My friends and relatives back home in India often ask me, how is the education system in America? They also ask how American and
Indian education systems are different from each other and which one is better?
This article is for all my friends who are curious to find the answer. My friend Nudrat Shahnila from Pakistan also contributed to this article and
has added many interesting points. Thanks Nudrat.
First, I go into shock because I really don’t know how to
answer this question. I haven’t been to
elementary, middle and high school here. I did my Masters at the University and
it is so different. I have to answer anyways so I start by giving examples of
how my daughter is studying and what sort of things are emphasized in schools
in US. Gradually I started to clearly understand the differences. Finally, I
came to the conclusion that comparing these two education systems would be as
if I am comparing apples with oranges. If I cannot compare then naturally I
cannot draw a conclusion and rate one against another.
Answer: They are different and they
have unique characteristics. Both are good as long as the kid is inclined to
learn.
I have seen from my experience from Indian schools:
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Asian Education system:
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American education system:
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1.
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There is a set syllabus with heavier content that students are
responsible to learn and remember
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Syllabus is set but the teacher
has some liberty to decide the pace at which the schedule goes
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2.
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Exams questions are mostly short
and long essays
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Exams are mostly multiple choice and short response
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3.
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Memorization is mandatory. When I went to school, back in 1900s,
because Math was so hard for me, regurgitation helped me majorly to pass till
9th grade ;) Things might have changed now, I am not sure.
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Hands-on activities and kinesthetic learning, gain priority over
memorization. Education is made interesting and fun, not a responsibility.
Emphasis is on application of concepts not on ability to remember theories
and repeat it without looking at the text book
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4.
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Competition is heavy. It acts as a motivating factor. So, parents get
fewer chances to worry that kid is not studying efficiently.
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Self-motivated students read more and choose the topics of their interest. There is nothing like competition because
grades are confidential
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5.
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Solving math problems in a given time is part of preparation for the
tests
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Math is not the major part of the school curriculum but reading,
comprehension, analysis, critical reasoning are broadly covered. Development
of cognitive skills is the major goal of the system.
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6.
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Writing comes naturally because the system is designed such. Even a 3rd
grader has the ability to write a long response of 2 pages
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Writing a long response is a task for my daughter. She saves one or two lines in homework,
what a saver right?
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7.
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Parents start to stress out when a second grade son and 4th
grade daughter have quarterly exams. Poor kid, he is not even asked how he is
feeling because parent can see only the enormous syllabus that she needs to
get her son prepared for the exam
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The least stress for the kid and parent till 5th grade.
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8.
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Creativity is encouraged
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Creativity is part and parcel of every class and subject.
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Nudrat Shahnila has seen from her experience from Pakistani schools:
Asian Education System
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American Education System
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A lot of emphasis is on strict discipline and behavioral aspect.
Students are criticized for their weaknesses
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Students are relatively relaxed and provided a lot of encouragement
and positive feedback for their achievement
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Teacher is the authority and must be respected
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Students do challenge the teacher and the teachers are very open to
new ideas and ways of looking things differently
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Too much emphasis on learning what is written in the text book. Students
are mostly graded on the basis of how well they memorize and perform in exams
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Curiosity and creativity is encouraged from the very beginning. Students are graded on their daily
performance and approach
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Separate schools /classes for boys and girls. The students have very
close friendship/ share activities with the same gender
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Coeducation at all levels. Interest in opposite gender develops at a
tender age, may lead to lowered interest in studies
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Competition is higher because education is the way to get access to
necessities of life and grow as a nation. Professional and white collared
jobs are aspired by all for a decent living
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No need of fierce competition as lot of support from the state is
provided. Dignity of labor is seen
everywhere so students are not pressurized to do exceptionally well in
studies in order to live a decent life
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Religious education given in schools to develop moral values
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Religious education cannot be given because multiple religions are
equally respected without any differentiation
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Less emphasis on Music/Physical education (PE)
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Music/PE are given importance
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There are different medium of instruction such as local Urdu medium
or Hindi medium, and there is a stark
contrast between the quality of education given at public and a expensive
private schools
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Medium of education is the same so the students are almost at the
same level. The private schools are
not very common and not much striking difference between the education
systems
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