Mains Practice Questions

Introduction:

Decolonisation is not the mere insertion of classical texts or indigenous themes in the curriculum. It requires reshaping the epistemic foundations of learning by ensuring knowledge is produced for Indian contexts, through Indian lenses, and with scientific rigour.

• Today, globalisation and digital dominance add new pressures, showing that decolonisation must create a modern, India-centred knowledge system rather than just correct the past.

Body:

Colonial Residues Still Existing in Today’s Education System:

• Language Hierarchy : English-medium schools are seen as superior, often determining access to jobs, status, and higher education.
  • This creates a slave mindset where many parents feel compelled to switch to English medium even when children are more comfortable in their mother tongue.
  • For example, a student scoring high in regional-language boards often feels disadvantaged in national competitive exams because most coaching, material, and evaluation favour English.
• Curriculum that promotes Western Frameworks Over Indigenous Knowledge : Social sciences frequently rely on Western theorists—Durkheim, Weber, Adam Smith, John Locke. while Indian thinkers like Kautilya, Basava, or Savitribai Phule are limited to selective chapters.
  • Indian advancements in maths (Aryabhata), astronomy (Varahamihira), polity (Arthashastra), medicine (Ayurveda) are often taught as "heritage," not knowledge systems.
  • Eg, Economics textbooks teach Keynesian and neoliberal frameworks extensively but rarely discuss indigenous concepts like Swadeshi economics, Gandhian trusteeship, or Arthashastra’s political economy.
• Assessment Focused on Rote Learning and Clerical Skills: Examinations emphasise memory over creativity, conformity over inquiry and success is equated with mastering fixed syllabi rather than solving real-world problems.
  • Though NEP 2020 is pushing for continuous assessment, significant gaps still remain.
• Overdependence on Western Universities for Academic Validation: Colonial years taught Indians to see Western institutions as the ultimate arbiters of “good knowledge.” Foreign degree still equates to higher social prestige.Moreover many Indian research papers chase Western journals for legitimacy.
  • For example, policy makers often quote Harvard or Oxford research before citing Indian universities, even for India-specific problems.

New Form of Intellectual Dependencies That Must be Avoided

• Dependence on Western Pedagogical Models Without Local Adaptation: Reforms like MOOCs, liberal arts structures, competency-based education, and credit systems are adopted because they are fashionable globally. Copying without adapting leads to shallow imitation, not meaningful reform.
  • Indian classrooms imitate Western “project-based learning” without providing infrastructure or teacher training.
  • Liberal arts models may ignore local knowledge traditions (Nyaya logic, regional literatures, indigenous sciences).
  • For example Universities copy the American-style four-year UG system, but without internships, mentoring systems, or academic advisors. reducing effectiveness.
• Dependence on Global Tech Platforms and Algorithmic Gatekeeping: Big Tech firms (Google, YouTube, Meta, OpenAI, Coursera, etc.) shape what students see, search, and study thereby influencing their thinking. This creates a digital dependence where India’s intellectual landscape is shaped by foreign algorithms.
  • For example, If we ask a global AI model about “Dharma,” “Raga,” or “Nyaya,” then it often gives simplistic or distorted explanations because training data lacks Indian sources.
• Pitfall of Blindly Chasing Global University Rankings: Blind Adoption of Global Ranking Systems for Universities pushing universities to chase metrics designed from the western perspective.
  • The race for rankings can divert funds from critical areas like faculty development, infrastructure for inclusive education, and innovation in local contexts.
    • True academic excellence requires a balance between global visibility and local relevance.

How India Can Balance Cultural Rootedness and Modern Scientific Temper

• Strengthening Cultural Rootedness and strengthening cultural ethos by:
  • Integrating Indian knowledge systems (IKS) such as Ayurveda, Nyaya, Arthashastra, mathematics, astronomy, and environmental ethics into school curriculum as envisioned by the NEP 2020.
  • Reviving Indian languages as mediums of knowledge production, not just communication. In this way thoughts can be organically converted into practicable knowledge.
  • Including local histories, regional intellectual traditions, and community knowledge in curricula. Showcasing the rich civilisational tradition.
  • Promoting civilisational values such as pluralism, inquiry (anvikshiki), and holistic learning.
• Ensuring Scientific-Temporal Modernity Nurturing habits of questioning, evidence-based reasoning, and honest peer review so that students learn to trust facts over assumptions.
  • For instance, teaching climate science through real data analysis or guiding students to design simple experiments in classrooms makes scientific thinking a lived experience rather than abstract theory.
• Strengthening STEM infrastructure: Well-equipped school laboratories, accessible research grants for young innovators, or university-level incubation centres—helps create an environment where ideas can grow into innovations.
  • For example: India’s successes in fields like space technology and vaccine development show how such ecosystems can deliver global-scale results.
• India as Knowledge Producer: To avoid new forms of dependence, India must become a knowledge producer, not just a consumer.
  • Create Global South Standards: Instead of chasing Western rankings, India should lead in creating metrics for the Global South that value developmental impact over abstract citations.
  • Trans-disciplinary Hubs: Establish centers where Sanskrit scholars and Computer Scientists collaborate (e.g., Computational Linguistics at IITs). Panini’s grammar is highly relevant to Natural Language Processing (NLP).
  • "Glocal" Research Agendas: Funding research that solves local problems (e.g., stubble burning, malnutrition) using global technologies, rather than researching topics solely to get published in Western journals.

Conclusion

Decolonising education is a transformative, not decorative, endeavour. It requires moving from an imported knowledge framework to one that is Indian in its intellectual grounding and global in its scientific orientation. By blending cultural rootedness with scientific-temporal modernity, India can create an ecosystem that nurtures confident, creative, and critically aware citizens—free from both colonial hangovers and emerging global dependencies.