Not making the grade...

FINE PRINT

Education is not yet a fundamental right in India. Governments’ failure to push through this single obvious point exposes the extent to which politics compromised the nation’s educational goals

TEAM TOI

Controversy is the constant companion of education ministers. If it was saffronisation of textbooks and headon-collision with IIMs during the NDA regime, UPA’s Arjun Singh has been top of the charts for nearly five years. Be it OBC reservation in admission to state-run higher educational institutions or autonomy of IIMs/IITs, Singh has earned his share of bad name.

Often the real picture is missed in the rhetoric. During Murli Manohar Joshi’s stint as HRD minister, the biggest achievement was the 86th constitutional amendment making free and compulsory education to children of age 6 to 14 a fundamental right. Though Joshi spent more time packing institutions with his own men, he should also be credited for putting Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan on track. It is also not that he did not have a case while taking on IIMs on fee hike issue.

Arjun Singh, an old HRD hand, had his task cut out. Desaffronise textbooks and institutions and make a mark. He started immediately and even revived bodies like Central Advisory Board of Education, discontinued during NDA regime. A new national curriculum framework was adopted, textbooks were changed, without creating much rancour. Even political adversaries admit the books are forward-looking.

But after the Supreme Court did away with reservation in private professional institutions in Inamdar case in 2005, Singh came up with the idea of not only restoring reservation in private institutions but also reserving seats for OBCs in government as well as private institutions. While constitutional amendment for reservation was smooth, enabling the legislation met with stiff resistance. Finally, Supreme Court upheld it last year.

To be fair, many of Singh’s positive decisions got lost in the raging fire on reservation. Higher education has never seen the kind of expansion as it witnessed under him. Part of the credit goes to PM’s emphasis on higher education and liberal funding. From Indian Institute of Scientific Education and Research, many more IITs, IIMs, IIITs and SPAs, Singh ensured that institutes of excellence spread throughout the country. To bolster the university system, every state is being given a central university. Apart from that, 14 national universities are also planned. However, the manner in which UGC has been granting deemed university status to private institutions is being questioned.

Under Singh, SSA has progressed with an emphasis on quality. Even independent audit of elementary education shows that both SSA and Mid-Day Meal schemes are successes with enrolment rate going up across class and gender.

However, Singh did not show the same enthusiasm for pushing the Right to Education Bill. First few years of UPA regime were wasted in various committees and yet no common ground could be found on the landmark legislation. First the Planning Commission and finance ministry objected to a law that would cost the exchequer a lot. It resulted in the HRD ministry revisiting estimates and finally a figure of Rs 12,000 crore/year was calculated as cost to provide free education. But four years were lost. At the fag end of UPA regime, the bill was introduced in December.

In all this, secondary education is the sick child that Singh never attended to. The plan to have an SSA-like programme for secondary schools is still being put together and model schools are still a distant dream.

Times View

The biggest disappointment has been the failure to ensure free compulsory education as a fundamental right. In the seven years since the Constitution was amended, the Bill is yet to be passed, although the issue seems to be close to everyone’s hearts. Expansion of institutes like IITs/IIMs and a new pay structure for teachers are a required boost. That said, unbridled growth of deemed universities is a cause of concern. UGC’s tough regulations are too little, too late. A holistic approach , an integrated blueprint is the need of the hour to ensure education for all at the primary level and accessibility to higher education.