There goes the demographic dividend...
Education in India: Wall of shame | The Economist
PHOTOGRAPHS of parents scaling the walls of an exam hall to pass cheat sheets to students offer the latest evidence of India’s failing school system. The examinees in Bihar, a largely rural state, were in the matriculating class, known as class ten. A good mark might be a gateway to college and a decent job in government, computing or banking. Sadly a big decline in school standards has made this far harder to achieve, at least by fair means. Hence the lengths—or heights—to which parents will go.
A recent report on education in rural India shows how far standards have slipped in the past decade. Fewer than half of pupils in class five could properly read a text written for class two pupils. Almost a fifth in class two could not recognise single-digit numbers.
An education system that favours elitism over basic schooling is in part to blame. The OECD found that the top 5% of 15-year-olds in two Indian states performed as well as average rich-country children in reading, mathematics and science. But the rest were far behind. And there are shortcomings even in higher education. Technology firms complain that graduate recruits are not up to scratch. Only a quarter with technical degrees are considered employable, according to one industry body. The pictures from Bihar will encourage employers to be still more sceptical about Indian qualifications.
Education in India: Wall of shame | The Economist
PHOTOGRAPHS of parents scaling the walls of an exam hall to pass cheat sheets to students offer the latest evidence of India’s failing school system. The examinees in Bihar, a largely rural state, were in the matriculating class, known as class ten. A good mark might be a gateway to college and a decent job in government, computing or banking. Sadly a big decline in school standards has made this far harder to achieve, at least by fair means. Hence the lengths—or heights—to which parents will go.
A recent report on education in rural India shows how far standards have slipped in the past decade. Fewer than half of pupils in class five could properly read a text written for class two pupils. Almost a fifth in class two could not recognise single-digit numbers.
An education system that favours elitism over basic schooling is in part to blame. The OECD found that the top 5% of 15-year-olds in two Indian states performed as well as average rich-country children in reading, mathematics and science. But the rest were far behind. And there are shortcomings even in higher education. Technology firms complain that graduate recruits are not up to scratch. Only a quarter with technical degrees are considered employable, according to one industry body. The pictures from Bihar will encourage employers to be still more sceptical about Indian qualifications.
