India’s Education System – What’s the next goal?

The Indian Education System is infamous for it’s general difficulty and cut-throat competition, with JEE Mains and Advanced being a nation-wide heart ache for people pursuing a degree in engineering and NEET being the JEE equivalent for the medical stream. It is true that JEE is an examination which allows for the individual’s admission into the subcontinent’s most prestigious engineering institutions, how many of them are actually pursuing engineering rather than IIT?

The fundamental problem behind the Indian Education System is just hiding in plain sight. The Joint Entrance Exam is most commonly called the IIT Exam. People who are preparing for this examination instinctively say that “I’m preparing for IIT”. But, IIT is a college, short for ‘Indian Institute of Technology’. IIT is the most prestigious engineering institution in India and is most popularly known for its highest ranking. IIT is also known for mind blowing placement deals into fresher jobs, i.e., a high salary. People, from the beginning of their 11th grade or, the 1st year of their intermediate, are taught to aspire for IIT and is imbedded as a dream in all. This is the most common and the most disturbing example of materialism in India. For a shocking percentage of people pursuing the Bachelor’s in Technology, most of them are studying for the sake of money – not a career. This is something that was so blind sightedly implemented in India over the years, that there exists a capital of JEE-NEET coaching institutes in Rajasthan called Kota. This place has seen more suicides than any other and no one is stopping this toxic culture.

The fact is that people might be aware of this materialistic approach to college education in India, where every single individual is motivated solely by money and has no other goal or ambition in life. This shocking culture, even if recognized, is difficult to put a halt to. Since the inception of major coaching institutes like Allen, Aakash, PW, etc., people are simply jumping on the bandwagon and are refusing to seek a proper system. There needs to be change.

After recognizing this toxic cycle, it is time for change. Judging by the popularity of IIT, we must see to it that other fields have an abundance of highly esteemed colleges. Recently, Birla Institute has seen to it that there was the opening of the BITS School of Design, allowing willing hearts to pursue a degree in B. Des. Similarly it should be a combined effort with the government and private institutions that India sees a rise in successful people from all fields.

Asides from colleges, Bachelor’s of Technology or Engineering has seen a massive growth in demand solely due to the rise in it’s corresponding industry in the current market – IT. People have rightly judged that technology is the future of this world for the next several decades and it will keep progressing further. Solely due to the increase in innovations and expansions of the IT Industry, it thrives. So, it is easy for me to say that every other industry in the market must do just as well for college education to receive equal treatment but it is not easy as just using words, for obvious reasons. But, the fact is that there is a massive abundance of engineers being made in India, and along with the rise in AI, the demand for a worker in IT has significantly dropped. Employers are looking for people with industry relevant skills and provide more value than sheer labor. This change, will see to it that B. Tech’s popularity be shunned, and for young adults to pick their own path, one that they desire.