There is a tendency now to call the education system broken, it’s trendy. But most of us make this statement without truly understanding which part is broken. Was there truly something to break? Surely if it is broken now, it must have been perfect at some point in time. Now it is worth pondering and asking “but when?”
This brings us to the idea that education as a country-wide system cannot be perfect. Each family, each child will want the purpose of education to look a certain way. And it’s only right that this preference is subjective because each child is unique and they do deserve an education that fits their personality rather than chipping at the child’s shoulder to fit into the rigid pre-existing structure. In this article, we are going to explore the realm of alternative education and whether it will solve our current dysfunctional education system.
Historical Perspective on Education
The earliest form of education in India can be traced back to the Vedic period (1500-500 BCE), it is what we now call the Gurukul system. In this system, students, known as shishyas, lived with their gurus (teachers) in a residential setting. The landscape shifted dramatically with the advent of British rule. The British introduced a new education system, one designed to serve the needs of their colonial administration. Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay played a pivotal role in this transformation, advocating for an English-based education that emphasised Western literature, science, and values. The aim was to create a class of Indians who were “Indian in blood and colour, but English in tastes, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect.”
Post Independence, India took up the task of rebuilding an education system that fit into its new mode of being. The Kothari Commission (1964-66) played a pivotal role in shaping modern Indian education, advocating for a comprehensive and inclusive approach. The Commission emphasised the need for free and compulsory education, equal access to educational opportunities, and the integration of science and technology into the curriculum. Fast forward to 2009, the Right of Education was introduced to make sure that every child regardless of their socio-economic background can have access to education. And most recently, the NEP 2020 acted as a source of hope for our education system as it advocated for policies that highlighted a more holistic approach to our schooling system.
Despite so many thorough policies, political shifts and goodwill the education system still seems unwilling to change and lags behind the advances that are taking place around the world. Issues such as high dropout rates, gender inequality, inadequate resources persist, high unemployability rates seem to continue looming over our generation.
This made me stop and wonder whether we have been thinking about fixing our education system in the wrong way since the beginning. What if the effort is futile? India being a melting pot of diverse cultures, languages and stories, how can we expect one system to cater to the needs of each community? This is where alternative education provides a unique way of looking at this problem. What if there is no single perfect education system but there can be multiple models of educating children?
But what is alternative education?
Put simply, it is an educational model that embraces diverse pedagogical methods to ensure children enjoy greater flexibility in their learning structure, allowing them to develop various aspects of their being, not just their academic side. There isn’t a single, definitive blueprint for what an alternative education school should look like, so think of it as existing on a spectrum. At one extreme, you have the state syllabus, a rigid and standardised education system. At the other end, you find unschooling, an educational approach devoid of any set curriculum or physical school structure. Alternative education nestles somewhere in between. It maintains the physical structure of a school but employs various teaching methodologies that cater to each child’s individual learning curve and personality, moving away from fixed curriculums and standardised assessments typical of mainstream schools. Different alternative schools vary and can be placed on different points in the middle of this spectrum. Common traits among alternative schools include smaller class sizes, customizable learning experiences, increased parental involvement, and a focus on the holistic well-being of the child, rather than solely on academic achievement.
Role of alternative education
Now, most people I meet argue that the education system is perfectly functional because they turned out quite alright. But the truth is that most of them were able to afford an education that focused on holistic development or at least come from quite a privileged family that had the time to provide them with the foundation of care. A study by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) indicates that private school graduates have an employment rate of around 80%, compared to 60% for government school graduates. Even if we look at learning outcomes, you will notice a stark difference. According to the ASER 2019, around 60% of Grade 5 students in private schools can read a Grade 2 level text, compared to only 44% in government schools. This shows us that with privilege, the inequity in education goes unnoticed.
Thus the role of alternative education will act as the great equaliser because for once we can have multiple schools that not only focus on a child’s cognitive abilities but also the other parts of their being providing them with a sense of care and support. Instead of having one standardised system for an entire country, we can focus on having contextual alternative models catering to the needs of children rather than an unfair system that expects each child regardless of their background to fit into a mould. As each alternative school has something unique to offer or follows a different philosophy, children and parents will then finally have the power to choose a system that caters to their needs and wants.
About the Author:
Sanjana Samraj is an educator and advocate for alternative education. She is currently doing her Teach for India Fellowship and is the founder of Aaravam, an organisation helping school leaders bring holistic practices into the school system. You will find her either in the classroom with children or visiting different alternative schools making documentaries about them.