our education system's anatomy & dichotomy

The recent debate on doing away with 10 grade board exams tempted me to do a lot of research on our education system...i mean a very simple example...its ridiculous how still in our Lit classes we are expected to mug up poetry till about the 10th grade and blurt it out on the "Sacred" Examination sheet...that sheet which decides our fate, our career....

whereas in the American education system students identify, analyze and respond to the effects of sound and structure of sonnets or write a personal reflection about what they like or dislike about poetry that is different from other forms of writing...that's the kinds stuff they learn out there....wonder when will the entire system focus towards personal development rather than turning us into brilliant parrots...

Vocational education is the dire need of the hour...we have been aping the West, both Britain and American...though always in a dilemma to swear by the Oxford or Webster....then why is it so hard for us to learn from their teaching methodology....

I mean come on...do we really expect 17 year olds to be absolutely sure in their heads what they wanna do with their lives without even letting them try their hands at it...In the U.S. one can go and sit in a Geography class, something like trial class...and see whether the subject interests them enough to become a geologist..there might be a few prodigies who would be sure of their profession in their mothers' womb and our teachers label them as "career focused etc."...good for them...but an average teenager cant even decide whether to put forward his left foot first or the right one...

How many people do you know who took up engineering coz they presumed they'd be good at it and it was one of the few options available after junior college...but repent haven't learnt nothing just coz they realized mid-way that the subjects were just not their cup of tea...well, I know Plenty!!