New national policy on education coming
Aarti Dhar
PM's announcement in I-Day address went unnoticed in public focus on corruption
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's announcement on Monday on setting up a commission “to make suggestions for improvements at all levels of education” has largely gone unnoticed amid the public focus on corruption. Even though his Independence Day address did not elaborate on its mandate, sources in the government indicated, the recommendations of the proposed commission should add up to what could be a new National Policy on Education.
According to reliable sources, the commission is expected to be headed by an eminent educationist, assisted by experts from the fields of higher, technical, medical, secondary, elementary, vocational and other sectors of education. It will also have inputs from the reports of the National Knowledge Commission, the Yashpal Committee and the Valiathan Committee.
NPE of 1986
As the existing National Policy on Education, 1986 (NPE) was conceived during Rajiv Gandhi's tenure, it may be politically daunting for the United Progressive Alliance Government to wish away its vital elements. Political instability during the late 1980s led to delays in the launch of the policy, which was reviewed by the Acharya Ramamurty Committee and could be brought into force only after the Congress returned to power in 1991 and gave shape to the Action Plan of 1992 for the NPE. Thus Dr. Singh's announcement is expected to pave the way for a new policy after nearly two decades.
The NPE of 1986 itself has suggested not only periodic reviews of the policy but also a revision in the long-term. It was also a major departure from the national policy adopted on the recommendations of the Education Commission under Professor D.S Kothari, which in 1966 had called for a common school system as well as for a Plus-Two stage of schooling beyond Class X. Strengthening of research in the university system was another major recommendation.
It is a different matter that even the recently enacted Right to Education Act has also shied away from the common school system.
The 1986 policy led to encouragement to emerging sectors like Information Technology, which witnessed an upsurge following the opening up of the technical education sector, particularly in capacity expansion in the private sector. Although the 1986 policy spoke against commercialisation of education, the explosion in the number of private engineering and medical institutions, according to educationists, has only given a further impetus to the menace of capitation fee.
The rapid expansion of private institutions has also, according to the Yashpal Committee, resulted in deterioration in quality. The concerns over quality led the Centre to review all deemed universities.
Corruption cases
Several cases of corruption against functionaries of the regulatory authorities such as the All-India Council for Technical Education, the Medical Council of India and the Council of Architecture are under CBI investigation.
It is against this backdrop that the Education Commission, announced by the Prime Minister, is expected to come up with recommendations which could result in a new NEP as well as with directions for the future of all levels of education.
Notwithstanding the recent differences between the Health and Human Resource Development Ministries over the establishment of the overarching regulatory bodies for higher education and research (NCHER) and human resource in health (NCHRH), the proposed commission would address all sectors of education irrespective of the domain interests of Ministries.
With increasing globalisation of education, including the likely passage of the Foreign Education Providers Bill, now before Parliament, it will be interesting to see whether the proposed commission will co-opt foreign experts.
As a matter of fact, the Radhakrishnan Commission on University Education, which gave its report in 1949, had eminent academic leaders from universities in the United Kingdom and the United States among its members.
Happy Children
Children at Dhapo Colony Slum
Monday, August 22, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Pondering and Wondering
Pondering and Wondering
Sometime raising a right question is more important than a wrong answer. It is in this process I raise some questions in the hope that your responses will enhance my understanding.
Think of these questions assuming India is a family and we are its siblings. What should be the criteria of apportioning priority to the different needs and demands of the various members of the family?
Do you think it is acceptable to go and buy a TV or home theatre while one of your brothers or sisters is dying of hunger? Can anyone indulge in anniversary celebrations leaving his/her children suffering from some acute illness that demands immediate attention?
I would like you to consider the following:
1. The disproportionate expenditure our country spends on 'nice things', sports, recreation etc;
2. The disproportionate expenditure our government spends on critical things, like educating its sons and daughters;
3. The exorbitant expenditure on post-colonial celebrations like Independence Day and Republic Day etc;
4. Why there is such disparity in already scarce funds: 14 % expenditure on defense versus a measly 3.2% of GDP on education.
It seems that we cannot, or do not wish to, learn from history. When Westerners were building Oxford, we were building the Taj Mahal. When they were building airplanes we were founding the Muslim League (1906 in Shimal) and Hindu Sabha (1908 in Punjab). There are hundreds of such examples. And now when they are building space shuttles and going to Mars and other planets we are busy in mobilizing and dividing people into religions factions so they can gain 'access' to heaven. I ask you: just where are we going?
I have nothing against the Taj, or mosques or temples per se, I simply do not understand the prime objective of our ruling class. Where are the projects for the masses?
The budget allocation for different sectors tells us that our father and mother are clearly lethargic about educating us. This is not acceptable, given the most critical change agent is in society is EDUCATION.
A question has been haunting me ever since I read two news items in a magazine - one about death by hunger and about the exorbitant price- more than Rs.100 crore- to get one Olympic silver medal. The one event.
Rs.100 crore was spent on organizing things for and in Athens. Grooming sports people took months and years of preparation to reach eligibility for entry to Athens Olympic Village. Think of other sport events where so many rupees are being spent.
If we dare to surf the web and do some pretty rudimentary analysis of events in the year 2004 we can amass many mind-boggling facts such as the one above.
Don't get me wrong. I am not against sport. I have been a basketball player and represented my school and university teams on many occasions. But here with the help of arkitectindia group I am trying to understand a very basic question.
Where should a family head?
How should our Mother and Father spend money specifically allocated for its children?
What are their priorities? And for whom?
I think Mum and Dad have some favourites. Consider the following:
· In West Bengal people were dying of hunger after eating some roots of trees. The roots may be of poisonous in nature but they had no option as there was no food supply. Why?
· Several members of a tribal community in Orissa fell sick after eating mango kernels and a few of them died. It was reported that there was a shortage of food but mango kernels were the only option left with them. NDTV reported that the grains were being eaten by rats in the government godowns because of the lack of and inefficiency of communication and transportation facilities. Why?
· Thousands of farmers in Andhra Pradesh and adjoining areas committed suicide. Why?
· Every year we witness hundred and thousands of people who die either of hot wind (loo) or cold breeze. Don't say that the government does not know that every year summer comes, every year winter comes and also every year rain comes. But still there is no provision or programme to tackle this menace. Go out on the streets of Delhi and you will find people lying on the pavements waiting for the sun or death. But will the government built night shelters in different parts of the city? It does not require much - just a covered hall. It comes down to priorities: night shelters Vs. one medal, or you could read it this way: unwanted poor lot Vs. elite sportspersons. Is anybody listening right there in the sport ministry?
· We belong to a country whose government even can't provide primary education to its children. What a shame! January 26th is coming. There is a huge budget to celebrate Independence Day and Republic Day. If we make it a simple affair and invest all the money in building schools and industries the government can create lakhs of job opportunities for its unemployed citizens every year. But again it is a matter of priority. Who cares?
· There is no commitment to provide adequate funds for fulfilling the cumulative gap built up since the Education Commission’s recommendations in 1964-66 within a ten-year timeframe. In case of elementary education, it was to fulfill this cumulative gap that the Tapas Majumdar Committee (1999) recommended an additional funding of Rs. 13,700 crores per year for the next ten years which amounts to about 0.6% of the current level of GDP. This investment will be required for bringing all out-of-school children to formal school system. Is 0.6% of the GDP is too high to invest in primary education?
· We conducted a survey in Dhapo Colony Slum, New Delhi where we were running an education centre there. One question concerned patterns of expenditure. We were shocked to discover the responses of sizeable numbers of respondents whose daily average income was less than Rs75. For them, drink was an important item on the shopping list. And any extra money would be spent on boozing or other sorts of non-productive activities. But like the government of India they also don't have money to send their children to school. There is no concept of saving or investment. Of course there are some exceptional mothers and fathers who think about the future of their children. But not enough.
· The government has introduced Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) which provides low quality parallel educational streams. It is, in the words of Prof. Anil Sadgopal, anti-child, anti-poor and anti-education, for which we are paying for with a loan (remember it is a LOAN) from the World Bank, a loan laden with their conditions. Is there no shame in this? The fact that we cannot, will not, spend our scarce financial resources on educating our children? Where is the spirit 'development' in all this?
· Do you think our government has the right to be such frivolous conspicuous consumers? We are a republic, we're independent, let’s throw a party! These are expensive, one-day PR events, VIP soirees for the elite, and propaganda for the dumb masses that we've got something to smile about, as tens of thousands of children turned up to school the day before the party to find that their teacher simply decided not to get out of bed.
· Shall we demand the Government of India to stop these celebrations till, at least, we are able to give the future of India a decent education and employment to those who can and will work?
God help us to change.
To change ourselves and to change our world.
To know the need for it.
To deal with the pain of it.
To feel the joy of it.
To undertake "the journey without understanding the destination.
The art of Gentle Revolution" (Michael Leunig)
I ask members of this e-group to enlighten me, and others like me, who can't understand the 'simple' logic of our Mother and Father who leave some of us to die in one place and invests so much to nurture others. I am confused between necessity and luxury. Kindly throw some light on it - because I know darkness is nothing but the absence of light.
Thanks for patiently reading and considering.
Kind Regards,
Shaheen
Sometime raising a right question is more important than a wrong answer. It is in this process I raise some questions in the hope that your responses will enhance my understanding.
Think of these questions assuming India is a family and we are its siblings. What should be the criteria of apportioning priority to the different needs and demands of the various members of the family?
Do you think it is acceptable to go and buy a TV or home theatre while one of your brothers or sisters is dying of hunger? Can anyone indulge in anniversary celebrations leaving his/her children suffering from some acute illness that demands immediate attention?
I would like you to consider the following:
1. The disproportionate expenditure our country spends on 'nice things', sports, recreation etc;
2. The disproportionate expenditure our government spends on critical things, like educating its sons and daughters;
3. The exorbitant expenditure on post-colonial celebrations like Independence Day and Republic Day etc;
4. Why there is such disparity in already scarce funds: 14 % expenditure on defense versus a measly 3.2% of GDP on education.
It seems that we cannot, or do not wish to, learn from history. When Westerners were building Oxford, we were building the Taj Mahal. When they were building airplanes we were founding the Muslim League (1906 in Shimal) and Hindu Sabha (1908 in Punjab). There are hundreds of such examples. And now when they are building space shuttles and going to Mars and other planets we are busy in mobilizing and dividing people into religions factions so they can gain 'access' to heaven. I ask you: just where are we going?
I have nothing against the Taj, or mosques or temples per se, I simply do not understand the prime objective of our ruling class. Where are the projects for the masses?
The budget allocation for different sectors tells us that our father and mother are clearly lethargic about educating us. This is not acceptable, given the most critical change agent is in society is EDUCATION.
A question has been haunting me ever since I read two news items in a magazine - one about death by hunger and about the exorbitant price- more than Rs.100 crore- to get one Olympic silver medal. The one event.
Rs.100 crore was spent on organizing things for and in Athens. Grooming sports people took months and years of preparation to reach eligibility for entry to Athens Olympic Village. Think of other sport events where so many rupees are being spent.
If we dare to surf the web and do some pretty rudimentary analysis of events in the year 2004 we can amass many mind-boggling facts such as the one above.
Don't get me wrong. I am not against sport. I have been a basketball player and represented my school and university teams on many occasions. But here with the help of arkitectindia group I am trying to understand a very basic question.
Where should a family head?
How should our Mother and Father spend money specifically allocated for its children?
What are their priorities? And for whom?
I think Mum and Dad have some favourites. Consider the following:
· In West Bengal people were dying of hunger after eating some roots of trees. The roots may be of poisonous in nature but they had no option as there was no food supply. Why?
· Several members of a tribal community in Orissa fell sick after eating mango kernels and a few of them died. It was reported that there was a shortage of food but mango kernels were the only option left with them. NDTV reported that the grains were being eaten by rats in the government godowns because of the lack of and inefficiency of communication and transportation facilities. Why?
· Thousands of farmers in Andhra Pradesh and adjoining areas committed suicide. Why?
· Every year we witness hundred and thousands of people who die either of hot wind (loo) or cold breeze. Don't say that the government does not know that every year summer comes, every year winter comes and also every year rain comes. But still there is no provision or programme to tackle this menace. Go out on the streets of Delhi and you will find people lying on the pavements waiting for the sun or death. But will the government built night shelters in different parts of the city? It does not require much - just a covered hall. It comes down to priorities: night shelters Vs. one medal, or you could read it this way: unwanted poor lot Vs. elite sportspersons. Is anybody listening right there in the sport ministry?
· We belong to a country whose government even can't provide primary education to its children. What a shame! January 26th is coming. There is a huge budget to celebrate Independence Day and Republic Day. If we make it a simple affair and invest all the money in building schools and industries the government can create lakhs of job opportunities for its unemployed citizens every year. But again it is a matter of priority. Who cares?
· There is no commitment to provide adequate funds for fulfilling the cumulative gap built up since the Education Commission’s recommendations in 1964-66 within a ten-year timeframe. In case of elementary education, it was to fulfill this cumulative gap that the Tapas Majumdar Committee (1999) recommended an additional funding of Rs. 13,700 crores per year for the next ten years which amounts to about 0.6% of the current level of GDP. This investment will be required for bringing all out-of-school children to formal school system. Is 0.6% of the GDP is too high to invest in primary education?
· We conducted a survey in Dhapo Colony Slum, New Delhi where we were running an education centre there. One question concerned patterns of expenditure. We were shocked to discover the responses of sizeable numbers of respondents whose daily average income was less than Rs75. For them, drink was an important item on the shopping list. And any extra money would be spent on boozing or other sorts of non-productive activities. But like the government of India they also don't have money to send their children to school. There is no concept of saving or investment. Of course there are some exceptional mothers and fathers who think about the future of their children. But not enough.
· The government has introduced Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) which provides low quality parallel educational streams. It is, in the words of Prof. Anil Sadgopal, anti-child, anti-poor and anti-education, for which we are paying for with a loan (remember it is a LOAN) from the World Bank, a loan laden with their conditions. Is there no shame in this? The fact that we cannot, will not, spend our scarce financial resources on educating our children? Where is the spirit 'development' in all this?
· Do you think our government has the right to be such frivolous conspicuous consumers? We are a republic, we're independent, let’s throw a party! These are expensive, one-day PR events, VIP soirees for the elite, and propaganda for the dumb masses that we've got something to smile about, as tens of thousands of children turned up to school the day before the party to find that their teacher simply decided not to get out of bed.
· Shall we demand the Government of India to stop these celebrations till, at least, we are able to give the future of India a decent education and employment to those who can and will work?
God help us to change.
To change ourselves and to change our world.
To know the need for it.
To deal with the pain of it.
To feel the joy of it.
To undertake "the journey without understanding the destination.
The art of Gentle Revolution" (Michael Leunig)
I ask members of this e-group to enlighten me, and others like me, who can't understand the 'simple' logic of our Mother and Father who leave some of us to die in one place and invests so much to nurture others. I am confused between necessity and luxury. Kindly throw some light on it - because I know darkness is nothing but the absence of light.
Thanks for patiently reading and considering.
Kind Regards,
Shaheen
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
National Workshop on ‘Language and Education’: A Report
National Workshop on ‘Language and Education’
Organised by the All India Forum for Right to Education (AIF-RTE)
at Itarsi, Distt. Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh on 2-4 January 2011
A National Call
This Workshop on ‘Language and Education’ organized by the All India Forum for Right to Education (AIF-RTE) at Itarsi, Distt. Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh on 2-4 January 2011 recognizes the grave danger which all our mother tongues in India are facing today, as a result of the increasing pace of the neo-liberal assault on Indian economy, democratic polity and the education system. The language-cum-education policy which Macaulay initiated in 1835 to reinforce British imperialism, has continued unabated in post-independence India and today impacts more intensely on the education system than ever before as a result of the Indian State kowtowing to the dictates of globalization. We recognize that languages are not merely means of communication but are significantly vehicles of our thoughts, cultural history, production processes and the knowledge systems. Therefore, the assault that our mother tongues are facing would mean an erosion of our diverse cultures, national spirit and the collective strength to resist the neo-liberal economic order.
We, therefore, assert that the struggle to protect and develop the languages of the Indian people is also a struggle to save and enrich Indian democracy and our cultural diversity. Accordingly, the Workshop underlines that those of our mother tongues which are not included as of now in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution should also be recognized without further delay. These languages are not static but are undergoing continuous evolution as part of the historical process. If we stop using them, if they are allowed to die, then the cultures they represent shall also die,
including the cultures of the historically oppressed sections of society.
This Workshop also recognizes that global research has validated the age-old understanding that the mother tongue along with other neighborhood languages is the most effective means to acquire knowledge, build values and develop skills. It is this multilingulity of which our mother tongues are also a component provides us with a radical pedagogy for transforming our education system in the interest of wider sections of Indian Society. Multilinguality is now a globally acknowledged new way of viewing education which can serve as a powerful weapon to resist the exclusion of masses of our children and youth from education system.
We express our deep concern that ‘The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009’ (henceforth referred to as the RTE Act) has made a mockery of the crucial role of the mother tongue at the formative pre-primary (nursery, KG) and elementary (Class I-VIII) stages by stating that education in the child’s mother tongue will be provided only if it is ‘practicable’
[Section 29 (2) (f)]. By doing this, the RTE Act has played into the hands of market forces and has failed to accord the languages of the Indian people their historic place in education. Thus the RTE Act is bound to exacerbate the process of exclusion of masses of our children and youth from the education system. It also amounts to violation of the Fundamental Rights under Article 19(1)(a) to “freedom of speech and expression” and under Article 21A to education of equitable quality. The RTE Act further denies the statutory Right accorded by the Constitution under Article 350A to the children of the linguistic minorities to be educated through their respective mother tongues at the primary stage.
In light of the above findings, the Workshop recognizes an urgent need to undertake:
a) a critical review of the Three-Language Formula in the National Policy on Education-
1986 (As modified in 1992);
b) radical curricular and pedagogic changes with a view to bring in the emancipative perspective of multilinguality; and
c) urgent and effective measures to unconditionally recognize the role and place of Braille and sign languages in the curriculum from pre-primary stage to higher education as part of Fundamental Right to “freedom of speech and expression” and education of equitable quality and a concrete programme of action to ensure all necessary infrastructural support, including disabled-friendly computer technology, for the same.
This Workshop gives a clarion call to all patriotic and progressive forces of our country to join hands to raise a united struggle in order to accord the various mother tongues of the Indian people their respectful and pedagogically appropriate place as mediums of education in the curriculum from pre-primary to higher education. We further give a call to ensure that all our languages be increasingly used in all aspects of national life - in the judiciary, legislatures and
executive, and for trade and business, information technology and research and all other aspects of higher education. Unless this is done, our Right to receive education through our mother tongues will remain an incomplete agenda.
We further give a call that our struggle for an appropriate space for mother tongue and multilinguality in education must be rooted in resolute resistance to the prevailing policies of privatization, commercialization and corporatization of education and seek banning of all forms of trade and profiteering in education. In order to succeed in this struggle, it is essential to build public pressure on the government to withdraw the offer made to the WTO-GATS which places
Indian education in the clutches of global market forces. Lastly, it must be recognized that the languages of the Indian people will be protected, and will
grow and be enriched, only if we are able to establish a publicly funded Common School System where all schools are neighborhood schools (not the is conceived neighbourhood schools of the RTE Act) requiring children from all sections of society to study together from pre-primary to Class XII. It is only on the foundation of such an education system based on equality and social
justice that the masses can be educated and India can evolve as a democratic, egalitarian, secular and just society.
Itarsi, Distt. Hoshangabad
Madhya Pradesh, India
04 January 2011
Organised by the All India Forum for Right to Education (AIF-RTE)
at Itarsi, Distt. Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh on 2-4 January 2011
A National Call
This Workshop on ‘Language and Education’ organized by the All India Forum for Right to Education (AIF-RTE) at Itarsi, Distt. Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh on 2-4 January 2011 recognizes the grave danger which all our mother tongues in India are facing today, as a result of the increasing pace of the neo-liberal assault on Indian economy, democratic polity and the education system. The language-cum-education policy which Macaulay initiated in 1835 to reinforce British imperialism, has continued unabated in post-independence India and today impacts more intensely on the education system than ever before as a result of the Indian State kowtowing to the dictates of globalization. We recognize that languages are not merely means of communication but are significantly vehicles of our thoughts, cultural history, production processes and the knowledge systems. Therefore, the assault that our mother tongues are facing would mean an erosion of our diverse cultures, national spirit and the collective strength to resist the neo-liberal economic order.
We, therefore, assert that the struggle to protect and develop the languages of the Indian people is also a struggle to save and enrich Indian democracy and our cultural diversity. Accordingly, the Workshop underlines that those of our mother tongues which are not included as of now in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution should also be recognized without further delay. These languages are not static but are undergoing continuous evolution as part of the historical process. If we stop using them, if they are allowed to die, then the cultures they represent shall also die,
including the cultures of the historically oppressed sections of society.
This Workshop also recognizes that global research has validated the age-old understanding that the mother tongue along with other neighborhood languages is the most effective means to acquire knowledge, build values and develop skills. It is this multilingulity of which our mother tongues are also a component provides us with a radical pedagogy for transforming our education system in the interest of wider sections of Indian Society. Multilinguality is now a globally acknowledged new way of viewing education which can serve as a powerful weapon to resist the exclusion of masses of our children and youth from education system.
We express our deep concern that ‘The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009’ (henceforth referred to as the RTE Act) has made a mockery of the crucial role of the mother tongue at the formative pre-primary (nursery, KG) and elementary (Class I-VIII) stages by stating that education in the child’s mother tongue will be provided only if it is ‘practicable’
[Section 29 (2) (f)]. By doing this, the RTE Act has played into the hands of market forces and has failed to accord the languages of the Indian people their historic place in education. Thus the RTE Act is bound to exacerbate the process of exclusion of masses of our children and youth from the education system. It also amounts to violation of the Fundamental Rights under Article 19(1)(a) to “freedom of speech and expression” and under Article 21A to education of equitable quality. The RTE Act further denies the statutory Right accorded by the Constitution under Article 350A to the children of the linguistic minorities to be educated through their respective mother tongues at the primary stage.
In light of the above findings, the Workshop recognizes an urgent need to undertake:
a) a critical review of the Three-Language Formula in the National Policy on Education-
1986 (As modified in 1992);
b) radical curricular and pedagogic changes with a view to bring in the emancipative perspective of multilinguality; and
c) urgent and effective measures to unconditionally recognize the role and place of Braille and sign languages in the curriculum from pre-primary stage to higher education as part of Fundamental Right to “freedom of speech and expression” and education of equitable quality and a concrete programme of action to ensure all necessary infrastructural support, including disabled-friendly computer technology, for the same.
This Workshop gives a clarion call to all patriotic and progressive forces of our country to join hands to raise a united struggle in order to accord the various mother tongues of the Indian people their respectful and pedagogically appropriate place as mediums of education in the curriculum from pre-primary to higher education. We further give a call to ensure that all our languages be increasingly used in all aspects of national life - in the judiciary, legislatures and
executive, and for trade and business, information technology and research and all other aspects of higher education. Unless this is done, our Right to receive education through our mother tongues will remain an incomplete agenda.
We further give a call that our struggle for an appropriate space for mother tongue and multilinguality in education must be rooted in resolute resistance to the prevailing policies of privatization, commercialization and corporatization of education and seek banning of all forms of trade and profiteering in education. In order to succeed in this struggle, it is essential to build public pressure on the government to withdraw the offer made to the WTO-GATS which places
Indian education in the clutches of global market forces. Lastly, it must be recognized that the languages of the Indian people will be protected, and will
grow and be enriched, only if we are able to establish a publicly funded Common School System where all schools are neighborhood schools (not the is conceived neighbourhood schools of the RTE Act) requiring children from all sections of society to study together from pre-primary to Class XII. It is only on the foundation of such an education system based on equality and social
justice that the masses can be educated and India can evolve as a democratic, egalitarian, secular and just society.
Itarsi, Distt. Hoshangabad
Madhya Pradesh, India
04 January 2011
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