Is the Indian education system the reason Indian Americans are so highly educated?
U.S. immigration policies favor highly skilled adults. The Pew Research Center’s Social and Demographic Trends report shows that Indians are one of the most highly educated groups in the U.S. population. While 28 percent of all Americans over the age of 25 have at least a bachelor’s degree, the figure for Indians in America is 70 percent.
With the exception of a few elite institutions, the Indian education system is generally weaker than in the U.S. In Indian schools, grades K-12 are known as “standards.” In most modern schools, there are two levels of kindergarten, followed by 10 to 12 grades, as in American schools. The final two years, known as higher secondary or “plus two,” were once considered part of a college education, but are now mostly included in high school to conform more to international norms. In recent years, enrollment in primary schools has crossed 90 percent, but the quality of education can be weak, especially in government-run schools and in schools in rural areas. A government program to provide free lunches to students and parents’ desire to see their children get an education has boosted enrollment. Private schools have been growing fast and even poor parents prefer to send their children to private institutions, some of which charge just a few dollars per month.
Does the Indian education system teach math well?
This is a generality. In India, engineering and medicine are desirable professions. Those who pass rigorous entrance exams and attend the right schools for those skills can escape poverty. Millions do not get to take the exams or fail them. When computer-based technology industries expanded in the United States, degrees related to mathematics and engineering became more desirable because they gave Indians the chance to live, work and go to school in the United States.
