School education has become segregated between the haves and the have-nots. Equally worse, the quality of education has seen a decline even as school bags have got heavier. It’s an area calling for urgent reforms, writes UPENDARA SOOD
Education plays an important role in the development of any society. However, we don’t have a uniform education system in India. Is the new Union Minister for Human Resource Development Smriti Irani aware that we have a dual system of education for our children below the age of 14 yearsIJ One is for the haves and the other for the have-nots.
Here, the reference is to private schools and public schools. Only 20 per cent children in this country go to private schools. The large majority attend Government schools. But if given a chance, every parent will send their wards to private schools because of the medium of instruction there is usually English from kindergarten. Government schools start teaching English only from Class VI.
This disparity has been continuing for long. A section of educationists, leaders of the Congress and from the left parties are more concerned with the academic credentials of the present Minister. Yet they forget that the Mughal Emperor Akbar was anointed king at the age of eight and history is witness to the fact that he is till date the most successful Mughal ruler who also stressed the importance of moral and educational values. Ironically, he was illiterate.
The Congress and the UPA have sadly ignored this very foundation of progress. The dual system of education has created a class divide wherein the children going to public or private schools look down upon those who go to Government schools. The books for Government schools are published by National Council Of Educational Research And Training, whereas the private schools have the prerogative of getting the books published by their own press. The Delhi Public Schools and the DAVs are an good examples. Parents sending their wards to private schools pay not only the exorbitant fees but also buy textbooks and stationery which school authorities insist be bought from the school bookshop.
The new Minister should lay emphasis on phasing out such disparity. It can be done by opening more Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya schools. It can also be done by bringing the education standards at par for all children and introducing English right from nursery level.
Some may not like this idea and take it as undue promotion of a foreign language. But we have to understand that to become a force to reckon with, on a global platform, knowing English is a pre-requisite. It is ironical that even after 60 years of independence, we have failed to develop one common language of communication. It is time now to accept the importance of English in this context.
To rule over the country, the British divided India on the basis of religion. This was repeated after 42 years during the time of VP Singh who divided the country into sub-castes. Instead of ending this system, successive Governments continued with it. Reservations, in general, are an impediment in the education system. Even if a student does not score well, reserved seats are there to take care of him. This regressive system cannot do any good to the country’s education system and progress.
It was like a knight in shining armour that Mr Narendra Modi came and talked about the importance of education and teachers too. If we look at the 1960s and 1970s, we find that teaching was considered a noble profession. Teachers were concerned not only about the academic excellence of the students but also their behaviour, punctuality and other values. Education meant holistic development. Teachers taught the importance of home and society, and instilled the right perspective towards life. It is time to realise the importance of a teacher.
Education should be an experience that opens life’s nuances. It should not be a burden. The heavy school-bags that students carry don’t motivate them to learn but only leads to backache. Doctors today are alarmed at the number of cases related to backache that are reported by school students. As Swami Vivekananda said, “We need our children to be physically strong and mentally agile for the progress of the nation”.
Subjects offered to the students should be as per their interest and not in accordance with the marks scored. If a child is interested in a vocational stream, then he or she must be encouraged to pursue the same. Skill development has to be an integral part of our education system.
The Central Board of Secondary Education has been working in this direction and also introduced a number of subjects. However, the schools do not encourage vocational streams as few students opt for them and there is a dearth of teachers for these subjects. In this case, why not introduce these subjects at the secondary level and have skill-oriented educationIJ
Ms Irani has a Herculean task ahead of her and it is to be seen if the motto of the Modi Government — Skill, Scale and Speed — is implemented in the most important sector of education.