Now, while I would look at the numbers with more than a little skepticism, let us assume that what the authors have to say here is in fact, correct.
My question here is somewhat different. The article talks extensively about how more and more children have started going to school now, but little about what kind of schools. It mentions concerns about the quality of education, but only as an afterthought. While our children do go to schools, what is so great about that? They go to schools where on any given day; almost 25% of their teachers dont turn up. They go to schools where they are provided with no water to drink, dont have a fan to sit under even on the hottest of days and at times a tent for their school building! More importantly: what is that they learn in these schools that they go to? One survey found that 80 per cent of those who passed Class V from Municipal Corporation of Delhi schools in Delhi could not read or write, drop-out ratios are as high as 40 per cent in primary schools and go up to around 70 per cent by secondary school. (Business Standard, April 20, 2005) What is this revolution that were being congratulated on, I wonder!
The future of the nation is in its children. The poresent has got distorted mainly due to corrupt politicians hoodwinking gullible illitrate people. Tomorrow is going to be different. Thank you GOI!
The quiet revolution took place after the British gave up on India, having sucked it dry. The legacy continued, with new kids on the block, all chin and nose, full of private education, a lifetime of privilege and dumb words spoken with full confidence in the world- gave India back to the great unwashed and watched them kill the golden goose. Look for or create jobs& not a career- courtesy a system that demands students to be good on the job of making the grades: very competitive- in other words, simple. An average Indians self worth is based on their job status or its outcomes(implications/consequences) then themselves. Thus further Confused Indians - about being alive with being young, about being international with being british/euro/western-nized. In the past, they let you get on with your life within the rules; and the present either dont make rules nor follow& let you get on with your life, but then, not caring is very underrated in a way! Contradictions Galore. Becquse, thats not the real thing, actually a mockery of it. Everybody always has a 'lot on plate'! Indians talk and its statistics now- as though, its part of the rat race! What Indians need is a little more faith.
It is the success of the Government and NGOs in ensuring primary education for people from every strata of society, that has laid the foundation for unprecedented growth of the Indian Economy. It is the educated class that is propelling growth and development in every sphere. This should be a lesson for all developing countries, as to what they should be doing to promote development.
By the definition of GER and the fact that the poor, rurals often enrol late and/or often fail, I doubt if GER shows the real picture. Measuring the GER over a range - say grade I to IV - than at an instance - grade I or VI (as is done here in the report) - will give a clearer real picture, which, I guess, will not be this pleasing. And the report conveniently ignores the other metric/parameter which is a more real indicator of our progress in the field of eductaion(or the lack thereof) - School Drop Out ratio. The ratio still happens to be around 53%(2004). The caste-wise and class-wise distribution of this ratio indicates how we have not been able to take "elementary" education to the downtrodden and underpriviledged.
