India features poorly compared to the rest of the world when it comes to our science, mathematics and computer science education. While it is a country with one of the largest graduating populations of engineers, we do not integrate any part of the subject into our school education system. The greatest contributor to our country’s GDP is the service sector, with the IT industry providing the biggest chunk of it. The honest state of passing out engineers in our country is at an all-time low. According to a report, in 2015, more than 1.5 lakh engineering graduates were found to be unemployable.
The school education system holds the key to rectifying the entire education structure and quality of graduates of the country especially in the technology and science domains. We believe there are a few critical points that need to be addressed at the earliest.
Lack of access to technology
Majority of municipal corporation schools in India still have no substantial computer infrastructure that is accessible to students. The many obstacles include lack of funds, trained teachers and people to manage the equipment.
Quality of Computer Science Education
Current high-school curriculum is mostly limited to word processors, spreadsheets and basic programming. There is a strict focus on syntax and no emphasis is laid upon the wide variety of computer interactions with the physical world.
Limited Time for Experimentation
Current teaching models lack flexibility and do not provide enough opportunity for students to experiment and harness their creativity. The idea of risk-taking, failing, looking, leaping, trying again is not encouraged.