Objective view of the Policy

The policy under review 1-as been launched reluctantly and after lot of foot dragging. It lacks the spark of genuine interest. The absence of thrust that is so essential for actualization of the program is quite evident. It is largely due to the absence of a friendly socio-political-system that could promote the cause of education. The success of any education policy would need a strong political will that has been almost wholly absent in any regime that ever came to power. The need of the hour is a stubborn dedication at alt levels for the purpose and a leadership with extra-ordinary will power to get the things done. The fact is that without these essentials even the finest vision will fail to materialize.

The policy suffers from lack of strategy i.e. how to implement its proposals? For instance it says henceforth 7% of GDP will he set aside for education whereas in the past no government in power has ever been able to provide more than 2%. Ii says the standard of public sector schools vi11 be improved to match with the performance of private sector schools without identifying the basic causes of the difference which arc social inequalities, existence of a small elitist class and widespread poverty. In this environment no education policy has ever borne fruit in the past and none will ever succeed in the future. However, if the people in power are a bit serious about educating the nation on sound lines, they may heed the following suggestions.

It is recommended that a high powered Educational Authority may be set up with the aim of educating the entire nation within next 5 years. The task should be entrusted to the Union Councils of the LG system whose number in the country is 6026. They should all be directed to establish the required number of’ primary schools in their areas of’ responsibility. They should ensure the enrolment of every child of school going age. The requirements of these schools will be met out of local resources. The Authority should provide modernized syllabi and teachers training facilities. The government should allocate about 10% of GDP to finance the project.

This nation-wide spread of education at primary level shall entirely be in public sector. It will be highly subsidized but quite comparable to the private sector in worth and quality to enable even the poorest of the poor to have access to any institution he wishes to join. The public sector education thus should prove better than the private sector so that the so called prestigious institutions are compelled to bring down their costs. Spread of education at primary level at such a mammoth scale would create demand for education at all higher levels. When demand is there supply has to come as a matter of course. In view of this the launching of Apna Ghar schools for the poor are not recommended. This would create yet another class of the downtrodden which might get equated with orphanages.