A Tale of Two Systems – British and Indian Schooling

By Aleeza Ahmed 

Take a seat in a sixth-grade classroom with 25 students, arranged in groups of four, brainstorming methods to reduce energy consumption in homes. One student suggests ‘glow-in-the-dark walls‘ that work similarly to glow-in-the-dark stars, to be used in the patio to eliminate the need for outdoor lighting. Another suggests installing a kitchen water filter that filters the 70 liters of weekly kitchen wastewater to irrigate plants in the garden. Students build on each other’s ideas, problem-solve, and encourage one another to think outside the box. Their teachers mentor them and encourage them to keep a broad vision by thinking like architects or urban planners.

Now, consider a sixth-grade Indian classroom, where more than 50 students sit in orderly rows, facing the teacher. There are 15 questions to be completed in 30 minutes. The focus on ‘energy’ in Physics involves memorizing five new formulas with textbook examples. Here, the emphasis is on absorbing theoretical information and rote learning. Overloaded with syllabus content, the stressed teacher tells the students to focus on the conservation of energy formula as it often appears in exams: “It’s also necessary for all JEE aspirants,” emphasizes the teacher, creating somewhat of a tunnel vision for the students.

As a student of both classrooms, this stark contrast highlights the divergent approaches to education and raises important questions about the future of learning and schooling.

Both educational systems have their success stories, with teachers striving to promise bright futures for their students. In India, success in competitive college and civil service entrance exams often relies on memorization skills. While these exams are rigorous,they only partially prepare students for real-world challenges. Many candidates who pass the written exams struggle with interviews that test their practical knowledge and critical thinking. Students who don’t succeed in the tight competition then have to pursue college degrees that often continue the rote learning approach, making it difficult to thrive in a world increasingly driven by innovation and entrepreneurship. Skills are rarely emphasized, highlighting the need for an educational shift to better equip students for the future.

The current state of the Indian education system often attributes its shortcomings to a lack of resources. While this excuse may be valid for rural areas, it is inadequate for the rapidly developing parts of the world’s most populous country. In rural areas, the education system is arguably a social welfare project, with incentives like the ‘midday meal’ scheme, raising questions about the employability and quality of learning. Concerns have been raised about whether the education and support provided are suitable for first-generation literates. Though it can be argued that category reservations are a measure to address this, there is concern about whether the system allows schooling to be an agent of change for many people’s futures. This raises the question of whether education is merely about memorization-heavy tests, implying that those with stronger memory skills are afforded greater educational opportunities.

In metropolitan cities and developing towns, the system’s strategy of rote learning and its exam-centered approach, regardless of whether it includes smart boards or not, comes across as outdated and inadequate. Viewing the educational landscape as dynamic is something numerous British institutions have done. Though on a different scale, the need for education to be customized is recognized; children are divided into different sets (sections) based on baseline assessments and then grouped by academic performance. This aims to provide extra support and targeted attention to students who may not have a strong foundation while allowing others to progress without being held back. This system, however, has received criticism for impacting students’ self-esteem and future prospects.

The lack of a holistic educational environment in the Indian system has been acknowledged by the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), which is aimed at addressing these shortcomings but has faltered in execution. One of the changes is the shift of exams to regular and formative assessments, but without changes in the syllabus and teaching strategies, these efforts are futile. Additionally, the curriculum remains content-heavy and overly technical, not designed to match students’ age, understanding, literacy background, access to resources, and exposure, leading to an overwhelming experience for learners. Many teachers, being products of the same flawed system, are not adequately trained to implement the necessary changes. The NEP hasn’t provided teachers with intensive expert training, resulting in somewhat of a clash between the culture of the current teaching in schools and the culture the NEP aspires to set.

The impact of the systems goes beyond the books and has social implications. The British system fosters an environment where students don’t view their peers as competition, but as teammates. Students compete with themselves and their individual progress rather than against each other, as the concept of ranking is not brought to the forefront. Furthermore, because of teamwork, numerous opportunities and the availability of outputs for creativity and expression, assessments are not the only measure of a student’s success and worth. Debates, for example, which showcase oratory skills, are not held annually but quite often, and the classroom’s floor is always open, encouraging opinions, thoughts, and suggestions. The Indian system is known to hold large bi-annual and annual events. As great an environment as these events create, having these activities in class is more impactful as it involves all the students collectively instead of just a handful who always come forward during events.

Teacher qualifications between the two systems differ. Instead of sitting for and passing the Indian system’s required Bachelor of Education (often done through distance education) or teacher eligibility exams, the British system requires training through different routes such as the PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) or QTS (Qualified Teacher Status). These are hands-on and practical, focusing on the practical application of implementing evidence-based techniques. The qualifications center around professional development and performance reviews. Fatima Rahman, currently pursuing the QTS route, states how her training dives deeply into different disciplines such as ‘lesson planning, behavior, assessment, adaptive teaching, and differentiation in class,’ equipping her to take on a classroom and empower students.

The flipped classroom methodology is one of the methods that the British system has endorsed. In a traditional classroom, the instructor prepares material to be delivered in class, students listen to lectures, and take notes in a passive manner. In the flipped classroom, the instructor shares lectures and content to be covered outside the class. Class time is then devoted to applied learning and higher-order thinking tasks. Students engage in problem-solving and applying key concepts while receiving support from teachers and peers.

As advanced and complex as this approach may seem, it takes the ‘remembering’ and ‘understanding’ steps outside the classroom, which are traditionally done inside Indian classrooms. The main differentiator is the many levels of Bloom’s taxonomy that are unlocked due to the new classroom time created, including ‘applying,’ ‘analyzing,’ ‘evaluating,’ and ‘creating’. The final step, ‘creating,’ allows students to become active members of the community and individuals ready to innovate and enter the workforce.

The concept of collaboration or critical thinking is almost non-existent in the Indian classroom. The teaching process is very linear and mostly single-directed, with the students’ only feedback being their marks and percentages. Pressured by a heavy curriculum, teachers prioritize content delivery over student engagement. Students are often seated in rows or alone, creating an instant power dynamic. In fact, students seated at the back are often referred to as ‘backbenchers’ and are both literally and academically behind. Teachers are often unapproachable and do not entertain discourse. This contrasts with the mentor-like role of teachers in the British system, who build student confidence through approachable interactions, prioritize students’ well-being, and focus on individual progress.

The art of assessment varies. The British system’s assessments have marking schemes with Assessment Objectives (areas that are graded) that carry equal weightage. For example, A-level literature’s Assessment Objectives comprise: Knowledge and Understanding, Analysis, Personal Response, Communication, and Evaluation of Opinion. Having ‘Knowledge and Understanding’ as a single AO highlights the greater focus of the system; an equivalent level Indian assessment paper would mainly be based on knowledge with some emphasis on understanding. Furthermore, having a ‘personal response’ AO that requires the student to express their ‘independent opinion’ with the same weightage indicates that developing individual perspectives and ideas is a key component of the system. In subjects like business studies and biology, ‘knowledge and understanding’ is one AO. ‘Application,’ ‘evaluation,’ ‘analysis,’ and ‘synthesis’ are also AOs that bear around 60% weightage. However, students may face difficulty in writing theoretical answers due to the flipped classroom’s emphasis on understanding concepts rather than rote learning.

Marking schemes provide objective marking, and when preparing for exams, give students guidance on how much and how to prepare. As British system student Ubaid Mir states: ‘There is only so much you can study.’ There isn’t a study-just-for-the-exam atmosphere like in the Indian classroom, which centers around what is going to be asked in the exam. These exams don’t have a particular marking scheme; some subjects do have an answer key, which is often relatively rigid. ‘Students unfortunately keep both quantity and quality in mind when answering exam questions. Our teacher says quantity reflects quality,’ quotes an 11th-grade Indian school student. ‘There is no room for personal opinion or reflection, as it is seen as a way of showing insufficiency and inadequacy in exam preparation,’ they further added.

This comparison, however, stands hollow without acknowledging India’s colonial past with the British. Dr. Anirban Ganguly, Director of the Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, states that the disconnection between teachers, society, and students can be attributed to when ‘education, initially conducted in the English language, began neglecting Indian languages and cultural educationand thus prepared individuals to serve them.’ These sentiments were reiterated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who stated that the education system developed by the British was not a part of the Indian ethos and created a “service class.”

Both systems should use their colonial history as a guide and navigate their objectives in a way that leverages their strengths. India’s educational goals focus on nation-building, national history, and citizenship. On the other hand, the UK’s education system, influenced by its colonial past, has historically aimed to instill a sense of British identity and produce a workforce that supports the interests of the colonial administration. It is now evolving to become a more culturally inclusive representation of today’s Britain. This inclusivity must be implemented responsibly, as concerns have been raised about the ‘compulsory’ LGBTQ education for primary students, which parents and educators argue imposes ideas on impressionable minds. Similarly, the most recent revision of the Indian Grade 12 Political Science textbook does not mention the Babri Masjid by name, referring to it instead as a “three-domed structure.” This mosque, which was demolished and replaced by a temple, is an important historic symbol. Such changes can result in students learning only part of their history, potentially shaping a biased narrative. Both systems must prioritize the genuine empowerment of students and ensure that education remains a tool for enlightenment and progress, rather than a means of perpetuating historical biases or agendas.

Views expressed in the article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the editorial stance of Kashmir Observer 

• The author is a student 

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