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.