Education System in India Past and Present

Education System

in India Past and Present 

Research Methodology

Various methods have been adopted for carrying out to carry out this research. Literature
concerned with pre British and post British period has been studied carefully. Hermeneutics is
used as a research methodology for this paper. Hermeneutics can be defined as the interpretation
and understanding of ancient literature and religious texts. Interviews of scholars and experts of
the field of management also helped a lot during this research.

Ancient Indian Education System

Indians have understood the importance of education from the ancient times. That’s why world’s
oldest University, The Nalanda University is situated in India.. When we go through holy books
like Ramayana and Mahabharta, we come to know that children were sent to Gurukuls
(residential institutes of old times) for education where they used to study and live during their
education period. Gurukuls were the only mean of education in ancient times.
Now days in India, common subjects are taught to students till secondary or higher secondary
classes. After that they choose their line of interest and then they are taught the subjects of their
concerned field only. Unlike today, knowledge of every subject was not given to everybody. A
student was imparted knowledge of only those tasks which he was supposed to perform after he
grew up. So there was a specialisation based education system right from the childhood. Now
days in India, common subjects are taught to students till secondary or higher secondary classes.
After that they choose their line of interest and then they are taught the subjects of their

concerned field only.

The society was divided into four classes : Brahmins, Kshatriya , Vaishya , Shudras. The priests
were known as Brahmins. They used to perform rites and rituals. The people of warrior class
were known as Kshatriyas. Their duty was to protect people. The business class was known as
Vaishya. They were involved in every type of business and trade in those times. The fourth class
was Shudra. They were the labour class. It was their duty to serve the other three classes. The
education system in India was based on this caste system. The education was imparted according
to the caste of a student. Brahmins were given the knowledge about religion, philosophy, Vedas.
They were taught holy chants. Kshatriyas were taught various concepts of warfare. They were

Indian Education system after British Government

After arrival of East India Company in India, They started changing the Indian Education system
gradually and one day we were there with a completely new process of educating people. They
transformed the whole system to encapsulate European attitude in Indian children. They
emphasized on use of English in education rather than our own native languages. They started
textbook culture in India. The motive of introducing textbooks was to stop children from
producing new knowledge and made them think that they were mere consumers of the
knowledge which the textbook writer wants to convey to them. The second and the most
dangerous impact of introduction of text books was the degradation of respect of teachers in
Indian society. The teachers lost the right of deciding what to teach and how to teach. They had
to just follow the matter given in textbooks.
The second concept introduced by the British in Indian Education was that of the examinations.
It was a plan of British to have a centralized control of Indian Education System through the
introduction of examination system. So the students were limited to learn only those things
which were supposed to be covered in the examination and rest of the things were left. In this
way the area of knowledge became very narrow. Examination system gave rise to a serious
implication known as cramming in students. The students started memorizing things whether
understood or not so that they could clear the exam. Indian students were not very good at
English those days. So they just started memorizing the concepts in English rather than learning
by heart.
The textbooks contained more text on European history as compared to Indian history. The
students started getting influenced by the western culture. Then a tendency to adopt western
culture grew up among Indian children. The purpose of examination system was to refrain
people from getting higher education. The fear of failure in examination made a lot of children to
quit studies. The British Government was afraid that if there were more educated people in India
the chances of revolution become brighter.
The intention behind the changes made by British Government in education system of India can
be made clear by Lord Macaulay’s Address to the British Parliament 2nd February 1835. In his
address, he said that “I have travelled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen
one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high
moral values, people of such caliber, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country,
unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and
therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the
Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose
their self esteem, their native culture and they will become what we want them, a truly
dominated nation. ”

Present Indian Education System

Indian education system has got contribution from both public as well as private sector. It is

controlled by Central Government as well as State Government. Education has been specified as

one of the fundamental rights in the constitution of India. Modern Indian education system is

divided into many levels : pre-primary level, primary level, middle level education, secondary

education, undergraduate level and postgraduate level.

Pre primary level education or preschool education is provided to children before the age of five.

It aims at satisfying a child’s needs of fun, enjoyment, freedom, choice, belongingness, respect

and love. These needs form the basis for healthy development and life-long learning.

Primary education consists of the education till fifth standard. It is meant for children belonging

to age group of 6-11 year. Middle level education is imparted to students studying in classes

from sixth to eighth. Secondary education is imparted to students studying in classes from ninth

to twelve. After completion of school education, college education starts. College education has

two levels generally- Graduation level and post graduation level. After completion of school

education, the students choose course of their interest. The undergraduate course lays a foundation of the student’s field of interest. After completing the undergraduate course, a

postgraduate level course can be pursued. It adds to the knowledge acquired by a student during

the undergraduate course.

Government is investing a lot of money in education sector to improve the level of education in

India. A major portion of the total budget is spent on providing good education to children as

education is the base of a nation. Fig 1 shows the allocation of union budget to various sectors in

2012-13. A big amount of Rs 28679 crore has been allocated for education sector this year. Fig 2

shows the allocation of union budget to various sectors in year 2011-12. An amount of Rs 52057

crore had been allocated for education sector in the previous year. These figures show that a

large part of the total budget is spent on education every year. Government is putting great effort

to reform the education sector but due to the problems like corruption less than one fourth of the

total fund allocated is spent on education actually.

Education of science and islam

Education of science and islam

Muslim scholars have developed a spectrum of viewpoints on science within the context of Islam. The Qur'an exhorts Muslims to study nature and investigate the truth.Muslims often cite verse 239 from Surah Al-Baqara – He has taught you what you did not know.– in support of their view that the Qur'an promotes the acquisition of new knowledge. For some Muslim writers, the study of science stems from Tawhid.[page needed]

Scientists of medieval Muslim civilization (e.g. Ibn al-Haytham) made many contributions of to modern science.This fact is celebrated in the Muslim world today. At the same time, concerns have been raised about the lack of scientific literacy in parts of the Muslim world.

Some Muslim writers have claimed that the Qur'an made prescient statements about scientific phenomena that were later confirmed by scientific research for instance as regards to the structure of the embryo, our solar system and the creation of the Universe.

Overview

It's generally accepted that there are around 750 verses in the Quran dealing with natural phenomena. Many verses of the Qur'an ask mankind to study nature, and this has been interpreted to mean an encouragement for scientific inquiry. The investigation of the truth is one of the main messages of the Qur'an. historical Islamic scientists like Al-Biruni and Al-Battani derived their inspiration from verses of the Quran. Mohammad Hashim Kamali has stated that "scientific observation, experimental knowledge and rationality" are the primary tools with which humanity can achieve the goals laid out for it in the Quran. Ziauddin Sardar built a case for Muslims having developed the foundations of modern science, by highlighting the repeated calls of the Quran to observe and reflect upon natural phenomenon. "The 'scientific method,' as it is understood today, was first developed by Muslim scientists" like Ibn al-Haytham and Al-Biruni, along with numerous other Muslim scientists.

The astrophysicist Nidhal Guessoum while being highly critical of pseudo-scientific claims made about the Quran, has highlighted the encouragement for sciences that the Quran provides by developing "the concept of knowledge.". He writes: "The Qur'an draws attention to the danger of conjecturing without evidence (And follow not that of which you have not the (certain) knowledge of... 17:36) and in several different verses asks Muslims to require proofs (Say: Bring your proof if you are truthful 2:111), both in matters of theological belief and in natural science." Guessoum cites Ghaleb Hasan on the definition of "proof" according the Quran being "clear and strong... convincing evidence or argument." Also, such a proof cannot rely on an argument from authority, citing verse 5:104. Lastly, both assertions and rejections require a proof, according to verse 4:174. Ismail al-Faruqi and Taha Jabir Alalwani are of the view that any reawakening of the Muslim civilization must start with the Quran; however, the biggest obstacle on this route is the "centuries old heritage of tafseer (exegesis) and other classical disciplines" which inhibit a "universal, epistemiological and systematic conception" of the Quran's message. The philosopher Muhammad Iqbal considered the Quran's methodology and epistemology to be empirical and rational.

The physicist Abdus Salam believed there is no contradiction between Islam and the discoveries that science allows humanity to make about nature and the universe; and that the Quran and the Islamic spirit of study and rational reflection was the source of extraordinary civilizational development. Salam highlights, in particular, the work of Ibn al-Haytham and Al-Biruni as the pioneers of empiricism who introduced the experimental approach, breaking way from Aristotle's influence, and thus giving birth to modern science. Salam differentiated between metaphysics and physics, and advised against empirically probing certain matters on which "physics is silent and will remain so," such as the doctrine of "creation from nothing" which in Salam's view is outside the limits of science and thus "gives way" to religious considerations.

The religion Islam has its own world view system including beliefs about "ultimate reality, epistemology, ontology, ethics, purpose, etc." Muslims believe that the Qur'an is the final revelation of God for the guidance of humankind. Science is the pursuit of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based on evidence. It is a system of acquiring knowledge based on empiricism, experimentation and methodological naturalism, as well as to the organized body of knowledge human beings have gained by such research. Scientists maintain that scientific investigation needs to adhere to the scientific method, a process for evaluating empirical knowledge that explains observable events without recourse to supernatural notions

History

in the history of science, science in the Muslim world refers to the science developed under Islamic civilization between the 8th and 16th centuries, during what is known as the Islamic Golden Age. It is also known as Arabic science since the majority of texts during this period were written in Arabic, the lingua franca of Islamic civilization. Despite these terms, not all scientists during this period were Muslim or Arab, as there were a number of notable non-Arab scientists (most notably Persians), as well as some non-Muslim scientists, who contributed to scientific studies in the Muslim world.

A number of modern scholars such as Fielding H. Garrison, Abdus Salam, Sultan Bashir Mahmood, Hossein Nasr consider modern science and the scientific method to have been greatly inspired by Muslim scientists who introduced a modern empirical, experimental and quantitative approach to scientific inquiry. Certain advances made by medieval Muslim astronomers, geographers and mathematicians were motivated by problems presented in Islamic scripture, such as Al-Khwarizmi's (c. 780–850) development of algebra in order to solve the Islamic inheritance laws, and developments in astronomy, geography, spherical geometry and spherical trigonometry in order to determine the direction of the Qibla, the times of Salah prayers, and the dates of the Islamic calendar.

The increased use of dissection in Islamic medicine during the 12th and 13th centuries was influenced by the writings of the Islamic theologian, Al-Ghazali, who encouraged the study of anatomy and use of dissections as a method of gaining knowledge of God's creation. In al-Bukhari's and Muslim's collection of sahih hadith it is said: "There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment." (Bukhari 7-71:582). This culminated in the work of Ibn al-Nafis (1213–1288), who discovered the pulmonary circulation in 1242 and used his discovery as evidence for the orthodox Islamic doctrine of bodily resurrection. Ibn al-Nafis also used Islamic scripture as justification for his rejection of wine as self-medication. Criticisms against alchemy and astrology were also motivated by religion, as orthodox Islamic theologians viewed the beliefs of alchemists and astrologers as being superstitious.

Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (1149–1209), in dealing with his conception of physics and the physical world in his Matalib, discusses Islamic cosmology, criticizes the Aristotelian notion of the Earth's centrality within the universe, and "explores the notion of the existence of a multiverse in the context of his commentary," based on the Qur'anic verse, "All praise belongs to God, Lord of the Worlds." He raises the question of whether the term "worlds" in this verse refers to "multiple worlds within this single universe or cosmos, or to many other universes or a multiverse beyond this known universe." On the basis of this verse, he argues that God has created more than "a thousand thousand worlds (alfa alfi 'awalim) beyond this world such that each one of those worlds be bigger and more massive than this world as well as having the like of what this world has." Ali Kuşçu's (1403–1474) support for the Earth's rotation and his rejection of Aristotelian cosmology (which advocates a stationary Earth) was motivated by religious opposition to Aristotle by orthodox Islamic theologians, such as Al-Ghazali.

According to many historians, science in the Muslim civilization flourished during the Middle Ages, but began declining at some time around the 14t to 16t centuries. At least some scholars blame this on the "rise of a clerical faction which froze this same science and withered its progress."[ Examples of conflicts with prevailing interpretations of Islam and science – or at least the fruits of science – thereafter include the demolition of Taqi al-Din's great Istanbul observatory of Taqi al-Din in Galata, "comparable in its technical equipment and its specialist personnel with that of his celebrated contemporary, the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe." But while Brahe's observatory "opened the way to a vast new development of astronomical science," Taqi al-Din's was demolished by a squad of Janissaries, "by order of the sultan, on the recommendation of the Chief Mufti," sometime after 1577 CE