Education in our country at a primary level suffers with internal contradictions. We don't have a common value system in place to teach children at an early age. The importance of National Identity and love to motherland is lacking. The History is just another subject of the curriculum. The education should be wholesome and not mere books. Less teachers is further accentuating the problem that we're facing. In France, All professors in public schools and universities are employed and paid by the state. The Ministry of Education is, by far, the largest employer in France and it is said that it is the second in the world (after the Red Army!). An outstanding feature of French education is the authority of teachers. The French don't regard childhood as an age of innocence but see it as an age of ignorance. Children must be set straight and corrected.
The recent initiatives by the government like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and right to education are definitely the steps in the right direction. But, this all has to be backed by strong implementation and accountability. The partnerships with the private players would bring a degree of professionalism to our education.