NEW DELHI: Seventy per cent of Class VIII students in India are not aware of the freedom struggle; 55 per cent believe the Supreme Court is part of the Indian Parliament; 69 per cent are not aware of why the Swadeshi Movement was started during the freedom struggle.
Just about 45 per cent know about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre ordered by General Dyer and other atrocities committed by the British. Less than 50 per cent know the names of India’s main rivers. Only 50 per cent know why oxygen is essential to sustaining human life.
This amusing, but alarming information is revealed in a survey conducted by the National Council of Education Research and Training based on data collected from 6,722 schools, 24,486 teachers and 1,88,647 students through tests and questionnaires from 33 States and Union Territories. The study, which covers both government and aided schools, discloses that 74 per cent of the students are unaware of the key components of the Constitution. As many of them do not understand that President’s Rule is imposed when the constitutional machinery of a state breaks down. The purpose of the study was to provide insights on whether the elementary education system has a beneficial effect on students or not.