r2i forum

Desi_by_Nature;54592neither agree nor disagree. [/quote]

Desi_by_Nature;54592

For the points you mentioned, India is certainly good.

However I feel that the education system in the US is much better than in India. Here students are encouraged to think creatively, encouraged to question existing knowledge, and given the freedom to explore themselves so that they can choose their careers. The opportunities to engage in activities outside school (like skiing, biking, hiking, summer camps, scouting etc.) are endless and everything is within reach. I find that kids here tend to have a more well rounded development.
In the Indian education system these opportunities don't exist. Grades are everything and there is a lot of social, parental, and peer profession on kids to restrict their career choices to a handful of options.

In addition because of the tough competition everywhere in India, we focus a lot on professional and financial success in life. Sometimes I feel that's not the right message to give to a kid - but then it's a necessary evil to survive in India.
Over here I see people who are happy doing even the most insignificant of jobs - yesterday we went out for dinner and our waiter was the one of the happiest and friendliest person we'd ever met. He told us that apart from waiting here, he runs a small non-profit organization for disabled people, he and his girlfriend spent their summer in Italy teaching art, and on a day to day basis dabbles around with many different things he enjoys doing. I make more money than him, but he certainly seemed happier.
Perhaps his parents and school teachers taught him to love himself and taught him that the most important things in life are not grades, money and a high flying career. I can tell you that that dude was happier than any IT engineer, doctor, or laywer i've ever seen, his attitude rocks, and he has the learnt the most valuable in life that's gonna stay with him forever.[/quote]

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Respect you comments.

But I would like to discuss on ?However I feel that the education system in the US is much better than in India.? I ma not denying that. But is only education enough for the kid? Creativity is a very significant in anybody?s life but is that all a human being required as he/she grows up?
When even you see a grown-up person without proper social skills and real life/practical skills and not grown up with grand parents/uncles etc., without culture? but can live as professional (like by doing good job in work place) what do you think?. I think it?s a tasteless life! It?s mainly because he/she grown up without those valuables things!

As you mentioned your experience about waiter, you really felt his good manners/lifestyle etc. only because you know the difference between the other side of the life(from India) and US life. When your kid grown up and see these things your kid doesn?t feel the same as much as you feel I believe. Because, for your child things that?s the way of life.

So, if kid experiences friendships/ belongingness, poor, rich, driving, politics etc. in India, I am sure once they have a good education they enjoy the working life in US/west when back as adults because ?they can see the difference, they can feel it?. It is like if you haven?t felt the hunger can you feel the that good taste?? like that? let kid see everything, learn and grow as tough human being then as a adult he/she knows the value of that politeness/fairness/good driving?etc.
These are just my thoughts.

taan ta taan;54585Kids better off in India to gain more practical and social knowledge than in western countries.

Because in India they can expose to more interaction with people, participation in cultural things, being with grand parents and relations etc.
In general India allows plenty of things to do for kids.

But kids here in west (especially kids moved from India or recently born) are confused, restricted by us many times, won't have much interaction apart from parents.

So with plenty of good schools and syllabus options, India is better for kids (ofcourse if you can afford for education and on property)

Agree or Disagree?[/quote]
What exactly do you mean when you say kids gain more practical and social knowledge in India and being exposed to interaction with people in India. To me this is very subjective. Here is the bottomline. In India kids learn the practical and social knowledge that make them fit for survival in India and in US kids learn practical and social knowledge necessary to blend in with the US culture and the way of life here. There is no comparison between the two and one brought up in India is no smarter than the one brought up in the US and one doesn't have to learn the tricks of the trade of the other.

Regarding Indian kids confused in the US, I think is it more of their parents getting confused in desperately trying to bridge the gap between the kids perception of culture and the parents' own perception of the culture from back east. Most Indian kids blend in very well with the US culture, especially once they are into college.

Regarding schools, we cannot keep arguing for ages that India has better syllabus, more math etc. Kumon etc are bridging the gap in other countries. Regarding science I tend to believe the science education in the USA is far superior to the one in India. Regarding history etc, they are localized, Indians learn Indian history which is extensive and Americans learn American history which is relatively shorter. No comparisons there. Please don't talk about uncles, most relatives in India are mean, jealous and obnoxious people :emsmile:

marina;54640 I feel teachers in India are not as good as the teachers in west. I am not saying all the teachers in India are not good. But majority are not good.[/quote]

I don't necessarily agree with that. Teachers in India are good ...but ofcourse only if the school/college itself is good. You won't find good teachers in govt. schools and cheapo colleges.
I the US too, teaching is not as well paid a profession as it should be ...therefore not the career of choice for the brighest of the lot.

I feel that the system in which teachers function also depends a lot on the quality of education they impart.
I mean look at US universities - profs have the autonomy to use their own methods and style of teaching, select the texts they want to be used in the course, design their own material. The univ. will give them TAs if they need. If they want to take students outdoors on a learning excursion, the univ. will provide and fund that too. They have so much flexibility that they can reach their maximum teaching potential.
However in India even if a prof is bright, he has to work within the constricted system, use decade old texts, and classroom and blackboard is the only way to teach. Email communication with professor for coursework is unheard of in India - over here it's the norm.
Student-teacher interaction in the US is a very casual affair ..you call your prof by first name, send him email, he replies back, send your assignments by email - the system is so efficient, there are absolutely no communication barriers. In India a prof might just take offence at a hundred things if the student does not interact in a certain way. Again it's the system - that's how differently teachers are bred in India and US.
Therefore I say that the education system in US is hands down better.