Education scenario in India

1. Introduction

Education is the process of learning and acquiring knowledge. It is a very

important tool for people worldwide to make balance of life and its existence on
earth. It is a lifelong process that ensures the aim of life of an individual. Education
helps us to understand and overcome challenges in life. It trains us whole life and
enables us to create a fine balance of our body, mind and spirit. Education is the first
and foremost right of every individual. Every individual needs education to enhance
their own life standards and without education social and economic growths are not
possible. It is well said by Mandela that “Education is the only weapon that can
change the world”.

Indian education has come a long way from old school Gurukuls to the new hi-
tech institutions. It is totally developed over the decades. Though the education
system can still be improved by various ways, the country has strived to bring
significant changes through initiatives such as Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan as well as
Right to Education (RTE). (Parvati, 2010) Right to Education act was enacted in 4th
august 2009 by the Constitution of India in its eighty six amendments under Article
21-A to provide free and compulsory education to all children between the ages of 6
to 14 years. The National Commission for Elementary Education (NCEE) monitor
all aspects of elementary education including quality. For the purpose of admission,
age of child is determined on the basis of birth certificate issued in accordance with
the Provision of Birth. No child shall be denied admission in a school for lack of age
proof. No compromise on quality of education. A child who completes elementary
education shall be awarded a certificate. The pupil-teacher ratio should be 30:1
means one teacher is employed for a total of 30 students in every primary school.

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 Current education in India follows 10+2 system. In this pattern, up to class 10,
all subjects are compulsory and in class 11 and 12 subjects of their choice and
language subject has to be study. In 2009, RTE introduced CCE in India. In this
system, no detention policy was there where no students can fail or be expelled until
they complete primary school, covering classes 1-8 and also grading system where
students are given their marks by grade. But in 2017, CCE was removed as teachers
weren‟t ready, but the grading system still exists. The students of schools are not just
tested based on their learning abilities but also on their acquired knowledge and
skills as well as their performance in extracurricular activities. Modern education
emphasises critical thinking, visualising and imagining. Various techniques and
modern technology is used to teach and all teachers are trained to make education
more qualitative.
In 2020, New Education Policy (NEP) was introduced to bring the changes in
National Education System. The main objective of NEP is to make the learning
process more efficient by enhancing students thinking and creative ability. By 2030,
Education system of India is expected to be transformed under this policy. (Govinda,
2021) New Education System will follow 5+3+3+4 pattern, where students will
spend 5 years in strengthening their foundation, 3 years in the preparatory stage, 3
years in the middle stage and rest 4 years in the secondary stage. It enforces the use
of local language for instructing students up to class 5. Exams will be held only in
classes 2, 5, and 8 instead of every academic year. This will reduce classroom load
from students and make them more interdisciplinary and multi-lingual.
Indian education has known to produce some of the best minds in the world.
Indian universities such as IIT ranked top universities in the world. Compulsory
education is best features of current education system as every child is getting equal
opportunity to learn in school. It is completely free and government is also providing
free uniform, books, shoes, bag and most important one, midday meal which helps
poor children who are working hard to get one time meal. All teachers are trained so

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that there shouldn‟t be compromise in the quality of education. Modern technology,
learning tools and various teaching methods are using to improve learning methods.
Despite having so many advantages, Indian education system has flip side also.
It is known idiom “spare the rod and spoil the child” means if punishment is not
given to child when they do something wrong, they will not learn what is right.
Current education system has prohibited physical punishment to the children because
of this children are not taking anything seriously since no one can do anything to
them that creates „easy take thinking‟ in child for every activity. Introduction of CCE
and grading system is major demerits of education system, because of no detention
policy, as everyone was treated equal; there was no distinction between students who
work hard and those who didn‟t. Hence no detention policy doesn‟t encourage hard
work and makes student lazy. Same in case of grading system also, students who
scores 90 and 99 both gets same grade which discourages students to work hard.
CCE is time consuming as it starts with the student‟s academic session and continues
till the last of its learning, it takes lots of time for teachers to analyze every student
activity.
The major drawbacks of NEP 2020 is language factor, since it is difficult to find
teacher who spoke local language for every subject, thus introducing mother
language for each subject in academic institutes is a problem. Students of private
schools will be introduced to English at much earlier age than students of
government schools. Since in government schools, the academic syllabus will be
taught in the respective regional languages, the students of government schools will
not able to communicate in English medium and thus widening the gap between
sections of society. Another drawback is when they reach class 6, suddenly the
academic syllabus will be in English medium, so they may face difficulties to
understand the language.

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 2. Social diversities and its Impact on Education

Society consists of different range of people with various racial, ethnics,

socio-economic, religion, caste, culture etc. This differences seen in particular
society is termed as social diversity. Social diversity is regarded as something which
makes this universe more liveable and attractive. Our country India is well known
for its diversified nature in a variety of aspects such as faith, rituals and customs,
geographical differences, linguistic elements and other social aspects.[2] We have
different religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Christian etc, different caste such as
Brahmans, Chettri, Tamang, Manger, Rai etc, different economical status some
belong to middle class and some belongs to high class living in the same society.
Social diversity has both positive and negative impact on education. Studies have
demonstrated that fostering diversity in the classroom has huge impact on student
performance. According to research conducted by Queens University of Charlotte,
students achieve more and work harder in multicultural environments. It also helps
students to learn other languages and cultures, encouraging them to be interculturally
sensitive and help to develop the social knowledge and open their minds to deeper
insights. Diverse study environments also drive creativity. Group activities with
diverse group members help to create a positive atmosphere, collaborative learning
and hence develop critical thinking. Diverse classroom help to develop tolerance and
great sense of security.
Students in a diverse class often have different learning forums that aren‟t
similar and may fail to understand some concepts due to language barrier. A
language barrier may be a problem in a multicultural classroom as communication
becomes hampered. Sometimes diversity brings about a clash of cultures which may
end up bringing students together that belongs in the same clique while separating
them from the rest. This ends up breeding intolerance and in worst cases animosity
among students.

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 3. Educational Opportunities in terms of religion
India has a number of religions spread throughout the length and breadth of the
country. There are significant differences in religious belief and practice. India
serves as the land from where the religion namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism
and Jainism have originated at same time the country has imbibed several indigenous
faiths and tribal religions. Each religion holds on to its existence firmly and has
endured the influence of major religions for centuries. Co-existence of various
religious groups makes this country entirely unique. The existence of large number
of religion and their spread in the country has given rise to various forms of social
organisations, institutions, rituals etc. (Singh, 2016)
Since most of these diverse religions and communities regularly interact with each
other, some unique social institutions, customs and practices have emerged. A
number of rituals related to birth, marriage and death are common in most of these
religions. Similarly, observance of festivals has a lot in common in specific regions.
Dresses and lifestyles too have common features in most of the religions.
Despite having secular state, India has large differences in literacy rate among
religions this is because of variations in educational opportunities among religion of
same regions. For example there are lots of Christian Missionaries’ Schools where
people of other religions are not allowed to get admission. The Karnataka
government gives scholarship to Christian minority students who scores 80% in
10+2, this may discourage students of other religions to work hard.

4. Educational Opportunities in terms of caste

Caste is a major source of diversity in Indian society. Socialist define caste

through two axes i.e., Varna and Jati. Varna is the four-fold division of society
according to functional differentiation. Thus, the four Varnas include Brahmins,

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Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. Whereas Jati refers to a hereditary endogamous
status group practicing a specific traditional occupation and there is no one all
Indian system of ranking them in order and status.

Although the caste discrimination in India has banned by law but directly or
indirectly, there is caste discrimination in education field like there are tribal
schools in India in which only Tribal are allowed to study. There is injustice in the
field of Education like the tribal gets more scholarships (named as SC- ST
scholarships) than people of other religion. The reservation of seats in Educational
institutions for Schedule Castes (SC) and Schedule Tribes (ST) are measure
undertaken by government, like in most state exams in Sikkim, SC and ST have to
score less marks than others, in National and State Level Eligibility Test, qualifying
marks for SC and ST is only 45% while for general, it is 55%-60%.

5. Educational Opportunities in terms of Class

By and large discourse on inequality in India tends to centre on disparities in

consumptions, income and wealth. India stands out as a “poor and very unequal
country, with affluent elite”. India has huge gap between rich and poor classes.
Some are very poor even they can‟t afford to have one time meal and some are
billionaire. We see huge numbers of beggars in temples and streets in India. In
India, 10% of population earns 57% of national income.

Poor people are becoming poorer and rich people are becoming richer this is due
to difference in levels of education. Younger children from low income households
were more deprived of mediums of learning such as smart phones, internet etc.
Students from rich households can afford to study in good universities and private
schools while students belonging to poorer family couldn‟t afford to study in good
universities as it is expensive. Some children belonging to low class family have to
leave study after 12 because they couldn‟t afford to get Admission in colleges and

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Universities and some has involved in the labour work to run family as there will
be no earning member in the family.

6. Educational Opportunities in terms of gender

Gender refers to the socially constructed characteristics of men and women such
as norms, behaviour roles and relationships of and between groups of men and
women. As gender is socially constructed, gender varies from society to society
and can change over time. Like in India, first it was believed that only two gender
exists- male and female and later existence of third gender ( Hijra) found.
(Hassan, 2018) But with time other types of genders also found, so now we have
different type of gender termed as LGBTQ community along with Male and
Female. Although there are many types of gender in India but all genders are
given equal opportunities in every field which is ensured by Right to Equality of
Indian Constitution.

Although the Constitution of India grants equal rights to every gender, but
gender disparities remain. Gender inequality refers to health, education, economic
and political inequalities between genders. According to study done by Adriana D
Kugler and Santosh Kumar, they found that in most of the families, mother has a
lower educational level. In examining educational disparities between boys and
girls, the transition from primary to secondary education displays an increase in
the disparity gap, as a greater percentage of females compared to males drop out
from their educational journey after the age of twelve. In India, sum up, men had
much more education than women, 62% of women receives no schooling at all
compared to 31% of men. In addition, women had worse late life cognition. The
disparities of cognition between men and women were more pronounced at lower

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levels of education. Studies have suggested that this is due to gender inequality in
education.

7. Educational Opportunities in terms of Language

India is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world with over
1600 languages and dialects spoken by its citizens. Each language reflects the
unique history, traditions, and customs of people who speak it, making India a
melting pot of linguistic and cultural diversity. Linguistic diversity is a specific
aspect of diversity within the educational programme. (Ch, Language Diversity in
India, 2023) Schools in India are classic example of multilingualism that many
students experience. In single classroom particularly in urban areas there may be
more than 20 different home languages represented by students and teachers is
also often likely to use a home language that is different to official medium of
instruction. It is rather uncommon for a lesson to be conducted in a single
language, because primary students only understand mother language.

Students in a diverse class often have different learning forums that aren‟t
similar and may fail to understand some concepts due to language barrier. A
language barrier may be a problem in a multicultural classroom as communication
becomes hampered. Although India is linguistically diverse country, but people of
every language is not getting equal opportunities like in some school students who
wish to learn lepcha language, there is problem in subject availability. Some
schools don‟t have availability of Rai language. If we see state wise Educational
opportunities, we see only people who speak local language get the benefit than
people migrated from other states who speak other languages. Thankfully India
does not have National Language but has 22 official languages (including
English). Since the states were formed on linguistic lines, each of the 28 states has
its own native language(s) as the official language(s). English is aspiration language

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for most of the Indians- for learning English is viewed as a ticket to economic
prosperity and social status. Multilingual is important because multilingual brains
tend to show higher white matter integrity, better structural and functional
connectivity across the brain and a better “brain reserve” than monolingual brains.

8. Educational Opportunities in terms of Region

India is a vast country and is considered as a Sub-Continent for its vastness.

This sub-continent extending from the Himalayas to the sea is called Bharata-
Varsha or the Land of Bharata, a famous king of the Puranic tradition. (MODAK,
2018) Geographically India can be divided into four regions. The first is the
Himalayan region or the Northern Mountain wall that extends from Kashmir in the
West to Assam in the East. This region includes Kashmir, Kangra, Tehri, Kumaun
Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan. The second region is the great and big Northern Plains
which are provided with water by the rivers like Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra and
their tributaries. The third region comprised of the plateau of the Central India and
the Deccan. The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats are stretched on the two
sides of the Deccan which meets at the Nilgiris. The region between the Arabian
Sea and the Western Ghats is known as the Konkan up to Goa beyond which it is
known as Kanara or Karnataka while the Southern most part is known as the
Malabar Coast or Kerala.

Regionalism favours the interest of certain region. It may also have a negative
effect on national integration and in the field of education. Regional diversity in
schools encourages students to establish a sense of brotherhood and unity. Regional
diversity has both merits and demerit, taking an example of Sikkim Government
B.Ed College Soreng. In Soreng College, there are reservation seats of 86% for
Sikkimese people whereas there are only 7% seats available for non-Sikkimese
and rest are for PWD categories. There is an advantage for Sikkimese people as

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more students can get admission but disadvantage for non-Sikkimese as only 7%
seats are available, so only few students have chances to get admission.

9. Educational Opportunities in terms of Tribes

According to 2011 census, the Schedule Tribes account for 104 million
representing 6% of the world‟s population. These Schedule Tribes are spread
throughout the country largely in forest and hilly regions. In India there are more
than 705 tribes who are living in the country for a long time. Each community has
its own individuality that separates it from other tribes. There are many types of
Tribal groups like Munda Tribes from East India, Tribes from South India, Tribes
from West India; Gaddis Tribes etc., among them PVTGs (Particularly Vulnerable
Tribal Groups) are vulnerable tribal groups. Due to this factor, more developed and
assertive tribal groups take a major chunk of tribal development funds.

Map 1: Tribal Community Regions in India

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Indian government declared 52 tribal group as PVTGs. Odisha has highest
number of PVGTs. (Members, 24th june 2022) (Hassan, 2018)

Inequalities are seen in Schedule Tribes living in remote locations. It is vital

to recognize the variety of difficulties. Using completion rates of five years of
schooling as a main indicator of education status, the Scheduled Tribe populations
are disadvantaged when compared to Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Classes
and others. It is also being observed that Scheduled Tribes children are more
deprived as compared to the Scheduled Castes regarding education status. On the
subject of accessibility of the education system for Scheduled Tribes children
issues, such as the medium of instructions, remoteness of their dwellings, poverty
and other factors are impediments to access for the underprivileged groups. In
spite of several efforts made by the Government of India for the up-gradation of
education amongst the tribal communities, 13,459,734 children comprising 6.94
percent of the total children within the age group of six to thirteen years are
estimated to be out of school. Amongst the Scheduled Tribes, the percentage of
out of school children is 9.54, and for Scheduled Castes it is 8.17. These depict
the disparities clearly amongst the social groups that are socially disadvantaged.
Out of school children are high in rural areas as compared to the urban. There are
differences in the rates of attendance and learning achievements of the children
belonging to Scheduled Tribes communities and other social groups.

10. Understanding Diversity in Contemporary India

India is a country with a rich and diverse cultural heritage, and it is home to
a variety of people from different religions, ethnicities and backgrounds. The
many different types of diversity in India are beneficial in several ways. It leads to
a more harmonious and peaceful environment, as people from different
backgrounds are able to share their unique perspectives and experiences, leading

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to mutual understanding and respect. Diversity allows for a variety of talents and
skills to be cultivated, leading to a more vibrant and successful economy. (Gupta,
2023) It creates unity as diverse people coming together to form one unified
nation that makes India a culturally, socially, politically and economically united
nation. The diversity in India has also helped to promote a sense of understanding
and tolerance among its people which is beneficial for the country‟s progress and
development. It is this sense of understanding and tolerance that has enabled
India to become a strong and unified nation. . India has given the world a number
of great cultural traditions such as yoga, Ayurveda, and music. This has enabled
people from different cultures and religions to come together and exchange ideas
and experiences.

It is important to understand diversity since understanding diversity and

cultural awareness is so crucial in the classroom because it encourages
acceptance, helps prepare students to thrive in an exponentially diverse world and
it benefits students now and in the long term. Teaching diversity exposes students
to various cultural and social groups prepare students to become better citizens in
their communities. Promoting awareness and creating a personal connection with
diverse cultures in the classroom can prevent students from developing prejudices
later in life. With the rise of globalization, it‟s more important to be able to work
with people from different cultures and social groups. If students are exposed to
diversity and learn cultural awareness in the classroom, it sets them up to flourish
in the workforce.

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 11.Conclusion

India‟s diversity is a source of strength and a major source of pride for the
country. It has enabled the country to become a major player in the global
economy, while preserving its traditional values and customs. The presence of
different religions, languages, and cultures has enabled the country to become a
more tolerant and inclusive society. It is this unique diversity that has enabled
India to become the vibrant, dynamic and economically powerful nation that it is
today. Diverse students in classroom helped to promote a sense of understanding
and tolerance among students. It creates unity as diverse students form one
unified classroom. It has enabled students from different cultures and religions to
come together and exchange ideas and experiences. Yet diversity of faculty, staff,
and students also brings challenges. Increasing diversity can lead to less
cohesiveness, less effective communication, increased anxiety, and greater
discomfort for many members of a community.

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12. References
[1] Ch, D. R. (2023). Language Diversity in India. head of engineering at swayam .

[2] Diversity in India . (n.d.).

[3] Govinda. (2021). NEP 2020: A Critical Examination. Council for Social Development, 5.

[4] Gupta, S. (2023). Diversity in India Essay.

[5] Hassan, Z. (2018). Gender Diversity and its Impact on Education in India. Dankwano,
RN & Hassan , 319-341.

[6] Members, 1. p. (24th june 2022). Tribal communities in India: Culture and
Significance. 10 pointer .

[7] MODAK, P. (2018). Regional Diversity in India. 1-2.

[8] Parvati, P. J. (2010). Right To Education Act 2009.

[9] Singh, A. (2016). Religion of India. In Religion in India (pp. 5-7). Arihant Publication.

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