Science, Commerce or Humanities? Upon completing high school, any teenager is asked this question by a nosy, judgmental relative. Not for long, though. The next generation of school students will finally avoid this painful rite of passage of selecting their subject stream in Class 11.
The ambitious National Education Policy (NEP 2020) of the Narendra Modi-led government, which fully overhauls India’s existing education system, was approved recently. Eliminating the ‘rigid’ division of streams is one of the key decisions it takes. At the same time, you can select and choose the things you want.
In Class 11, the holy trinity of subject streams, with one stream still considered more sacred than the others, was considered a significant phase in the life of any Indian student. So much so because everybody would be involved in the ‘life direction’ you chose, from your great-aunt to your neighbor’s husband, and the subjects you want to learn as a 16-year-old clearly eventually determine the course of your life. But what they really want to know is if you were bright enough to be admitted into science, and if you did, how much tuition or coaching courses you wanted.
At the root of it, NEP can be seen as a radical attempt to overhaul a beleaguered education system, but a very critical detail was overlooked by the Ministry of Human Resources Development, or rather the Ministry of Education: Indian parents and their love affair with the science stream.
There is a radically different approach to higher education in India relative to education abroad. The defining characteristics include the method of education, methodology, education study, curriculum, etc.
Education is organic; it begins to expand and change with time and with the human mind. This is the primary reason why education in various nations of the world is distinct. For any country, the values on which education systems are formed are distinct. Nevertheless, the objective is identical, i.e., to instill curiosity within the human mind.
In plain terms, every education scheme has its pros and cons-benefits and drawbacks. The Indian education system, as a developing country, has been built on foundations that foster comprehensive theoretical understanding and train students for some of the world’s toughest competitive exams. While other developing countries’ education programs are more versatile, they allow students to seek alternative job prospects other than the conventional alternatives.
Indian Stream Culture vs. Foreign Education System
In India, students can not switch their major subjects in the middle of courses. For e.g., If you are a physics major student in the middle of your course, you can not opt for other subjects such as languages or economics. In India’s educational institutions, the curriculum focuses more on quantitative education and depends on studies done in the past.
Despite the continuous assistance provided by the government, there are few funding funds, so there are also fewer research projects. In the curriculum of Indian universities, modifications based on the current and accepted scientific studies are introduced very late.
To draw students from different countries to choose courses offered by Indian Universities, India has not yet been able to internationalize education.
Indian universities and colleges provide students with restricted courses to select from.
The work opportunities offered by Indian universities are restricted to leading educational institutions. India’s pursuit of education is accessible. Indian Universities’ ROI is conditional and depends on the college that you will join. And there are only a few scholarships at Indian universities.
Whereas, Many European colleges and US-based universities give students the freedom to switch subjects and do not restrict them to only one subject. Foreign universities’ curriculum follows a more realistic approach to education, which promotes a new study about what has already been found. Research at international institutions is funded by some of the world’s leading organizations, such as Microsoft and Google. Therefore, the research projects offered there are stronger. Every few years, universities in the US and some other developing countries change their curriculum and thereby deliver more advanced education. A diverse community of students coming from different countries comes from international universities. A student, therefore, gets greater visibility. Students are equipped for numerous courses and specializations from foreign universities. International Universities provide students with outstanding career opportunities. It is often costly for developing countries to seek schooling since the cost of housing, food, transport, etc. is added to the total spending. The ROI of universities abroad is nice. The cost of learning could be costly, but learning abroad gives one’s career a kick start. Foreign colleges provide foreign students with various scholarships. Students may also take part in work-study programs in addition to that.
Compared to the Indian education system, there are several significant factors that make the international education system more accessible.
The theoretical and practical approach
Both of these techniques are important. While we have a practical-oriented research plan, relative to the theoretical approach, we are more market-ready. The Indian method of education is solely metaphysical, whereas the international system is completely realistic. Not just that, the method of realistic research makes the process simple, engaging, and exciting, while the analytical approach makes the learning process less engaging and often monotonous.
Creativity or marks
Each of us is quite well aware of the fact that scoring good marks is extremely vital to get into a good school/college. Not only does this limit a learner from exploring his / her horizons, but it also blocks their imaginative hand.
Foreign education, on the other hand, helps and inspires a pupil to think out of the box and to show their innovative side.
Degree or knowledge
One has to get a degree, regardless of the amount of expertise you get, to become eligible for any of the work openings in India. Unlike India, education in foreign countries is taken as a learning process, and students master the principles by researching and adapting them to their working community.
A tested route or a field of your liking
It is as if the set rule is that if a student has a good score, he/she has to opt for subjects related to science, and if a student fails to score well, he/she must opt for trade or subjects related to the arts. However, a student is encouraged by the international education system to go for a subject depending on his / her liking.
These were some of the over-rated distinctions between studying in India and studying abroad. Though India is heading towards digitization, numerous new courses are also coming up.
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