Rote Learning Creates Successful Engineers and Scientists?

One of many gods painted on a rock.

Chaundra in front of a temple at the top of the Fort.

This girl has aerobic talent!
She gave herself a bindi with her big toe!

Her costume is amazing!

More pretty traditional dancers.

Men dancers.

Different outfits, same girls.

This is the question we’ve been asking ourselves as we explore the education system in India. Despite the national government’s pedagogy change from rote to inquiry-based learning, the system is resisting to this change. According to Dr. Usha Vyasulu Reddi, a director of ASCI (a private “think tank” dissecting education policies and practice in India), “India is a bundle of contradictions.” This phrase isn’t new to us, but she, finally an educator in India, admits that the question (title above) that we’ve been asking, they've also been asking. It was refreshing to hear all of the issues and concerns Dr. Reddi and others had. Ironically, the issues about Indian education, U.S. education also probably had some 30-40 years ago. Educators, like Dr. Reddi, who are outside of the system are able to see their education system objectively. Some issues she brought up are:

- Core subjects taught are good, but the way they are taught needs to be revised.

- Schooling has become a “fashion statement” where families are choosing schools that have the words “concept” or “techno.”

- Access to education is mostly determined by class, poverty, lack of transportation, poor health, a need to tend to siblings so parents can work.

- There are many 1^st generation learners in schools, and most of them drop out before taking the Class 6 board exam.

- She metaphorically said that the “base of the pyramid is weak” and cannot support a strong top of the pyramid.

- Passing national board exams does not equate to understanding/learning, which leads to a mismatch between qualification and actually learning skills.

- Administrators are putting more demands on teachers and empowering them less.

Many issues she discussed mirror what’s going on in the U.S, some perhaps, to a lesser extent. This lecture was excellent. As another Fulbrighter put it, we’ve been seeing different pieces of India’s education system like a jigsaw puzzle and Dr. Reddi has put all of the pieces together so we can see the big picture, good and concerns.

We’re splitting up into 4 different groups to see 4 different schools in Hyderabad tomorrow. These trips have been the best part of this experience.

Today we got to see a 14^th century fort, a museum with collections from all over the world and got an introduction to folklore dancing from the Telugu-speaking culture (indigenous to this state of India). All were spectacular. At the end of the folk dancing performance, they made us all dance with them and sing the Star Spangled Banner followed by India’s anthem. Super fun. I also got a chance to practice yoga at a local yoga studio with a great guru. It was totally what I needed to clear my brain. There’s been so much trapped in my head that I’ve been having a hard time sleeping. Today was the first time I felt like my brain stopped analyzing! Jessica and I are going to try to make it to another class tomorrow. Namaste.