If you could change one thing in Indian Education, what would it be?
- Thread starter FXGalvatron
- Start date
more than a decade ago when I was still in india, I signed up for french lessons at https://af-france.fr/en went to classes, learned basics and counting upto 100 etc... then decided I was working too hard at work and could get time to take lessons at 8am in the morning.
One of my friends here in usa is crazy about learning french, managed to learn just by duolingo. Mainly because we paraglider pilots go to Annecy to fly alps so being able to speak french helps a lot. I havnt been there just because I have Indian passport and they wont give me a tourist visa unless I get a NOC from my employer which is bullshit. Americans just buy a flight ticket and go.
One of my friends here in usa is crazy about learning french, managed to learn just by duolingo. Mainly because we paraglider pilots go to Annecy to fly alps so being able to speak french helps a lot. I havnt been there just because I have Indian passport and they wont give me a tourist visa unless I get a NOC from my employer which is bullshit. Americans just buy a flight ticket and go.
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Northstar
I was struggling with hindi by 7th std. So I got a tutor. She taught me to mug up everything. The difference was spectacular. From just passing to top marks by 8th std. To the point my hindi teacher swore I was cheating but could not prove it. Thing is if you asked me to answer in my own words in hindi I couldn't do it. And the reason is the lack of conversation. Unless you have that any language learning is at best superficial. The same problem exists in English for native hindi or regional language speakers.@blr_p I wanted to learn it after I watched a ahemm **french movie** and was sure to land a french girl some day. The next day the 5 letter world dawned on me "AUKAT" and i dropped it
What good was French for me. I studied and worked there for two years and by the end of it was dreaming in it. How is that possible with just two years of the language plus one at college. Conversation. We made friends in this other college to have language exchanges. Two hours of French in exchange for the same in English with these French chics. Which became four hours of French and parties after. Yeah after three months of this things became easier. It's funny the same issues I had with hindi were there for French with English and vice French for Brits. Learning in school without speaking again.
On a side note french girls are more friendly but aren't as easy to pull as Brits, Americans or even Indian. Unlike these three, the custom in France is you're expected to kiss or rub cheeks two or three times depending on the region. That is how you greet women in France. You can shake hands but that is considered a bit cold. At work with the men I had to shake hands with everyone everyday as a form of greeting. All 20 odd of them. Not necessary with Anglo saxons or even here.
Southern France where I was is more conservative than the north. They weren't that familiar with Indians there as opposed to north African arabs. But if you check, since independence, which country's leader got invited the most for republic day. It's the French president at five times. France was the only western country that wanted to, get this, begin a strategic relationship with India after the '98 tests. Everyone else didn't want to talk to us and the US sanctioned India. I'm not surprised. The French have a similar independent streak as we do and their politics is as chaotic. Geopolitically and nationally France matters a big deal to us which isn't seen at the people to people level due to the language barrier. Speak in English to them and they're cold but speak to them in their language and you become a long lost relative. Big time aukat with this lot.
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dvader
Forerunner
**the custom in France is you're expected to kiss or rub cheeks two or three times depending on the region**
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Northstar
Cheek not mouth and the red line is as everywhere. You can get the wrong idea yeah but you learn quickly
This custom is common in Latin countries. Spain, Portugal Italy are similar. If you notice that is how the British Pm greeted the Italian leader but our Modi is only comfortable shaking hands. That too only hugs men.
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Crapmypants
Guide
Another method i feel that would greatly improve the undergraduate/graduate education in the country is government funded projects.
For e.g. I remember in my first year at a US college i read an article in the college paper about a mathematics professor (i was in his class at the time) who had gotten a $3 million grant from the us army to study the fluid dynamics of soldiers blood flow in and out of combat situations.
I feel this has a double advantage of (a) allowing professors and students to work on professional level projects and (b) the college gets a cut of that funding so it has a bigger budget = more/better facilities
For e.g. I remember in my first year at a US college i read an article in the college paper about a mathematics professor (i was in his class at the time) who had gotten a $3 million grant from the us army to study the fluid dynamics of soldiers blood flow in and out of combat situations.
I feel this has a double advantage of (a) allowing professors and students to work on professional level projects and (b) the college gets a cut of that funding so it has a bigger budget = more/better facilities