By: Lalit Garg
Today’s governance systems are becoming economically and politically driven, rather than in favour of public welfare and national sensitives. Even for the basic needs, like- education and medicine, the government’s attitude has been providing tell tale signs. For this, we have had to pay very heavy prices for the privatization of health and education. See the irony that proper education is not being provided to the children of our own country, while extensive efforts are being made to provide advanced education to foreign children. For foreign students, the central government has launched a new portal ‘Study in India’. Through this, international students will be encouraged to take admission in educational institutions of the country.
Inaugurating this portal, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar described it as a means for the country to establish a strong international presence of Brand India in the field of education. Surely this can be a unique initiative from the point of view of India’s prosperity and world prestige, but as for the question of Indian students, the problems still persist related to their education. Expensive education is becoming distant from common life, in such a situation, now that will take care of Indian students?
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‘Study in India’ project is guided by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. It reflects the government’s commitment to make India the preferred educational destination, as well as to shape India’s prosperous future. But how is it beneficial and useful for the deprived Indian students of higher education? The ‘Study in India’ website will provide information on undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG), doctoral level programs, as well as other educational programs including Yoga, Ayurveda, classical arts. In this, information related to educational facilities, research help will also be made available. But all this will be for the foreign students. Amidst all this, the efforts are also being made to improve the level of local education in the country.
One cannot lose sight of the fact that there is not a single name from India in the top 100 higher educational institutions of the world. Even today, foreign educational institutions remain the first choice for the higher education of capable families. Then how will we attract foreign students, even if we do, won’t it be unfair to Indian students? What India’s higher education will achieve from ‘Study in India’, which is already struggling with lack of resources and lack of better teachers, is a big question.
Making education and medicine a business through handing them over to private hands, both have become too expensive; access to them for the common man has become complicated. Expressing concern over this, Dr. Mohan Bhagwat, Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh said that education and health are the basic needs of every person, but both are becoming expensive and rare. The reason for this is the lack of availability and professionalism according to the rising population of India. When we are not able to give proper education to the people of the country, then how can it be justified to open doors to the foreign countries, and spend huge resources of the government on them? In a country where the underprivileged group is already going through an ordeal to educate its future generation, the insensitivity and greediness of private schools and hospitals have raised voices of social discontent and rebellion. In such circumstances, there is a question mark on the government’s intention to provide advanced education to foreign students.
Former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has dreamed of making India a developed nation by 2020. Addressing the nation on the eve of the 57th anniversary of India’s independence on 14th August 2004, he emphasized on education in his speech saying that ‘India is in the process of becoming a developed nation in the next 16 years and it is not possible without education’. In fact, education is the most important element for prosperity and development. Everyone’s access to educational facilities is very important. Still, education is not easily available for villages and poor families. India should spend 6-7 percent of its GDP on education. Governments are spending on education, but how much the poor and deprived sections get its benefits is a matter of speculation.
Politicians, educationists, officials and ministers who give long speeches on education are familiar with the wretched conditions of the country. Who does not see these children selling peanuts in buses, begging at railway stations, roasting corn at crossroads, filling water in Bisleri bottles in factories, selling vegetables on roadside or selling chaat. Why do they have to do this? How many people try to know this? The story behind the rickshaw- pullers, auto rickshaws and buses drivers is also similar. Even if the policy-makers had considered the family situation of their personal driver, servant or maid, they would have easily understood a lot about such situations. It is also seen at some places that children who are young enough to play with toys are found selling toys in fairs and markets. They have nothing to do with books at all. Then how can they see the golden dreams of development? In these conditions, how will a new India – a strong India – take shape? Are far-reaching schemes like ‘Study in India’ not a rude slap on the face of these deprived children?
IITs, NITs and universities like IISERs, IIMs, Central Universities, JNU, BHU may have slightly lower fees, but the process to reach here is very complex and competitive. Children reach there through struggling and studying easily. But now the exercise of increasing the fees is also going at a fast pace. Education is becoming expensive due to all government efforts and schemes, so the lower and working class of the country are forced to think how to arrange for the education of their children. In private colleges, so much money is spent that even the middle class’ standing is deterred, then what to say about the lower class? The real aim of the government is to hand over higher education to the corporate houses, to establish foreign universities and colleges in India, so that higher education can become a profit-making industry, instead of adding the expenditure of the government. When India became independent after two hundred years of slavery, we had many challenges and dreams before us. To face those challenges and to fulfill dreams, the constitution was made the main base.
Rhetoric was placed on giving special emphasis on education, the basic right of the people, and it was believed that until education does not reach the people of the country, the concept of all-round development of the country is impossible. But unfortunately, there has been a steady decline in the government’s investment in the field of education. By the way, it is said that the process of privatization promotes the spirit of competition and it is very important for development. This seems to be false propaganda, because if we talk about India, the process of privatization has only given rise to monopoly, neglect, exploitation and inflation. The underprivileged of the country are facing huge loss, instead of profit due to this privatization process, be it in the field of agriculture, health or education. Now with programs like ‘Study in India,’ education is likely to become a will-of-the-wisp for the deprived and underprivileged children of India. (The author is a journalist & columnist based in Delhi who can be reached at lalitgarg11@gmail.com)
