To meet the acute shortage of schooling facilities there has been rapid quantitative expansion of educational facilities. This has given emphasis to increased enrolment, and over-crowded classrooms. The curricular of studies and methods of teaching adopted have a levelling tendency.
Teaching is geared for the many, and the bright child is lost and ignored in the crowd. Democratic tendencies have made it possible to provide equal opportunities to all children to receive an education. This has resulted in the bright children being overlooked.
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More than ever in India today, do we need the training of wise, strong and able leaders in every field in government and politics, in defence, in science, in industry and agriculture whether rich or poor, it is the brightest who should become the leaders in every spheres.
Unfortunately, this is not often the case, the bright children fall back, and pressures of various types result in the assumption of leadership by the mediocre, and second-rate, or even the third-rate people.
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It is a healthy sign that the Government of India, realising the importance of discovering and encouraging bright children has instituted the scheme of holding National Merit Scholarship Competitions for children at the primary school level, so that they get a chance of a good education in special schools at public expenses.
Similarly the Science Talent Search of the National Council of Educational Research and Training at the Higher Secondary Level, enable bright students, specially, good in Science, to win scholarships to go College.
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These efforts, however much they are expanded, touch but a fringe of the problem. Most of the bright children are not likely to be discovered or affected by any of these schemes and hence may be denied the benefits of these schemes.
The only solution therefore is that it is the parents who must realise that their child is bright and needs very special help and guidance, and not only that he should reach and attain the fullest stature of his abilities, but also that he may be an asset to the country.
India needs the conservation, the development and the fullest utilisation of the giftedness of its parents. Unfortunately knowledge about brightness and how to help and encourage bright children is very limited in India.
Brightness is a universal phenomenon among the top ten per cent of children in school-going age. Knowledge available from other countries has been found useful and this along with the work and studies undertaken by the psychologists and educators in the field in India is presented in this brochure.