West Bengal was once a hub of education. It was the place where some of the first universities and colleges of the country was opened. Be it the Calcutta University in 1857, Kalyani University in 1960, Serampore College in 1818, Sanskrit College in 1824, La Martiniere Calcutta in 1836 or the technical colleges and universities like Calcutta Medical College in 1835 and Bengal Engineering College in 1921, Bengal has always been the flagbearer in the education system. Not only this, it had given nation’s first homoeopathy college in 1880. The list is long.
Apart from the colleges and institutions, West Bengal, earlier Bengal had produced some of the best and famous scholars, surgeons, doctors, laurates, poets, scientists and many more. Even post-Independence the state remained in the forefront of country’s education. The reason being the contribution of professors and teachers in ensuring quality, standard of education. Despite being so bountiful in education resources, the students in Bengal lag behind. The status quo stands at only few of the young minds are able to crack some of the prestigious national level competitions like UPSC, IIT-JEE, AIIMS. It is a matter of great concern as a place from where Subhas Chandra Bose, Satyendranath Tagore successfully cracked Indian Civil Services and were the toppers, cannot give enough candidates in free India.
Education System Plays a Crucial Role
It is important to understand that despite having the same colleges, institutions, and universities, the students from Bengal fail miserably at national level. According to the experts, there are plenty of reasons involved. One of the most important is the education policy. The structure of the state’s education has made the students remain confined within the boundaries. The state has been witnessing a continuous downfall in the economic development. As a result, people are remaining poorer. There is a lack of awareness. There are no teachers in the schools at panchayet and village level. Those who are present do not know what to teach. Lack of development means no fund and as such schools/colleges do not get funding for infrastructure.
The matter of fact is that when the foundation of a student is not proper, he/she cannot proceed further. There is a need to upscale the education system and structure in West Bengal.
Corruption is in the Air
The seeds of corruption were sowed in the land of Bengal since Independence. What it is reaping is what it had sowed in the last 73 years. Corruption has become a part of the education system in Bengal. The government has two different classes of teachers- permanent and temporary. Permanent teachers do not focus or stress on teaching as they understand their job is safe. On the other hand, the temporary teachers are hired on small payment along with a hope that they will be made permanent. The government has taken this initiative because it has no fund to pay the teachers. So, hiring the teachers at 25% of what the permanent ones get ensure a vote bank for the future.
When teachers do not teach, then the students are also least bothered. Students along with their friends and parents are seen helping them pass the examinations by adopting unfair means. During the examinations, students are seen in groups outside photocopy shops for micro photostat which can be used in the examination halls and at venues bathrooms. There is no inspection because the authority in-charge knows the loopholes.
Politics has Paralysed the Reforms
Student politics is a good thing but up to a certain level. The reputed institutions and colleges are facing a continuous down gradation because of the student’s politics. Organisations like NSUI, SFI, DYSO, TMCP have always been the roadblock of any centrally sponsored policy. The interest has always been to play with the future of the students in Bengal.
West Bengal & NEP
It is utter shame to see that despite the worst education system and performance, that state’s education minister Partha Chatterjee says- “There is no question of implementing NEP in the state for the time being” citing the reason that Bengali, as a language does not figure in the list of classical languages in this new education policy. The minister also stated that NEP lacks clarity.
However, as a matter of fact, Under the new policy, the 10+2 school education structure will be replaced with a 5+3+3+4 structure for age groups between three and eight, 11 and 14, 14 and 18 years.The first five years in school will be the foundation stage. The next three years will make up the preparatory stage (Classes 3 to 5). Classes 6 to 8 will be the middle stage and 9 to 12 will be the secondary stage. Students will be allowed to take up courses across disciplines.
The structuring of NEP has been to focus on promotion of multilingualism, with the medium of instruction till at least Class 5, but preferably till Class 8 and over the local language or mother tongue. The policy also makes availability of textbooks in regional languages a top priority.
West Bengal Needs to Rethink Tomorrow
Britishers said- what India thinks tomorrow, Bengal thinks today. But, as of now, it has completely been reversed and there is an utter need of the entire masses or people of Bengal to think where they stand as compared to the other states. Education makes a society and if there is no proper education, a society cannot be formed.