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by Rajen Kumar
No Escaping Social Media
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The Last Word
Who will Answer the 'Future' of the Nation?
Rajen Kumar
Jan 2011
Jan 2011
The proverbial statements 'The destiny of a nation depends on its children' and 'children are the future of the nation' seem to have no sense in India. How will you take it when told that a country of the size of India has over 3 million children living on the streets? Or has over 150 million children working as bonded labourers? Or one out of every six girl child does not live to see her 15th birthday? What happens when despite having a national policy for compulsory primary education, only 50% of children have access to education?
The nation calls for an explanation from the powers that be that even after over six decades of independence, half of India's children are illiterate? Identification of primary education as a key thrust area seems a mere lip service and a mockery of our education policy.
Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIC) were entrusted with the task of developing an infrastructure for government schools in 2007 with a deadline in 2009. It not only missed the deadline but has now expressed its inability to carry on the work due to price escalation – from Rs.250 crore to Rs.350 crore. The project was to build up an infrastructure as viable education centres and create an environment conducive to learning by the government school going children.
The state government is known to have criminally splurged the tax payers' funds by spending hundreds of crores on the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. There was no shortage of resources for the CWG but when it comes to improving the plight of school children, there is a fund crunch.
India is rich in its children. With a child population of 440 million and another 26 million being added every year, India is the youngest country in the world. However the economic progress made in the recent past has not filtered into the social sector.
The Child population is India is more than that of the US and UK combined. Nearly 52% of girls aged 6-10 and 48% of boys aged 6-10 are out of school.
There are thousands and thousands of children in the slums of Delhi and other metro cities who have never gone to school and even deprived of any basic training, proper shelter and sanitation. Delhi government has 1300 schools and the condition of most schools is pathetic.
The present educational system of India is an implantation of British rulers. Wood's Dispatch of 1854 laid the foundation of present system of education in India. Before the advent of British in India, education system was private one. With the introduction of Wood's Dispatch known as Magna Carta of Indian education, the whole scenario changed. The main purpose of it was to prepare Indian Clerks for running local administration.
Commenting on the new system which was introduced, Mahatma Gandhi expressed his anguish in the following words, "I say without fear of my figures being challenged successfully, that today India is more illiterate than it was fifty or a hundred years ago.”
According to the Constitution of India, elementary education is a fundamental right of children in the age group of 6-14 years. India has about 688,000 primary schools and 110,000 secondary schools. According to statistics two third of school going age children of India are enrolled in schools but the figures are deceptive as many don't attend schools regularly.
At least half of all students from rural area drop out before completing school. The government has rolled out many plans to increase the percentage of elementary education by launching plans such as 'Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), District Primary Education Program (DPEP), Operation Blackboard, Mid Day Meal. These plans were beset with various problems the chief being lack of political will. The result is that these plans have been forcefully unsuccessful. However the Plans envisaged the strengthening of the base of pyramid of Indian population for proper development of education system in India.
It seems, in India, child education has never been a serious task on its national agenda. It is evident from the fact that the Ministry of HRD has never whole-heartedly worked towards educating the children. A source in the primary education department of the Ministry of HRD expressed his anguish like this. “We are rendered frustrated to the brim. We have no work worth its ilk. We are wasting our time in useless meetings and meetings. Although there is a great task before us and we were so enthusiastic. What the new minister wants, we don't know. The result is that we are passing our time without any concrete work.”
How serious is our government is evident from the fact that the Minister of HRD has now been given charge of the scam-ridden Ministry of Telecommunications rendering the work of education on a low priority. With what vigour the ministry of HRD should be working now is anybody's guess. “Education should be 'emergency' in a country like India,” quips the senior official.
Wonder, who is accountable to the suffering children of India. The future generations will not forgive us if we continue to be callous towards them. Education is the only door to a prosperous India and the 'Aam Admi' of tomorrow. “If we deny education to our children, we are digging our own graves,” said a twentieth century philosopher.
New Year Resolution for the Government
'Realising' that the state of the SMEs sector in India is in doldrums, the UPA II government set out on a task of bailing out the sector by forming the much hyped 'PM's Task Force for SMEs'. A series of meetings took place. The Sector was viewed and reviewed. Recommendations were made. More meetings took place. The government didn't know who actually represents the SMEs sector in India, so it invited Industry-politico activists working for the sector to advise it on various issues. The result is none. To date, implementations of the recommendations of the Task Force are awaited. The all-important demand of the small industry to implement Public Procurement Policy is hanging fire although 'initial hurdles have been overcome.'
I suggest a single-point New Year Resolution for the government: 'Implement the recommendations without any delay.'
1 Comments >>
Shiva Narayan Lal
25 Oct 2011 (03:14:41)
My dear Rajan Kumar,
I equally share your agony of poor state of education system of India. I started studying from 1940 to 1958. In studied in a remote undeveloped part of Bihar which remained flooded for at least four months in a year. The school was a dilapidated naria tiled building but with dedicated rural teachers who imparted education from their core of hearts. Now there is a pagoda type building and a band of teachers, I should not say thieves, but with no education. Every thing is just fill up the gap with main emphasis of earning.Whom to blame the P.M the D.M or the H.M?
The least is said the better." Papini kah jeebh kati jaygi ankh dekhi bat jo munh se kahun." God will save the country! Amin.
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The Last Word
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