Law and You > Constitutional Law > Commercialization of Education
Education refers to the process of teaching and developing knowledge. Education is also visualized as an evolutionary force so that each individual is enabled to evolve from purely material consciousness. Education is also perceived as a bridge between the past, present and the future and as means by which the best of the heritage is transmitted to the new generation for its further progression. India has the world’s oldest and largest education system. Its antiquity and diversity are reflected in the roots of cultural norms and institutions that go back to a distant and venerable past. Now a days the rapid development of information and communication technology has transformed the whole world into a global village with a global economy. Which makes our education more commercial and private. In this article, we shall discuss commercialization of education in India.
Defining Education:
Aristotle – Education is the process of training man to fulfill his aim by exercising all the faculties to the fullest extent as a member of society.
M.J. Langeveld – Education is every interaction that happens is every association that occurs between adults with children is a field or a state where the educational work in progress.
Socrates– Education means the bringing out of the ideas of universal validity which are latent in the mind of every man.
John Dewey (1978)– Education is all one with growing; it has no end beyond itself. (Education is everything along with growth; education itself has no final destination behind him).
H.H Horne- In the broadest sense, education is the device by which a social group continued existence renew yourself, and defend his ideas.
What is Commercialization?
Commercialization is a term that is frequently used when something is brought to the mass market or moved from the public to the private sector. Commercialization has a significant role in sustaining the economy of a country. A great example is the healthcare system. Healthcare commercialization is a common issue, as private entities largely run healthcare for financial gain instead of it being provided by the government.
Commercialization of Education:
The commercialization of education has been fairly a recent trend in India that stems from the educational reform in the country over the last two decades. It mainly materializes itself in mushrooming private schools, public schools and private universities and at the high education level. In a sense; it has added a financial element to the qualification of attending private schools and public and private universities.
Causes of Commercialization of Education in India:
Due to globalization, India faces a high level of competition in the education sector on a global level. Another reason for the commercialization of education in India is the rise in the number of private educational institutions with the increase in population. The number of students pursuing secondary education in India is drastically increasing every year thus this leads to a good opportunity for educational institutions with the agenda of profit-making.
Advantages of Commercialization of Education:
Rise in Employment:
Commercialization of education provides employment opportunity. Many private institutions offer various job-oriented degrees, diplomas, certificate courses, which help the students to engage in job. Commercialization of education has produced employable youths at a very rapid rate that were soon engaged in nation-building work. Teachers, lectures also get employed in foreign countries. The vocational training, various professional and skill development courses etc. help the student to get a knowledge about different trades, and provide opportunity to develop their working skill. Thus, the commercialization of education reduces the unemployment problem of the country.
Economic Development:
Commercialization of education helps in the process of economic development. A good system of education is a must for all round economic development. A nation develops when the development of its human resources runs parallel to the development of its economic resources. Commercialization in education increases the rate of literacy, Gross Domestic Product, Gross national Income, per capital income, provide the job opportunity etc. Education for economic development basically deals with generating human resources for briefly about improvement and economic well-being and quality of life. It equips the human resources with necessary knowledge, skill, attitude and values in accordance with the demand of the economy.
Quality of Education:
The concept of quality education is broader term which indicates the quality of the learner, quality of the learning environment, quality content, quality teachers, quality process and quality outcomes. A person who gets good education will become a more dependable worker, better citizen and strong consumer. The commercialization institution provides good learning environment, good infrastructure facility, good teachers etc. For achieving quality education.
Personality Development:
For the personality development of the students, the private institutions provide moral education which included the development commercialization skill, soft skill, how to maintain their physical health, to how face interview, how to with entrance examination how to adjust with the society etc. In the school syllabus the subject of moral science is included. This is helpful in increasing confidence of student, which is important for the students in the entire life and improve their status.
Social Development:
Social development is the basis of the development of any nation. Private educational institutions give more importance to the social development of their students. They provide the knowledge of the various cultures, social values, secularism, etc. Thus, the child develops the innate social qualities including socialization, social interaction, participate in the programs, etc. Thus, commercialization of education increases the rate of social development.
Facing the Global Challenges:
There are certain and new global challenges faced by current generation. They include modernization, industrialization, privatization, globalization, information and communication Technology, Emergence of International knowledge Network, Role of English language etc. Private institutes help students in acquiring this knowledge.
Disadvantages of Commercialization of Education:
More Emphasis on Marks:
The commercialization of education leads to more emphasis on marks. Almost every parent dream of their child becoming a topper in class. And every student focuses his or her attention on getting more marks. This is not their fault and neither of their parents. The education ecosystem in India does not permit them to think beyond this fact. Sometimes, without trying to grasp the concepts, students simply mug up their lessons. It helps them to get more marks, but does not ensure depth of knowledge. There is unnecessary over-insistence on commercial and vocational studies.
Growth of Incompetent Institutes:
Commercialization increases profit motive. Due to this many institute mushrooms to cater education. In old days it was very difficult to get admission in Engineering, Medical, or Management institutes. Now, every tom and harry can easily get admission in an engineering or medical college. some colleges are housed in small apartment buildings or shops in marketplaces. Such colleges often lack regular classes, employ underqualified teachers, and provide outdated curriculums with no practical experience or job placements. Indian Education Industry is expected to grow from $117 billion to $225 billion by 2025, concerns have been raised about the compromised quality of education due to the emergence of several private colleges that produce incompetent graduates every year.
Profit Oriented:
Profit is aim of every commercialization, naturally, commercialization of education always give emphasis on profit making education as a business. The main objective of private entities is to mint money in every angle they could possibly do. Institutes insist that students should buy all required material, books, uniforms, from school or from specified vendors. From these sources they earn money from the students only for their benefit. Similarly, when demand for their services rises, they open in new locations, buy-out less successful competitors, and expand existing sites.
Costly Education:
Nowadays, the first criteria for the parents to choose the educational institution is not the quality standards, but the fees they have to pay. In the private institutions the admission fees, monthly fees, development fees, semester fees etc. are very high. From primary education to post-graduate degrees, parents are combating to fulfill the financial needs for their children’s education. Apart from tuition fees, there are a lot of other expenses also to be incurred by parents. Books, stationary, projects, coaching classes, etc are also accounted as the cost of education which is not included in tuition fees. Also, if the child lives in any other city, away from their home, then the costs increase – traveling, accommodation, food, other miscellaneous expenses. From the commercialization point of view the students are the consumer, education is the things and the educational institutions are the shop.
Deterioration in Educational value:
The education value provided to students has fallen tremendously owing to the commercialization of education in India. With schools and colleges focusing mostly on churning out students; keeping a closed eye on the quality of students. Privatized education systems cover the curriculum just for the sake of it. They fail to build concepts and their applications in the real world. Students do not analyse what they have learnt, but try to simply mug it up, relying solely on rote learning. This reduces the critical or analytical thinking ability of students. They are not able to view a matter from different perspectives. Reasoning and spatial ability is also very low among students. So, they are not able to think out of the box. They are more theoretical in their approach rather than providing practical solutions. This creates just a group of students who have memorized a few lines from the book without knowing the meaning of the lines.
Growth of Unemployment:
One of the major negative impacts of commercialization of education is unemployment. A lot of students are awarded degrees every year in private institutes. But in the market, there is not enough space for them. Students lack the decision-making ability. Today, students lack in applying their minds to what they study, although every job in every field requires a high level of application of one’s mind. If a student cannot make the right application of their concept, chances of getting a good job get reduced to a great extent.
Degree is on Sale: The worst negative impact of commercialization of education is that now the degree is on selling track – one who has money and channels can purchase degree even the doctorate degree.
Over-burdening of Teachers:
The impact of commercialization on education also related with the over burden of the teachers. In the private institutions, teachers were bound to do the activities provided by the authority. They are busy to take the class, examination, remedial class, tutorial class, to check the examination papers etc. But the institutes provide less salary and perks to the teachers.
Materialistic outlook
The commercialization of education has led to students developing a materialistic outlook. The students then tend to develop a selfish attitude rather than focussing on the development of the country. This type of education not help the student to develop the democratized attitude towards the people, towards the society and the nations.
Control of Commercialization of Education:
- Making the learning process interactive. This is possible by promoting online learning programs
- Increasing the number of real-life application projects in the curriculum
- Enhancing application-oriented case studies to improve analytical thought process of candidates
- Adding extra-curricular activities to build confidence, along with gaining experience to face different situations in life
- Students picked randomly from schools should be made to sit in exams conducted by the government to ensure that the right quality of education is being imparted.
- A strict check on the fee structure in private institutes
- A clear and definite policy on change of fee structure by private institutes
- The hiring of teachers should be made process-oriented with the government setting up clear guidelines for institutes to follow.
- The government should bring in a structure where all colleges are tested with the same question paper. This will lead to a uniform evaluation of students bringing in more accountability.
Conclusion:
The development of any nation depends mainly on the standards of its educational system. Education is the most powerful and effective instrument for including radical changes in the behaviour of students. It is a powerful instrument of nation’s social economic and cultural development. The role of privatization is important to expand education qualitative as well as quantitatively. Here state and central government encourage the privatization of education to achieve economic development. The suggestions given in the study may be implemented to improve the quality of education provided though privatization and remove its negative impact on education and society.