Education is at two levels – school and university. In Mumbai, both the levels are at sorry state. This is the reason why there are many CBSE and ICSE schools coming up.
But if the news reports are anything to go
by, all this is about to change soon. According to a report by Forbes India, the civic administration of Mumbai is trying to bring changes by raising the quality of education that they are imparting.
The new system will focus on learning than marks, as was Rancho’s (Aamir Khan) wish in “3 Idiots”. To give an example, Hutatma Prabhakar Keluskar, a school in Kurla has been chosen. The students here are gathered in groups of 6 and they enjoy the learning. BMC is doing its best to make sure that the learning process is as enjoyable and easy as it can be.
To implement a good education system in Mumbai, the civic body set about to understand why teaching quality was not so good in Mumbai. Perhaps it has been the lack of guidance or monitoring that has led to the pitiable state of Mumbai education.
Children have their own way of dealing with such a system that is apathetic to their problems. Coaching or tuition is the keyword in such an educational environment. Coaching schools have mushroomed in every corner of the city. Is it because the children find teaching at schools inadequate or has it become a way of life with children bearing the brunt of parents’ expectations?
But if you want to know how the system works here, then you have to start at the primary level. Schools in Mumbai are run by BMC, trusts and individuals. Private schools are preferred here due to their medium of instruction that is English. Schools run by trusts and BMC prefer Marathi as the medium. The schooling continues till 10th after which, students enter Junior college, where they continue for another two years. After two years of Junior college, they go on to get a professional degree in the choice of their field at Mumbai University or any other professional college that is affiliated to Mumbai University.
As far as professional degree is concerned, the education fares better than schools. In fact, IIT Mumbai is one of the leading institutions of India. Recently, the Education Minister, Kapil Sibal said “26 new institutions are being set up across Mumbai for teaching graphics related courses”.
But the university itself is a region of chaos where there are no proper guidelines. It has been reported that a new system is expected to evolve from the next academic year and it is hoped that students will find it easier. But the fear that it will create more problems is there as most of the colleges find themselves unprepared to deal with the proposed changes. As a result, the quality of education is expected to go further downhill.
