author: Amita Valmiki
Urgency of the research. There is a strong debate going on among the academicians regarding lifting up the veil of Western or Colonial way of looking at every stream of Indian Education; be it arts, science or commerce and also other newly found and ever-growing faculties. Indians have always viewed Indian Education System with the lenses of British glasses and it is the need of the time to view it neutrally as that would suit Indian life style. The metamorphosis is urgently required and that has to come from the academicians. This issue is not just pertaining to India but all former colonies of different countries. Imperialism has left its marks so deep and completely engraved in Indian life-style that every realm of Indian life is first weighed in the weighing scale of Western World. So the urgency of the research is to decolonize or revitalize the education system and view it either with complete neutrality or as it is.
Target setting. The whole of Indian Education System need to be reconsidered and re-evaluated. India is a land of diversity where different religions, languages, dialects, races and cultures live under one of the largest democracy in the world. The umbrella is vast enough to accommodate the variety and the division of Indian states after independence from British was based on languages. These languages play a pivotal role in Indian life as it demonstrates Indian culture. The topography and the geography is so variegated that it needs a very subtle way of handling this diversity. How is this to be done? So the target setting is to install a new way of looking and analyzing the Indian Education System from its diversified states having different language and culture; and introduce new policies to enrich the education system.
Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. A thorough analysis of education system in pre-British India, during British Rule and Post-British Rule is a pre-requisite condition for decolonizing Indian Education System. Also to keep in mind that - is decolonizing in this globalized world possible? Somewhere one has to begin and it has to start with academicians and educationists; those who were there and are working at present on the issue.
The research objective. The research objective is very obvious, to find solution to the above mentioned queries. To view Indian Education System in its entirety as it is and having knowledge of the International Academics that are looking forward to bright future; frame education policies that are fitting to Indian life style with going back to the roots of Indian Education System and see if it fits to the current generation – their necessities, requirements and prosperity; to rejuvenate the Indian Education System in synthesis to International Education System. This will be more apt research objective. Also one has to find out what role does language, in case of India “English” medium, play to enrich or deteriorate the situation.
The statement of basic materials. The material is to go back to the work of the master-academicians of British Rule and Post British Rule times. Some asked for radical change in the education system, like Rabindranath Tagore; but people like M. K. Gandhi were moderate and thought of self-sufficient education system. Many other academicians till date are figuring out new educational policies either to ‘decolonize’ or ‘revitalize’ Indian Education System; this being the Indian ‘post-modern deconstruction’ of rigid and orthodox being replaced by progressive and invigorating policies; not giving up the old but ‘revitalizing’ the old in new scenario.
Conclusions. The study of master academicians’ view from India, during British rule and post-British India; their working on education system of India and trying to find befitting solution to the crisis of Indian Education System can give us some frame-work to do ‘what’ in present times and in future of India.
Keywords: decolonization, revitalization, colonial rule, colonial education system, indigenous cultures, swaraj (self-rule), nationalism, native language(s).
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