
India has a long history of organized education. The Gurukul
system of education is one of the oldest on earth but before that the guru
shishya system was extant, in which students were taught orally and the data would
be passed from one generation to the next. Gurukuls were traditional Hindu
residential school of learning; typically, the teacher's house or a monastery.
Education under the system was free and often limited to the higher castes, but
students from well-to-do families paid Gurudakshina, a voluntary contribution
after the completion of theirs studies. At the Gurukuls, the teacher imparted
knowledge of Religion, Scriptures, Philosophy, Literature, Warfare, Statecraft,
Mathematics, Medicine, Astrology and History. Only students belonging to
Brahmin and Kshatriya communities were taught in these Gurukuls. However, the
advent of Buddhism and Jainism brought fundamental changes in access to
education with their democratic character. The first millennium and the few centuries
preceding it saw the flourishing of higher education at Nalanda, Takshashila
University,Ujjain, & Vikramshila Universities.
British records show that education was widespread in
the18th century, with a school for every temple, mosque or village in most
regions of the country. The subjects taught included Reading, Writing,
Arithmetic, Theology, Law, Astronomy, Metaphysics, Ethics, Medical Science and
Religion. The ancient system of learning didn’t follow any prescribed
curriculum, thus allowed the students with freedom to pursue subjects of their interest
and aptitude. Rigorous training under supervision of an expert Guru led to
nurturing of skilled craftsman. The limitations imposed on social mobility due to
rigid caste system, however draconian it may sound, but allowed for or even
nurtured experimentation & research in the avocation, while at the same time
helped in formulation of an approach where the community imparted training
is incentive system in the society. One probable outcome of the system was that
the Ancient India was one of the foremost civilizations with its Craft in demand
far & wide. Its Architecture, Legal, Political & Socio-cultural system
was revered in other civilizations like Mesopotamia, Chinese &Egyptian
Civilization.
But scholars have questioned & challenged the proponent
of the above theory on following grounds. The village “pathshalas” were often
housed in shabby dwelling sand taught by ill-qualified teachers. Instruction was
limited mainly to the three R’s(Rote, Religion, Rituals) and the native mahajani
/zamindari accounts. Printed books were not used, and most writing was done on
palm leaf, plantain leaf, or on sand. There was no fixed class routine,
timetable, or school calendar. There was no annual examination, pupils being
promoted whenever the guru was satisfied of the scholar's attainments. There
were no desks, benches,blackboards, or fixed seating arrangements. The Ancient
education system has further been criticized as elitist
system tailored to the needs of Brahmin boys who were taught to read & write
by a Brahmin teacher. The entire social &educational system was designed to
catapult Brahmins to the pinnacle of the system and ensure their dominance. Thus,
the system failed to deliver upon one of the main delivery requirements of an education
system i.e. identifying natural aptitude of the student & honing them into
marketable skills & matured intellect.An effective system should result in
social mobility since students are free top ursue their interests, which the
ancient system failed to provide.
During the period of invasion, the systems were disrupted.
Advent of new religions, such as Buddhism, Jainism etc. led to further
alienation of the lower strata from the ancient social &educational system.
The Brahmins lost their status & position at the pinnacle of the society as
well as the incentives that accrued to them. The development of Mathematics,
Science, Literature etc. which were pursued by Brahmins suffered as a result
and India ceded its status of the foremost nation in the comity of nations. By
the time, Mughals invaded & took over India, the Education system had
declined fairly from its past glorious phase. Indian had no knowledge of the
latest techniques in warfare like usage of gun-powder & usage of guns
(Topkhana). Over a long period, there was no university system existing in the
country or organized education system, for that matter. The university system
regenerated only when the British restarted the system of Education which is
prevalent today as modern Education system.
Even though India’s ancient education system “Guru-Shishya
Parampara” has declined but it can still be seen in action in certain sectors.
It dominates segments like Spiritual Education, yoga/physical & mental
training & relaxation, traditional song (Sangeet), music (instruments training)
& dance (Nritya)education, In the traditional song, music & dance
space, though India’s formal education sector has tried to make deep in-roads,
we have university awarding degrees & even doctorate research, however people
have continued to prefer“Guru-Shishya model” where one teacher continues to
work diligently over the student throughout his/her education period &
imparts him with skills, within formation on how to approach the art to develop
further & identify opportunities in the life. We also have the system of
“Ustad” in various trades like auto mechanic, barber, tailoring, metal work etc.
who recruit young pupils to train them for these ‘Life” skills.
The poor in rural as well as urban areas prefer their
children to be trained by these “Ustad” over the formal education
system primarily because of ‘costs’ but also because they see little value in
the formal system to be able to impart life or earning skills. The elite in
India scoff at the system as they see it as ‘exploitation” of the child who is
made to work on the‘shop floor’ during the process. The system though
struggling with the ‘jeers’ that the teachers and elite throw at it (although
formal education has no solution for the students of this segment), however
‘Ustad’ system has now also got to deal with ‘free mid-day meal’ scheme of the government
of India for the
primary education sector which
is able to wean away the student due to the ‘incentive’ of meal. However, it has
survived and continues to “skill” India with its offering (ills of the system
notwithstanding). Careful thought must go to about this segment before deciding
about reforms. We may want to develop a strategy to reform this piece of reform
the informal education system to rid it of its ills, rather than reform the education
system to rid it from the “Guru-shishyaor Ustad” system.