Memorials, Religious fervor and Education

Memorials, Religious fervor and Education

Even as the HRD Minister has expressed the hope (indeed the imperative) that the Right to Education Bill would be implemented in letter and spirit, voices of dissent have surfaced. One Chief Minister has blandly said that the state does not have funds to implement the Act. This is the state in which statues and memorials are being built with a vengeance that is hard to beat. History cannot be reversed. One cannot undo the suffering of the oppressed classes. One can however flaunt the newly found power and authority to score a point. How about carving stones as an answer to the oppression of thousands of years? As argued in this column earlier, the political class is not interested in India becoming a literate country. The very foundation upon which people come to power would be shaken. Literacy and education will awaken new aspirations. The educated will easily be able to see through the games of the rulers. No ruler wants this to happen – not even in a democracy. Hence the pitch of lack of funds without the basic courtesy of giving the laudable experiment a fair trial.

In another state, the Chief Minister is constantly in the news not for achieving something but for two dubious distinctions. The first is the frequency with which the Chief Executive Officer of the state attends prayers, rituals and sundry religious activities, each time seeking the blessings of someone apparently bestowed with paranormal powers. The second is the frequency with which the person breaks down in public, probably with a view to garner public sympathy. Matters concerning ordinary people like electricity, water, economic development and peace & tranquility in society can wait. This is the state in which the three top officers of one of the largest universities in the country are fighting in the open like spoilt children. The officers and those responsible for appointing them in the first place have a lot to answer for. The Governor has ordered an enquiry by a retired High Court Judge. This is the REAL state of education in our country and we are talking of the Right to Education.

In yet another state, known for its atheist ideology and dogmatic outlook, and known also for making education a flourishing business (remember the Principal of a Medical College caught on camera demanding an astronomical sum for a seat – a college in which a Minister in the Union Cabinet has an interest) a succession battle is being raged which would give any of the soap operas a run for their money. Does anyone care for the people please?

The time has come to seriously debate whether the federal structure that we have adopted is suited to our country – particularly in the light of a demand for more states; one state has come to a virtual standstill with no signs of the violent protests abating. The time has also come to debate the so-called concurrent list that gives any state the power to stall an otherwise noble cause purely out of political expediency. Let us move on with the task of nation-building, and let us show the naysayers their rightful place in history.