Amidst the cries of “NATION WANTS TO KNOW” and the ever-rising pseudo-nationalism, the nation has started to drift away from the most important concern- Education. It’s never a part of rally speeches or prime-time debates. When did we forget “Padhega India, tabhi toh badhega India”?
“Education must create a mind free from superstition, hatred, and violence and become an important vehicle to cement national unity, social cohesion, and religious amity. Our endeavor should be to inculcate moral, ethical and humanistic values in the individual society.”- This was a part of the BJP’S 2014 manifesto and 4.5 years down the line, there has been no significant execution of these plans, much like other things.
New National Education Policy
Prime Minister Modi, within 100 days of taking oath, announced the new National Education Policy. This May will mark the end of his current term and no stone has been turned yet.
Well, for one, this government does not have policy paralysis, but they do get policy fits, which they love to throw from time to time.
There have been increasing attempts to change the syllabus of the History books in BJP ruling states, chapters such as Jawaharlal Nehru, have been removed and those like Indian Emergency, A Dark Period 1975 have been added.
This is nothing but an intense push to feed the Hindutva agenda, by attacking the federal character of the Indian education. And, I personally think that the students of the 21st century need to study chapters on Nehru; how else will they associate our first Prime Minister’s celebrated speech with India’s freedom?
The government made tall claims of allocating 6% of GDP for education, but according to the Economic Survey of India, the public spending on education has been about 2.7% of the GDP. So much for the world’s biggest emerging economy! How do our ministers have the audacity to talk about ‘lack’ of skill in India?
The Commodification Of Education
The neoliberal education policy has been on a rise for a decade.
a) Rashtriya Ucchar Shiksha Abhiyan– UPA’s flagship programme, which has been carried forward by BJP, replaces the pre-existing funding mechanism with one centralized system. The funding is done through predefined conditions and norms which are making these institutions lose their educational autonomous power, because they have to follow the given guidelines.
That means, all our central universities will be puppets in the hands of the government, which has been highly infamous for suppressing free speech and dissenting voices.
b) The grants have been replaced with loans provided by Government’s HEFA– Higher education funding agencies, which are consequently raising the fees of these institutions. (1 lakh/semester(approx) – IIT) How is a country with 21.6% of its population lying below the poverty line, expected to fill such a hefty fee? A student from a humble background, who by sheer diligence and dedication cracks these tough exams will not be able to ‘buy’ a good future for himself.
c) Dismantling of the public sector – 225 schools in Rajasthan have been signed under public-private partnership model, approximately 15,000 schools in MP and 13,000 schools in Maharashtra have been shut down. The argument of the government is that there is a lack of students in these schools, but the reality is the lack of teachers.
d) According to a report by the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), the scholarship across three years for those belonging to the Scheduled Castes is Rs. 8,000 crore and for Scheduled Tribes, Rs. 3000 crore. Talk about Sabka saath sabka vikaas! Sounds more like vote bank ka saath, vote bank ka vikaas!
This data never makes it to the newsrooms and their debates. Right to Education is the fundamental right of every citizen and no government should take it away. A constant attack on our universities and charging innocent students of sedition has been the backbone of education for 4.5 years now.
We are the country of the unequal and not everyone is lucky enough to sit in an air-conditioned classroom; some strive for a basic education. It’s time to hold people accountable for selling education (too).