Very few go into details to find out the criteria used by the media to rank educational institutions (“Good school, good graduate,” Nov. 23). Many just accept the rankings and form opinions based on them. The credibility of such ranking is always in doubt because of the vague factors taken into consideration. Many institutions hire full-time placement officers as they consider placements the most important criterion for rankings.
In this rat race, the essence of education is left far behind. The neglect of the ethical aspect of education has given rise to many problems like depression and physiological trouble.
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K.S. Jacob says Indian higher education, which seems to cater to the elite, “to the exclusion of the needs of the majority, mandates review.” Higher education is a continuation of the culture and goals of the system, which begin in pre-nursery school. An implicitly or explicitly imposed ‘social mission' agenda, divorced from the pedagogy and philosophy of education, will produce distorted results.
Our education system works on competitive principles with respect to admissions, grading or job placements. It promotes and glorifies those who can compete well. Creativity, innovation, artistic abilities and social concerns have no place in this system. The Indian higher education is only a symptom of this malaise.
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Naveen I. Thomas,
Bangalore
Most deserving students are deprived of school education. The number of dropouts continues to increase year after year. Many schools lack basic facilities such as blackboards, classrooms and sanitation. Some are run in the open.
Teachers avoid going to rural and semi-urban areas to teach. Capitation fee and donations in colleges have become the order of the day. The rich get admission, thanks to recommendation, while the poor are left in the lurch. As for our universities, few meet the international standards. In such a situation, graduates are bound to falter.
S. Prabhakar,
New Delhi