Indian Education System and How to Study in India

Indian Education System and How to Study in India

(Speech by Ambassador of India H.E. Mrs. Navrekha Sharma at State Institute for Islamic Studies of North Sumatra, Medan )

Respected Dr. H.M. Yasir Nasution,
Rector of the State Institute for Islamic Studies of North Sumatra ,
All Vice Rectors, Dean, Professors & Staff,
Dear students

Selamat Pagi !!

Good morning. I am delighted to be here this beautiful morning and I thank Dr. Yasir for inviting me and giving me this opportunity to speak to all of you on “Indian Education System and How to study in India ”.

2. From time immemorial, India has been a centre for learning. In ancient times, world famous Indian institutions such as Nalanda and Vikramshila taught Philosophy, Religion, Medicine, Literature, Drama and Arts, Astrology, Mathematics and Sociology to Indian and International Schools . Nalanda in particular had flourished from 5th to 13th century and at one time had 10,000 resident students and teachers on its rolls including Chinese, Sri Lankans, Koreans and others.

- In ancient India , the Guru Shishya Parampara was well respected in which Education was worshiped and Guru(teachers) were treated very respectfully and given position above the God.

3. During the medieval period, when India was ruled by Muslim dynasties, the Muslims also contributed to this tradition by establishing elementary and secondary schools known as "Madarsas" and colleges and even universities, in their capital cities such as Delhi , Lucknow and Aligarh . Arabic was the medium of instruction, to start with but gradually under contact with Sanskrit Arabic language evolved into a new language called Urdu, which is presently spoken by North Indian Muslims and also people of Pakistan (Muslims in South India and other parts of India speak the language of their specific States). In other words, Muslims of Kerala speak Malayalam, in Andhra Pradesh, Telugu, in Tamil Nadu, Tamil and in Karnataka, they speak Kannadiga. All these are highly developed languages ( India has 18 officially recognized languages!)

4. With the arrival of the British , English language education was introduced through European missionaries. Lord Macaulay a supporter of English language and European Education, Knowledge and culture quoted as saying that " I am quite ready to take the Oriental learning at the valuation of the Orientalists themselves. I have never found one among them who could deny that a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia ." Macaulay believed British knowledge was superior to Indian knowledge. Serving in the Supreme Council of India between 1834 and 1838 he was instrumental in adopting English as the medium of instruction in the institutions supported by the East India Company rather than Sanskrit or Arabic ..

5. Since India 's Independence in 1947, Government of India's Policy on Education has been radically expanded, modernized and opened up to use of other official languages. But English remains popular and with present Information Revolution the interest in it has been increasing in last few years.

6. In the past, education was respected by all, but open only to the upper castes and classes of Indian society. After Independence however, our Government removed all distinctions by law and also reserved a proportion of seats in Universities and High Schools for members of lower social strata. Jobs in Government were also reserved for them in proportion to their population. This farsighted policy of positive discrimination has created a well integrated society in which every section of society feels that they belong. To run a Democracy of one billion people would have been impossible if such an Education Policy had not been designed.

7. In the beginning Education was left to State Governments but in 1976 it became a joint responsibility of the State and the Centre. At the Centre the Ministry of Human Resource Development , is headed by a full-fledged Minister of Cabinet Rank with two junior Ministers or Ministers of State (MOS) to help him. They look after the Departments of Elementary Education & Literary and Secondary & Higher Education respectively. These two Departments are further sub-divided into five functional units namely:- Bureau of Elementary Education, Bureau of Adult Education, Bureau of School Education, Bureau of University & Higher Education & Minority Education and Bureau of Technical Education.

8. The Centre & State's role: The Centre and the States are jointly responsible for the formulation of education policy and planning. Under Directive Principals of the Indian Constitution. the country strives to provide free and compulsory education to all children up to 14 years of age but we are still to achieve this goal. Government of India made a commitment that by 2000, 6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will be spent on education, out of which half would be spent on Primary education . In fact, 4% of GDP is actually allocated for education in which the higher education's share is only 0.7%.

9. All levels of education, from primary to higher education, are overseen by Department of Higher Education (India) and Department of School Education and Literacy , and are heavily subsidized by the Indian Government. Some 390,6565 teachers are employed by Government of India in 781,305 primary schools ( Data: UNICEF, 2005). Every year 2.5 million graduates are produced in India . Since this costs a lot, Government is under pressure to withdraw subsidies and raise the fees. Indian Government is also considering 100% foreign direct investment in Higher Education at some future date.

10. UGC: The University Grants Commission of India established in 1956, is a Central Government body through which funds for Government-recognized universities and colleges are channelised. It also confers recognition to Universities in India and conducts exams for the appointment of teachers in colleges and universities. Institutions such as All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Distance Education Council (DEC), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Bar Council of India (BCI) and Medical Council of India (MCI), among others have been established under the UGC.

11. Higher Education in India is organized through Government and Private Universities and technical and professional Institutes. There are 369 Universities and 18,064 general colleges, 438 Engineering Colleges and Technological institutes and more than a 100 Medical Colleges run by Government of India. In addition there are thousands of Private Colleges , Business Schools and Institutes of Engineering. Scores of Agricultural institutes and many other specialized centers of learning and research in every subject and discipline also exist in India . India can claim to be one of the leading countries providing quality higher education to its people as well as to students and scholars from countries all over the world. However present facilities for higher studies and research are not adequate and it is projected that there will be a shortage of technical manpower in 2010. In view of the quality of higher education in India , more and more international students have been coming to our Universities for studies. Although competition is tough especially in the best known IITs and IIMs, once they make the grade students from developing countries feel a great sense of belonging and interact confidently with Indian students, with whom they share many social and cultural values.

12 Seven existing Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have become world famous for producing top class engineers and technical graduates. Equally famous are our doctors from All India Institute of Medical Science(AIIMS) . On our Independence Day on August 15 last month, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced setting up of 370 new colleges in rural and less developed districts: also 30 new Universities, five new Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research and eight new IITs.

C. Expenditure:

13. In contrast to the expensive university and higher education offered in developed countries, higher education in India is affordable. Sometimes it is cheaper than study in Indonesia itself!! For example for a BA or B.Sc. degree in India a foreign students needs to spend US $ 2000-3000(depending on the University) whereas in Australia 's Melbourne University it costs US $ 30,000 annually. In University of Indonesia it costs US $. 5000-6000. (Costs may be seen in EdCIL web site www.edcilindia.org)

14. Under-graduate courses: A bachelor's degree in Science, Arts and Commerce take three years of study, but in vocational/professional courses in subjects like pharmacy, dentistry, architecture, medicine and technology/engineering it takes longer, i.e. from four to five and half years. For admission to undergraduate courses, the minimum qualification is high school education equivalent to Indonesia 's, SMU (Sekolah Menengah Umum) Candidates from abroad are expected to obtain 60- 70% marks in their qualifying examination for admission to courses in Science, Arts and Commerce. For foreign students there is no entrance test beyond their high school scores.

15. Post-graduate courses : Master's degree is normally of two years duration. It could either be course or research based. At the postgraduate level, admission is restricted so only the better students should apply. Some universities have started their own tests for admission to postgraduate classes.

16. PhD: Students are admitted to Ph.D courses if they are able to fulfill the eligibility criteria regarding their research competence and genuine interest in the subject of study. The admission is approved by the Board of Studies and in some cases on the recommendation of a Research Degree Committee of the concerned University.

17. The academic year usually begins in June or July and ends in March or April after annual examinations. In most Uiversities the medium of instruction is English. A list of Uversities/Institutes which offer seats to foreign students/Non-resident Indian (NRI) students is available on demand from the Consulate General of India, Medan .

18. For medical – (both Allopathic and Traditional System of Medicine), engineering and pharmacy courses , you need to apply to the Ministry of External Affairs, Student Cell, New Delhi through the Indian Embassy in Jakarta for nomination. Directions for application can be obtained from Mrs. Anju Ranjan, Second Secretary (Education) – Tel: 5255363, Fax: 5204160. E-mail: eoiisi@indo.net.id.

D. DISTANCE EDUCATION IN INDIA

19. Students can pursue education in India under Distance Education Scheme through 3 Universities in India , viz. Indira Gandhi Open University, Osmania University and Jawaharlal Nehru University. Interested students can apply after checking the websites of these Universities.

E. Scholarships by Indian Government to Indonesia :

20. Training under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme and Colombo Plan: Since 1964, under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme and Technicen Cooperation Scheme of Colombo Plan of the Government of India, Government officials and nominees of developing countries are given training in various courses. The training is provided mainly in Government and a few Private institutions specializing in rural development, mass communications, small scale industries, banking, computer technology, management and various other fields. The training is conducted in English Language and all expenses including international travel costs and living expenses are borne by the Government of India. A detailed list of training courses under ITEC is available on our website.

21 . General Cultural Scholarship Scheme ( GCSS): Government of India, through the General Cultural Scholarship Scheme (GCSS) administered by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), grants 20 scholarships for Indonesian students every year in the fields of Arts, Architecture, Literature, Commerce and Science and degree courses in Engineering, Pharmacy and Agriculture. The scholarships are also extended for doctoral and post doctoral courses. Interested and eligible candidates may download the Application Form from Indian embassy website ( www.embassyofindiajakarta.org ).The last date for receiving application forms duly completed in all respects in 6 (six) copies, along with all supporting documents, is in last week of Ja nuary. Candidates will be required to appear in a test in the English language which is conducted in the Embassy/Consulate in Medan during second week of February every year. Candidates applying from Sumatera may send their applications to:

Mr. M.L. Chhabra
Consul General
CONSULATE GENERAL OF INDIA – MEDAN
19, Jl. Uskup Agung A. Sugiopranoto
Medan 20152, Sumatera Utara
Ph. 061-4531308, 4556452

22. Dear friends, Khalil Gibran, the famous Poet once compared an education system and society to a strong bow and a sharp arrow. The strongest bow would send the furthest arrow. That means a well focused education system will lead to a highly enlightened society and hence a developed and successful Nation. The 11 th line of Indonesia 's National Anthem says, “Bangunlah Jiwanya, Bangunlah Badannya”. This means build the Soul and build the Body of the Nation. Your founding fathers Soekarno, Sutan Shahrir, Hatta and ours such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad were very clear in their mind about need for strong educational system as the foundation of a free, equitable and prosperous Nation. Education brings confidence to the individual and to a Nation, clarifies judgement and provides the moral guide to action. It is a necessary condition for individual creativity, happiness and success. A few days ago in discussion with University of Indonesia Professor, Makmur Keliat, I was shocked to discover that a newly opened course in Political Studies of South Asia was closed because there were no students interested to enroll. Money and Media usually push students into study of developed countries. Now Chinese Studies are becoming popular. But Indian Studies are not popular, only Indian films! Why? In today's globalized world knowledge is also power: so many of multi-millionaires today are between ages of 25-35 years who started life with no money but only big dream. They were able to realize their goals not through inheritance but through a sound education. In India we offer you the opportunity to acquire an education of good quality at an affordable price. Indonesia is an old friend of India and after SBY's visit in 2005 a Strategic Partner as well. I hope that at least some of you will take up this offer and study on India one day. My Embassy in Jakarta and CGI, Medan will be very happy to facilitate your plans.

Terima Kasih