What Beget Quality in Rural Education in India: Exploring Approaches

This paper attempts to build a theoretical argument to compare the two approaches of Elementary Education - information centric and humanity centric. In most of the rural elementary schools in India the education system is actually promoting rote learning i.e. ‘learning without understanding’. This is basically information centric approach which is observed by majority of teachers. In this approach the village children are taught various bits of information which are segregated in separate silos having no inter-linkage or any link with life. This education system by default supports ‘rurbanism’ i.e. migration of rural children to urban centres for higher education and employment. The children after going through such kind of elementary education system have to compete in a larger world of globalisation, open economy and industrialisation once they complete their formal education. The Globalisation and open market economy again limits the meaning of education. The affluence earned through such education is measured in only pecuniary terms. Thus, the basic purpose of education is defeated in information centric approach. The humanity centric approach is quite different from information centric approach. In humanity centric approach education could be designed and developed in which personal and social performance could be enhanced with autonomy given to the rural children. This enables them to use their learning’s for doing some creative and innovative entrepreneurial work in their own interest and to uplift the rural society at large. For all this people at the helm of affair need to have a strategic plan to build the capacity of teachers, strengthen monitoring and evaluation system by the participation of rural society.