Affordability, Creativity, And Innovation: The Three Pillars Of Sound Education
The equilibrium, which had shifted towards the right, seems to be moving towards the centre. But don’t be impatient. It will not happen overnight. The empire will fight back, the ideology will retaliate, and revenge will be sought. The democratic pushback, which has forced the system to take a step back, is still awaiting a positive agenda for educational reform as demanded by students. Rather,…
The education system in independent India is in dire need of reform, according to students and educators alike. In recent years, the focus has shifted from affordability, creativity, and innovation to a mere fight against past policies. This approach is creating a society that is more focused on revenge than redemption. To truly transform the system, three major reforms must be initiated: affordability, creativity, and innovation.
Affordability: The Indian education system has long excluded large segments of the population due to structural issues rooted in the caste system and rampant privatization of education. To make education more accessible, the government should rationalize the proliferation of private schools and universities, and prioritize funding for government schools.
Incentivizing teachers in these schools and raising their salaries to match those in private institutions is crucial. Additionally, coaching institutes and private tuitions should be abolished to promote inclusion.
Creativity: The current system places heavy emphasis on competitive exams to determine a student's talent, often defining their future based on a three-hour test. This approach stifles individual potential and fails to nurture diverse aptitudes. Instead, the education system should identify and foster students' creativity by providing opportunities to explore various fields and pursue their interests without the pressure of rigid exams.
Encouraging creative talents should be the primary goal rather than turning students into mere exam warriors.
Innovation: The Indian education budget has drastically declined from 4.7% of the GDP in 2013-14 to 2.5% in 2025-26, with a significant portion dedicated to salaries and infrastructure. There is a glaring lack of focus on research and development (R&D), which should be a priority for nurturing innovation. At present, R&D receives only 0.84% of the GDP, far behind countries like the USA and China, which prioritize educational robustness and private investment.
By fostering innovation through better budget allocation and a shift towards research-oriented education, India can catch up with global leaders in technology and knowledge.
Written by urgent.news from Free Press Journal's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
