In this blog, we have covered latest group discussion or GD Topics on education in India for 2018.
- Should the practice of Yoga be made compulsory in schools?
- Increasing the number of Engineering Colleges is a welcome step.
- Does dress code really matter at educational institutions?
- Compulsory attendance is a must in Indian schools and colleges.
- How safe are our kids in Indian schools?
- Govt. should divert more funds towards primary education. Yes or no?
- Politicians can control government school dropout crisis
- Should Government intervention in Indian education system be allowed?
- Mobile phones should not be allowed in Indian schools/colleges.
Access the complete list of group discussion topics for 2018 here.
Should the practice of Yoga be made compulsory in schools?
For: Yes. Daily yoga class will be a welcome break for children from their hectic school schedule and lifestyle. It will inculcate the habit of meditating and exercising regularly, which in turn will help them maintain a correct posture, improve blood circulation, promote overall growth and stay active. Besides, yoga does not require expensive equipment and apparatus, making it cost effective and easy to implement for educational institutions. Also, there are many qualified yoga trainers who can grab this employment opportunity.
Against: No. Yoga can be offered as an optional subject and should not be imposed. Children are already over-burdened with studies, busy schedules and a hectic lifestyle. Well trained yoga instructors are rare. Moreover, improper yoga taught by callous trainers may cause injuries. Apart from adequate training, lack of manpower and funding is also a major issue in this regard.
Increasing the number of Engineering Colleges is a welcome step.
For: Yes. More engineering colleges automatically mean more opportunities for students. This reduces the monopoly of a handful few colleges as students from all sections of the society are able to chase their dreams due to plenty of seats and scholarships. Aspiring candidates get a better platform, a better degree and a better future from these engineering colleges which offer both conventional (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical etc.) and unconventional branches (Biotechnology, Environmental Engineering, Mining, Marine etc.). Moreover, a Ph.D. student in science gets a lesser stipend than a Ph.D. student in engineering!
Against: No. A recent survey conducted by The Economic Times revealed that 20-33% out of the 1.5 million engineering graduates passing out every year run the risk of not getting a job! Producing more engineering graduates will not guarantee the quality of Engineers India needs today. Except some IITs, NITs, BITS Pilani, and a few other private colleges, none of the engineering colleges of India are producing quality engineers.
Does dress code really matter at educational institutions?
For: Yes. It brings about homogeneity, inculcates unity, saves precious time in the morning and eliminates discrimination. Besides, it is unethical to attend college/school in expensive clothes.
Against: No. School going children are forced to wear uniform for 14 straight years in India, which is unfair already. If colleges too impose the same rule, Indian youngsters will not be able to develop a sense of what to wear and where to wear. Besides, college is a place to express individuality, hence dress code rules should not matter here.
Compulsory attendance is a must in Indian schools and colleges.
For: Yes. It is a matter of basic discipline. In an educational institution, students must attend their respective classes. Additionally, compulsory attendance encourages class participation and boosts a sense of community within a classroom. Mandatory attendance inculcates discipline that ultimately helps every student in their professional as well as personal lives.
Against: No. Top universities such as JNU, run classes to full capacity and more, yet attendance is not a mandate till date! It should be left to the student whether s/he wants to attend a class or not. Besides, students always prepare for their exams on their own. So, instead of making attendance compulsory, educational institutions must focus on the quality of education being imparted.
How safe are our kids in Indian schools?
For: Safety is a top concern at the educational bodies in India. The onus for safety and security of children in school campuses solely lies upon school authorities. To ensure the same, safety audits are conducted regularly at schools by inspection bodies. CBSE has recently released a fresh set of security-related guidelines which are being implemented mandatorily across schools in India, failing which they risk disaffiliation/derecognition. As per this guideline document, police verification of every staff member is a must, followed by psychometric evaluation, and regular parent-teacher meetings to address the basic safety needs of students.
Against: According to CBSE, it is a fundamental right of a child to engage and study in an environment where he/she feels safe and is free from any form of physical/emotional abuse or harassment. Unfortunately, the killing of a seven-year-old student in a Gurgaon school, the rape of a five-year-old toddler by a school peon in Delhi and several other such cases in the recent times, state otherwise. Children in India today are not safe as their schools are failing them miserably. Parents take a huge leap of faith, when they send their children to school every morning! There are many scary loopholes that our ‘posh’ schools are not monitoring. These so-called institutions are carrying out a money-minting lucrative business out in the open, which is not at all acceptable. Children are not safe in such ‘business houses’.
Govt. should divert more funds towards primary education. Yes or no?
For: Yes. The Government should wake up to reality. Instead of pouring funds into big institutes, which churn out graduates who happily leave our country to earn more money overseas, Govt. should address the dismal public schooling system of India. Important innovations and reforms should be immediately implemented so that every Indian child gets a chance to learn. Techniques to impart effective learning of English language are required, for which the Govt. should train hand-picked teachers and lecturers. Further biometric attendance for school teachers must be made compulsory to monitor the way things are working on a day-to-day basis at these schools.
Against: No. There is no need to allocate more funds. It will only pave way for more corruption and money laundering, like the mid-day meal scheme corruption, across rural Indian schools. Honestly, there is a severe lack of monitoring in the Indian primary school system. Until and unless the existing system is not regulated properly, the primary education system will not yield expected results. Non-government organizations, media, non-political leaders of India and celebrities should step forward and take up this noble cause to encourage attendance, reduce absence from classes and curb corruption.
Politicians can control government school dropout crisis
For: Yes. The Government can control dropout crisis in Indian schools and is already helping dropouts get back to school. Recently Smriti Irani launched ‘Vidyanjali’, under the overall aegis of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. This initiative involves volunteers to strengthen co-scholastic activities of schools, enhance the community involvement in Government run elementary schools and effectively engage children in reading, creative writing, public speaking etc. The Govt also has an 'Ishan Vikas’ programme to spot students in standards 9 and 11, who have the caliber to become researchers and scientists. These students attend orientation programs in IITs and IIMs every year.
Against: No. Politicians are all talk and no action. As common people, we have to intervene. If we can’t afford monetary help, we can always provide career guidance to the underprivileged children. As per UNESCO, 47 million students in India drop out of schools every year to help their families as daily-wage labourers. What if these students had finished graduation? Don’t you think they would have had a better career? I don’t urge anybody to donate money, as the government has a lot of stashed cash and ‘executable plans’. But I would like to ask educated people like you to nurture an environment where people with lower incomes can be motivated towards their children’s education.
Should Government intervention in Indian education system be allowed?
For: Yes. Since independence, our government has taken many crucial steps and is still striving hard, to make education easily accessible to all. It is the government schools, not the private ones, that have been able to increase the literacy rates particularly in rural area. Clearly, our government has a distinct role to play in funding and promoting education. Yet it’s a matter of great concern that the Central government’s expenditure on school education in recent years has come to just around 3% of the country’s GDP, which is very low and needs more government intervention.
Against: No. Education imparted to the citizens should be impartial and free of government intervention. Due to the control exercised by the Govt. of India on education, today 4% of Indian children never start school, 58% don’t complete primary school and 90% drop out of high school! This is a matter of serious concern. The good news is that due to more participation of the private sector in education, Higher Education sector in India has witnessed rapid growth. Universities have grown 34 times from 20 in 1950 to 677 in 2014, including 185 state private universities and 129 deemed to be universities. Hence, the government should remain just a facilitator and leave education to the academicians.
Mobile phones should not be allowed in Indian schools/colleges.
For: Yes. Research has proved that schools/colleges that ban mobile phones witness better academic results, compared to the ones that don’t. Atleast, limited use of mobile devices can produce improvements in scores, with the low-achieving and low-income students gaining twice as much as the average ones. Moreover, students need to get their act together in class and pay full attention to the teacher. Wasting time on a phone distracts the teachers and also other students.
Against: No. Mobiles phone is a technological advancement that has been designed to increase the productivity of every human. Besides, most schools today use modern technology to engage students for improved performance. With a mobile phone/tablet, a student can carry out research at school, and easily connect with teachers/peers from home in order to discuss studies. It is also a great tracking device ensuring a child’s safety when s/he is away from parents. Mobiles do cause distraction, but the advantages of this gadget outnumber every other drawback.
Hope you liked our collection of GD Topics on education in India. Please leave your comments/suggestions below.
