The Story Behind Our Education System

The current education system is not making the best use of the most precious natural resource this country possesses - its next generation. India needs an education system that evokes interest and stimulates children, providing them with the opportunity they need and deserve to fulfill their potential. This means providing a curriculum of practical and vocational learning with theoretical study.

We must recognise that children are individuals with different talents, dreams and aspirations. Not every child learns in the same way. Therefore, we need to develop a system that is based on a strong common core of essential skills and knowledge, which allows children to develop their own talents and aspirations. We must support children in discovering what they enjoy doing and are good at, and who they want to be in life. And we must encourage and support teachers and schools in responding to these different needs.

Some countries have a way better system of education that we can learn from and incorporate the same structure in our education setup. The British multinational Publication Company, Pearson, recently released their global report ranking nations of the world based on major factors in education, such as expenditure per student, GDP, graduation rates, etc. South Korea topped the rankings again this year, but Finland which is well known for its excellence in education fell to 5th place.

Some of the key findings of the report:

• East Asian nations continue to outperform others. South Korea tops the rankings, followed by Japan (2nd), Singapore (3rd) and Hong Kong (4th). The education systems of all these countries prize efforts above inherited ‘smartness’, and have clear learning out. They have a strong culture of accountability and engagement among a broad community of stakeholders

• Scandinavian countries, traditionally strong performers, are showing signs of losing their edge. Finland, the 2012 Index leader, has fallen to 5th place; and Sweden is down from 21st to 24th

• Notable improvements include Israel (up 12 places to 17th), Russia (up 7 places to 13th) and Poland (up four places to 10th).

• Developing countries populate the lower half of the Index, with Indonesia again ranking last of the 40 nations covered, preceded by Mexico (39th) and Brazil (38th).

10 Countries with best education and top Universities

CHANGE

 The top 10 countries with the world’s best education system and top universities are:

 1. South Korea

 Seoul National University; Image Source: http://www.yuseungkim.com/files/ui5.jpg

 2. Japan

University of Tokyo; Image Source:                                                                                         http://tmi.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/english/images/admission_img01.jpg

 3. Singapore

National University of Singapore; Image Source:                                                             http://classic.marshall.usc.edu/assets/064/14380.jpg

 4. Hong Kong

University of Hong Kong, Image Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/The_University_of_Hong_Kong.jpg

 5. Finland

University of Helsinki; http://www.european-times.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/finland_university.jpg

 6. United Kingdom

Queen Mary University of London; Image Source: http://www.qmul.ac.uk/images/undergrad/64207.jpg

 7. Canada

University of Toronto, Image Source: http://www.transitionresourceguide.ca/sites/transitionresourceguide.ca/files/img/hero/university_of_toronto.jpg

 8. Netherlands

Maastricht University; Image Source: http://www.sigmainvestments.nl/board/sbebuilding.jpg

 9. Ireland

Trinity College, Dublin; Image Source:                                                                                http://www.ifsa-butler.org/images/stories/sig/program-cities/tcd/TrinityCollegeDublin.jpg

 10. Poland

University of Warsaw; Image Source: http://www.refo500.nl/content/news/950/medium/University_of_Warsaw.jpg

Every nation requires people with passion, know how, initiative, creativity, and knowledge; people who can get along with others, who know when to listen and when to lead. These skills and abilities cannot be gained in the classroom alone; they come from ‘practical learning’–learning by doing things for real, working with experts, and combining theory with practice. Young people will learn if they see learning as important, meaningful and worthwhile.

India needs to find its place among the best in terms of education!