S Ramakrishna Calls for Revolutionary Reforms in India's Education System: An Appeal for Student-Focused, Inclusive Education

Nobel laureate scholar S Ramakrishna has pressed for the reform of India's education system, guiding policymakers and educators away from a teacher-centric, examination-centric model to an integrated, student-centric model. Delivered in an insightful speech, Ramakrishna made the effort to contrast India's conventional model with international models — the US can serve as an example here — and to outline how a shift needed to be made in order to become modernized in the manner in which we examine and educate students.

As opposed to India's massive, lectured masses based on rote memorization, Ramakrishna admired the United States' smaller, interactive, individualized learning centers, where open-ended exams and small class sizes promote creativity and critical thinking. "It's time we stop testing intelligence through memory alone," he said. "We have to start appreciating skills, innovation, and emotional intelligence as much."

One of his most forceful suggestions is to decentralize the curriculum to give students more room and latitude for their own learning trajectory. He also urged embracing the Grade Point Average (GPA) system over the inflexible, high-stakes board examination system, which tends to reduce student achievement to a single score.

In the same spirit, Ramakrishna emphasized providing schools with mental health services, particularly for rural and disadvantaged populations. He advocated against corporal punishment, behavior support and conflict resolution teachers' training, and giving consideration to mental well-being as an integral part of school practice.

In order to present his recommendations in a more formalized way, Ramakrishna is drafting a policy paper for presentation to the government. What he is seeking to do is initiate national debate about education reform and lay the ground for an emergent system which is inclusive, contemporary, and based on lifelong learning.

With the nation fighting problems of inequality and archaic methods in the education sector, Ramakrishna's vision is a long-overdue and opportune path towards a brighter future.