student is too small sample size, but it raises questions in me which are very general in nature. What should we teach to a person or a kid, in professional courses like B.tech or integrated M.Tech of 4 and 5 years respectively?

Let’s start with course syllabus. What is the objective of keeping a subject insyllabus? If you answer that it should be to teach or to make student understand the basics of it, then I’ll be very sorry to say that we are terribly failing at it. Our evaluation criteria is such that we do not get to know whether a student has understood the basics of a subject or not. Students pass with almost same marks/grades, either they understand the basics or not. I am not raising question on why to keep that subject in the course. My question is, in such environment what difference it is making to keep it in syllabus?

I may sound an idealist, but oppose me if you don’t agree with me on this - why a question paper should not have a question like what did you learn in this subject? Where you think, you can apply the understandings based on the subject? What difference you think it will make in your life?

To evaluate whether a student has understood a subject or not, is a question paper and answer sheet the only way ? Why not ask students to explain the subject as they have understood, to a dummy person and ask appropriate questions verbally where required? Isn’t this the world wide adopted strategy to judge a person before recruiting for a critical job position?

Evaluation of students is just one part which I want to highlight. I ask you now the other question. Should the subjects in a course be the only things to be learned by kids of 18-20 years of age? I stress on this question with extreme importance. Guys, lets think for a moment here. We have a job i.e. to run the educational system. For it we make a commitment that I teacher of XYZ subject is responsible to teach XYZ subject only. This is what is happening. My question is, is this correct?

If this is right, then from where do we expect students to learn other important things of life? We keep those courses which have professional importance, but from where do we expect students to learn moral values? From where a student will learn not to think of a life dependent on salary of job but a life dependent on principles and values? From where a student will learn bravery to pursue his/her own interests even if those interests are not directly related to the professional course in which he/she in currently enrolled? From where a student will build a brave and strong core, which will lead towards a peaceful life and act as a source of light which can enlighten others, even after death?

I just have one last question for everybody - Is it not the case that great personalities in history have understood and learned the answer of last question I ask?