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The educational system in India has been influenced by its history, culture, and colonization. Philosophies emphasize medicine, law, and preserving traditions. While training human capital is a focus, some aim to develop curiosity and individuality. Teachers try to make learning interactive though constrained by curriculum and management.

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daya kaur
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39 views2 pages

Portfolio Activity

The educational system in India has been influenced by its history, culture, and colonization. Philosophies emphasize medicine, law, and preserving traditions. While training human capital is a focus, some aim to develop curiosity and individuality. Teachers try to make learning interactive though constrained by curriculum and management.

Uploaded by

daya kaur
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The readings have given you a sense of how people in the US have considered multiple purposes for

schooling. Consider the educational system in which you were educated and /or are working. What
philosophies and particular people have influenced your educational system? Are they similar or
different from the readings? What do you see as the primary purpose of schooling in your context?

Philosophies of Education in India are unique to its unique environment. The start
being the foundation of practiced Hinduism which focussed on the caste system and then the
repeated invasion introduced other cultures, religions and ideologies followed by
colonisation. The history of India and the time of the independence struggle plays a vital role
in shaping the education system. The caste system and invasion had placed an important
emphasis on the study of Medicine and the onset of colonisation led to an increasing
preference for Law as a viable source and income and Literature to express and revolt. While
Literature and Art were always a part of the Indian lifestyle, they got reintroduced into the
education system with a strong influence of the British colonizers and a need to preserve the
traditional forms.

The education system that I have experienced as a student was a result of many
factors considered while drafting the constitution. It might seem strange that I am speaking
about the drafting of the constitution but it plays a vital role. When the constitution was being
drafted it had mostly people from upper castes, a majority of men, and yes a majority of
Hindus. That said, there was representation from most walks of society. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
played a vital role in ensuring much equality and measures that could lead to equity. He is a
rather important figure in this conversation, one for his influence and secondly for an
interesting fact that most people are usually unaware of. Ambedkar’s mentor for his PhD
from Columbia University was none other than John Dewey. Dewey’s work on Education and
Democracy had many strong influences on Ambedkar’s ideologies and pragmatism. I do see
many similarities in the Western Education system and that in India. Following the drafting
of the constitution we have had many reforms that have ensured that education is mandatory
till the age of 14 and that it has to be made available for free. The biggest challenge in this
state of affairs is the enormous population of India.

The purpose of education in India is primarily to train human capital. However this
outlook has been altered by the efforts of philosophers and activists like Jiddu Krishnamurthy
who started Rockford school and led to the establishment of the Krishnamurthy Foundation
in India. Also the Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam who reinforced and reiterated the
importance of Scientific temperament and education not only to train human capital but
arouse curiosity and the desire to learn. However, I do not see a paradigm shift in the purpose
of education from when I was a student to now when I am teaching. There are private schools
that have adopted some alternate philosophies to bring about change. Nonetheless they are
yet to adapt them to work for India. Moreover, I am uncertain if the purpose of education
really changes if only the privileged, who are a minority, can access and afford this new
education.
While I was studying the focus was on how well we score and what profession one
ends up in. The focus was on students as human capital. It is still that. However I
occasionally had exceptional teachers who made learning relevant, interactive, and
experiential through discussions. Now, I see a lot more teachers trying to do that. They are
living the philosophies of Jiddu Krishnamurthy, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and many other
philosophers. This has also influenced my instructional techniques. My experiences of being
forced to be human capital guides and motivates me to encourage individuality and
exploration among my students. I do not always succeed but it is a journey I am enjoying
exploring. A journey which helps me regularly reflect on my actions, challenges and failures
to define the purpose of education at least for those I teach.

The curriculum is not something that I can control. But I can control how I teach.
Instead of focusing on how well my students score I tend to focus on how well they
understand and apply their learnings. For example, I took a group of 6th graders and asked
them their biggest challenge in their residential environments. Their challenge was
availability of running water throughout the year or the main pipe breaking regularly. I
consulted with the other teachers who were teaching this class. The math teacher was excited
and jumped on the opportunity as it helped her cover her portions of measurements, scaling
and some for Geometry like shapes and volume. The science teacher was excited as it
covered some physics concepts of pressure. The social science teacher agreed to join in as it
covered some minor concepts like tools, development and changing lifestyles. This was not
provided by the management or the curriculum. It was something we found and utilised to
help our students learn. As a result in English we studied report writing as a text form which
was a part of the curriculum but also ended up reading The Boy who harnessed the wind for
pleasure. While doing an additional book was not really an option it was included in their
library time. In conclusion, it is not about the challenges we have, it is about our willingness
to find opportunities. The purpose of this education for my students was to recognise a
problem, study the reasons and solutions and apply the skills they learned. This in a way
covers the four principles of Dewey’s philosophy. However this is not always possible.
Sometimes management also decides to interfere and tell you not only what to teach but also
how to teach. Such experiences have limited my opportunities to define a purpose of
education that I see fit for my students.

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