The History Of Role Of Collaborations In Indian Education System.

Education is extremely important for development. It strengthens the underprivileged and vulnerable segments of society. With its rich ancient educational heritage, India established institutions of higher learning of international renown. The twentieth century saw a massive expansion in the field of education. In light of this urgency, the 2018 India Skills Report asserts that "with the changing nature of work and workplaces, business activities, Cognitive Abilities, Systems skills, Complex Problem Solving, Content skills, and social skills are likely to be a growing part of the core skills requirements for many industries."

Why do we need change?

Despite ongoing criticism, the Indian education system has seen significant growth in a variety of areas such as literacy rate, gross enrollment ratio, number of institutions, and so on since independence. Despite our educationalists and policymakers' constant efforts to improve educational quality, the current scene is plagued by "inconsistencies, resource scarcity, and streamlining problems."

According to Sharma, schools and higher education institutions are linked in an “organic relationship" in which: "the school sector and the higher education sector are inextricably linked and rely on one another in a variety of ways." One of the primary goals of school education for the vast majority of students is to prepare them for college or university admission, and the college/university system relies on the school sector to supply them with qualified students. Given this organic relationship, it is only natural for them to interact and collaborate substantively with one another."

How is India advancing?

While collaborations between schools and higher education institutions already exist in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, it is still difficult to find school-university tie-ups at any level in India. These schemes, regulations, programs, or initiatives demonstrate our proclivity for collaboration and connectivity, indicating a significant shift in how different institutions are now perceived.

A good example of collaborative practices between two organizations is the scheme proposed by the Indian government in 2010 to establish secondary schools through "public-private partnerships (PPP)" in order to "set standards for quality education in smaller and remote areas."

Adoption schemes are based on the idea that an institution should 'look after' its 'junior' institution and help it improve the current state of education by providing assistance and resources. India is gradually but steadily establishing strong ties with other countries such as the United States and France in order to improve education quality through collaboration.

Ancient India’s ways of education

• From a historical standpoint, the principle of 'collaboration' can be traced back to ancient India's tutelage system. The goal is to build a productive bridge between the two sets of institutions - schools and colleges/universities - to better prepare school students for the challenges they will face during their first years of higher education.
• Colonial education was primarily intended for the Indian elite to sustain the tyrannical regime indefinitely. The colonizers established numerous educational institutions at various learning levels to perpetuate their autocratic rule and exploitation of the native population.
• The modern educational process includes inter-segmental gaps at various levels of education, indicating disconnectivity and discontinuity. Our forefathers must have realized that it is critical to pass on this essential knowledge and necessary skills to ensure the community's continued existence over time, and thus developed the master-pupil relationship, proving that education was an indispensable part of our existence then, as it is now.
• Though the primary goal of education "was to achieve illumination through knowledge," the 'earning an honest wage' aspect of education was not overlooked. The primary goals and ideals of ancient Indian education can be summarized as "infusion of a spirit of piety and religiousness, formation of character, development of personality, inculcation of civic and social duties, promotion of social efficiency, and preservation and spread of national culture."
• There were also "two stages of objectives" in education: "immediate and ultimate." The immediate goals "included preparing individuals for their caste-based vocations" relating to "their immediate need," while the ultimate goals were "self-realization" and "soul liberation."
• Our prosperous civilization is distinguished by the "rich tradition of sages and scholars orally imparting education to students through the Gurukul system." Teachers were regarded as a "sea of knowledge" in ancient India due to their sagacity, vast learning, and deep spiritual insight, and were thus regarded as an independent educational institution.

What can we learn from traditional practices in order to launch successful and effective educational partnerships?

System Monitoring

Teachers would seek the assistance of advanced and highly intellectual disciples in the management of teaching-learning processes at the Gurukul and ancient universities through this process. In ancient India, the function of advanced students closely resembled the initial training of pre-service, novice, and student teachers in today's advanced teacher training institutes.

Continuity

Incorporating this 'continuity' into our education system through school-university collaboration will ensure that the "university space does not remain alien to learners when they first go there (higher education institutions), and this familiarity will also ensure that the learners are able to choose their courses carefully," which will "help overcome several long-pending problems of Indian education, such as drop-out rates, and can potentially lead to betrayal.

Finance

The way funds were managed in ancient India highlights an important point: how the educational system was dependent on everyone's mutual cooperation. The Gurukul system was later replaced by a truly institutionalized form of learning, which had its roots in colonial-era policies.

Conclusion

The current framework, based on "the colonial system of specialized education, set up to serve a specific need," is no longer adequate for those racing to be future-ready and acquire 21st-century skills. To better prepare us for the changing needs of a globalized world, the current educational system requires a fundamental shift.