Bihar’s Dismal Rural Education- Root Cause

Last evening my wife, Yamuna was talking to Sulekha, my sister-in-law in Pipra. I was inquisitive to know about the girls with whom I talked during my March visit to my village. They all had appeared for school final examination. How were their scores? Could some of them go for higher education? What Sulekha informed was just shocking. Hardly any would go for higher education, because their parents with their meager earning can’t afford that. Logistically too, it would be difficult. They all will perhaps get married at the earliest, arranged by the family.

But what shocked me more was the additional revelation from Sulekha. Sulekha herself runs a coaching of a sort.
Most of those girls, the typical lot in rural Bihar of the day could have hardly continued because they just can’t cope up with the curricula of the higher studies. Their score in school final examination does reflect their real capability. They normally follow all unfair practices of copying backed by their teachers, guardians and relations and score high percentage of marks. Forget about the knowledge level, their basic capacity of reading, writing, and grasping is extremely poor. On their own they would have hardly scored 40% or even failed. But many of them scored 70% or more, because of the malpractices used in writing the answer books. There are exceptions but very few.

Sulekha advised me not to be morose. According to her, one can hardly improve the situation under the condition prevailing in the rural Bihar. Bihar, particularly the rural region, lacks the culture required for the spread of quality education. Most of the teachers in the village school just manage their attendance to get their salary. They do everything else but teaching while in school. Parents are illiterate but more than that they hardly appreciate the need of education and the scope that it provides. Unemployed youth with some education loitering without any work and wasting their time in villages provide disincentive to the villagers to get their kids educated. Coaching is non-existent. Most of the villagers are underemployed and waste the time in gossip and village politics. Farming activities keep them busy for hardly 15 days in each cultivation season, but not more than 45 days in the whole year. Good tutors are hardly available. If available, most of the families can hardly afford to pay their fees. No one is available to do this work for free, not even the retired old persons.

The main task for the government agencies and its employees, the organized business community, the religious gurus and so called civil society must be to research what is required to create an ambiance of learning, innovation and entrepreneurship in rural India. Even today the villages in Bihar are hardly having any common reading room with some newspapers or even a small library. Whosoever somehow got educated has migrated. The school or village group hardly organizes any function such as prize giving ceremonies related to the performance of the kids in education or skills. Is it very difficult to have an effective programme to create a conducive atmosphere for education in the villages when the government is pouring so much of money in rural sector? School system must explore possibilities of extensive interactions of the rural children through visits and collaborating with various schools in jointly-organized programmes for students. Education shows can also be organized for better exposure and challenges.

I have been talking with persons from different states about the situations in rural regions of their states. I found them all concerned about the deteriorating conditions of education in the villages. Those who are the policy makers, though with their origin in the villages have lost their touch and concern for the villages. Those left in villages are establishing their own norms of culture in name of tradition that are more rigid and inhumane.

More than the infrastructures for school perhaps, the rural India needs orientation programmes touching all the population. I wish the policy makers give some thought to this issue. Unfortunately, India started with galore of wonderful programmes of adult education but all ended with announcements with hardly any result visible on ground.
=======
PS: Like many exemplary actions, I wish Bihar publishes and distributes a daily newspaper ‘Gram Samachar’ to every Panchayat and create a reading room with every Panchayat Bhawan. . The investment will be its worth.

Posted in bihar, education | Leave a comment

Is Manmohan Still Honest and Brilliant?

I came across a blog, ‘The PM is an honest man and a brilliant economist’. Is he really qualified with the adjectives even after the whole of the country knows now and is experiencing?

After Supreme Court rebuke, Delhi police has come out to arrest Saxena involved in cash for vote case. After the left quit UPA, it was Manmohan’s sole initiative to use Amar Singh to win the confidence motion. Manmohan wanted to prove to Sonia that he was a politician too. And who on this earth can say that Amar is not a corrupt person who has made money using very little fair and mostly foul mean. By using Amar Singh did not Manmhan become dishonest and corrupt? How could one even imagine that MPs can be made to vote against their party’s whip without a suitcase load of currency notes? Manmohan would have seen that in Narsingha Rao regime too. He didn’t find anything wrong with his mentor’s method. Many fingers are now pointing towards Manmohan too.

The Delhi Police after SC’s intervention confessed that ‘it was former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh who introduced Sanjeev Saxena as his secretary to allegedly bribe three BJP members of Parliament a day before the July 22, 2008 trust vote.’ And Saxena is also confessing it, though now conveniently Amar Singh disowns Saxena. It is again the money that distanced Amar Singh from Mulayam. As the rumour mill says, Mulayam lost 40,000 crore in the process.

Swami Agnivesh, a member of the Anna team, sought to question the PM’s honesty, saying he was elected to Rajya Sabha after being shown as a resident of Assam after renting a room in the house of former CM Hiteshwar Saikia. “You (Singh) got elected from Assam saying you are a resident of the state. You are not from Assam. You are from Punjab. PM talks about honesty. What is this, honesty?” I happened to know a little about Saikia family, as one of his sons in RK Mission College, Narendrapur was the roommate with my eldest son.

Is it not good enough to question his honesty?

And about his being a brilliant economist, the lesser we talk, the better it for him. Where his brilliance with continuing inflation, damaging the peace of every household of the country?

Posted in governance, indian politics | Leave a comment

Rural India: Education thru’ Technology

When the rural India is so behind in getting a right access to good education because of poorly qualified teachers or somewhere even the lack of schools and colleges, can technology take over the role of teachers or be of help? There are possibilities but there are any entrepreneurs ready to explore the field in rural India. However, some social workers or NGOs are doing excellent job as an oasis in large desert. The government has only made promises for taking internet and broadband right up to every village with little progress.

Interestingly private educational institutions market for the kindergarten to Class 12 segment today is estimated at $20 billion; and tutoring at $5 billion. Out of one million existing schools, around 75,000 are privately run. But the private schools have not reached the villages and are mushrooming mostly in cities and towns. It’s certainly because of its commercial viability in villages.
As a good thing, the course materials for all the subjects for the various examinations are available. Some companies have already established themselves in the sector: EdServ Ltd, Everonn Education Ltd, Educomp Solutions Ltd and Pearson Education. As reported, nearly 10 million students have logged into their online classrooms in India. So it has been a proven and successful model for educating the students.

I am sure it is possible to take it to villages. As on today, the villages in India lack electricity and broadband facilities required for using computers and right size screens for business-like class rooms. And the cost of the facilities is also significant. But more than that, the people in villages require a showcasing of this possibility, some sorts of demonstrations.

I wish the educational companies such as Educomp start marketing it to reach every villages in India and let me assure them that a big market is waiting to be explored. However, the companies must work on Nano principle so far costing is concerned.

I have a special appeal to all the students graduating at IIMs, IITs, and other similarly high ranking engineering and management schools to take this task as a summer project. They must find a business model of the education through technology that can get some young men of the village engaged to earn. They must prepare the roadmap to make it happen and be successful. Let them facilitate just one village to get solution to their education problem so that they can avoid sending their children, particularly the girls to the town, by finding and training few young men who can take it up as business. After all, India has more than 6 lakh villages to cover. Distance education and learning can be the only solution and it is possible best through technology.

I wish the state education ministry facilitate and encourage the project and provide all facilities, say a class room in the village school or use of the school building after the school hours.

Every kid of the rural India must have similar opportunity to learn English language or use of computer or for that matter any subject or skill as one gets in urban India. The academician can work on creating the best of the content that can easily be grasped through videos and audios. Telecom companies that have now reached a large number of rural populations must also focus on educating the people in rural India instead of alluring them only to entertainment of songs and films and informing them about the commercial products.

Why can’t the brilliant content designers and producers of the digital world in the country participate in this mission of educating rural India?

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Malice of Education

Imparting quality education has become really challenging. Simultaneously, it provides huge opportunity too for the country and its young population. If one goes by the number of ads in newspapers and magazines, perhaps the majority numbers of ads may be for a business regarding education.

The number of public and international K-12 private schools seems to be increasing exponentially. Competition is forcing these schools to expand and improve its infrastructures with world class play ground, swimming pool, auditorium, air-conditioned hostels and everything that one can imagine. A report in Crest, Times of India describes the job challenges for today’s teachers. “From being a step ahead of iPad-carrying students to making elaborate data sheets, from looking good in class to networking with paranoid parents, new age teachers (instructors) are working very hard to stay relevant in a constantly evolving smart classroom.”

And some questions start troubling my mind. What is the percentage of such fortunate students of its total population? Is it the reason of such high score in CBSE and board examinations? Are these schools training the students in just learning techniques to ace the examination without getting any significant real knowledge?

And then I come across another report of ‘India Today’-’95% and nowhere to go’, that provides a glimpse of the hollow performance of the students from the similar high-end schools.

“A Class XII English teacher at a Delhi government school says, “It is possible to score 100 per cent even in English with the current lenient marking scheme. My school has had an exceptional result this year, with more than 29 per cent getting over 90 per cent in English. This, from students who cannot string three sentences of English together.”

And then should not the country’s educationists and intellectuals know about the status of education in the rural India away from our metros and cities, where even as on today 70% of the population lives?

Many school buildings have come up. The government has employed hundred thousand or more teachers. Many students have got cycles for transportation. The students also get some sort of mid-day meals as incentive to come to school. But the performance of the students shows a dismal situation: “In August last year, Unicef, Patna, carried out a survey, where the learning level of students from classes II to V was evaluated, in select schools in 27 districts. While 82 per cent students of Class II were found unable to even copy sentences from their Hindi textbooks, 68 per cent of Class V students were unable to read Hindi prose in Class IV textbooks. Sixty-six per cent students in Class II were found unable to count from one to hundred and 96 per cent were found unable to calculate time in hours, minutes and seconds.”

Is it not shameful? The country must think of the system that is behind such performance. Unless we correct that, we are going for disastrous consequences.

Can we think of the government intervention? Not at all. People who matter are busy in saving their chairs or accumulating ill-gotten money as we keep on hearing every day.

Posted in education | Leave a comment

India Inc: Educate and Skill Rural India

Everyone, be they politicians or administrators or corporate honchos, talk of inclusive growth and equity at all platforms. I wonder if they are really in know of the real problems and interested to do something. Rural India is getting lagged behind. And the lack of quality schools and effective education system are the main reasons for it. Unlike the urban India, the rural India has failed to attract any significant private investment in education but for some experimental corporate initiatives.

Education in rural India is dependent mostly on government schools. Most of the states are trying to set up primary and secondary schools in every village, but the quality of education is still suspect. It is nowhere near what urban India is getting. Many urban centres are getting private investment in education and some of the high-end schools can be compared with the best anywhere.
The rural government schools lack the basic infrastructure such as toilets and drinking water and essential facilities, be it electricity, computer and Internet, library, and even sports for modern education. The quality teachers, who are sincere and motivated enough to learn and experiment in the art of teaching and imparting knowledge, are just missing. Spirited ones are rare in teaching community today.

Most of the schools are just a building with few rooms with a blackboard on which you can’t write eligibly. Kids still sit on floor. There is hardly any security provision to keep the equipment and accessories for aiding education safely. Teachers don’t stay in the campus and walk or cycle from distant villages. Their regular attendance is doubtful. There is hardly any agency to monitor their work and performance regularly as required for effective output. There is neither any effective incentive for good work nor penalty for not performing.

Most of the villages are not having school for carrying on the education up to class XII. And most of the families can’t afford going to a town for further schooling. Naturally those who can coach are also missing in the villages, as they don’t find it paying. Most of the parents can’t afford it. Many who can afford don’t want to do that as they expect it to be free. And who are the losers? Mostly, they constitute the lowest strata of the society for whom the government or the politicians have coined a new word BPL(Below Poverty Line).

Will the logics above be good enough to draw the attention of India Inc. that are critical of mandatory CSR to do something for just one aspect of the lives of these unfortunate rural children that can empower and light up their future. And perhaps in just ten years India Inc could not only cut down on this expenditure but can also get the returns on its investment too, if it starts today with a mission to educate and skill the rural India.

Let the corporate India take educating and skilling rural India as one-point programme. They will not only be helping inclusive growth but also build an India that they all can take pride in. In 2009, 53 million dropped out because their families couldn’t afford it or the conditions of classrooms and the arrogance of the teachers providing them with little real learning, couldn’t hold them. And most of them were the underprivileged ones.

There are some examples of the industrial and business houses doing some excellent work in rural India. Sunil Mittal group is one. Bharti Foundation has about 236 schools that are providing free quality education to underprivileged children in remote villages across India with particular focus on the girl child. There are others too. HCL’s Shiv Nadar has also initiated a similar project for rural India. But why can’t Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, Birla and the whole lot of their peers join Mittal to have a private school in each village of the country to provide quality education and skill to the future generation. India needs around six lakh quality schools in villages. Corporate India must think of taking over the existing government schools in the villages. Many states may agree for it.

Unless the rural India and particularly those from the deprived class- dalits, SC, ST, join the race for a place in higher education, India can’t improve its standard of higher education with targeted gross enrollment ratio of around 30 from the present level of 10-14. Even IITs and IIMs will not keep on getting the best of talents in the country without so many from rural India not in competition.

There can’t be any better CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) than this project of educating rural India. The project will automatically take care of other things.

Posted in agriculture, bihar, education | Leave a comment

Bihar: Neglected Higher Education

Nitish Kumar has hardly done anything to contribute to and improve the higher education in the state during the years of his rule. The students’ and teachers’ indiscipline is still a major deterrent for creating an ambience for respectable academic culture to move forward for the excellence in academic performance. The caste wars still remain a dominant factor. The students are satisfied to get the certificates and degrees with fair and fowl means. The teachers instead of taking interest in developing their teaching skills keep themselves busy in institutional politics and even using the students for that.

Even the reputed colleges such as Patna Science College, Women’s College, BN College and the engineering and medical colleges have lost its past glory. This week I got ‘India Today’ that has ranked all the colleges of arts, science, commerce, engineering, medicines and even law. I couldn’t find even a single institution from the state. I was searching for the NIT, Patna, Chanakya Law College and Chandragupta Management School in the list. Unfortunately I could find any. Is it not a shame for the state, its government and people-teachers, students and parents? I am sure that Nitish can’t build and enhance the image of Bihar with just its Litti-chokha. I don’t know if Nitish as the chief minister has ever addressed any meeting of the principals of the 100 best colleges, heard them, and appealed for improving their standard to the level of the reputed colleges of the country.

Today many colleges of arts, science, commerce and law such as Lady Shri Ram College, St. Stephen’s (New Delhi), St Xavier’s (Kolkata) or Loyola (Chennai) are looked upon by the young generation almost as equivalent to IITs and IIMs. MNCs and reputed Indian companies are visiting their campuses and offering great remuneration packages similar to IITs and IIMs. Why can’t the colleges of Bihar and all who are responsible of managing these institutes take some lessons from it?

I find a large number of proposals for setting up professional colleges on the website of the state. But hardly few have taken shape. One can understand the reason for the big industry not coming to the state as it is short of power or land acquisition may be problem. But it is difficult to perceive the reasons for the professional educational institutions not getting interested in setting up their shops in Bihar, when the students of Bihar are going to all parts of the country for getting admissions in the professional institutes and spending at least 50% more.

I wish the chief minister and the present education minister who are quite qualified persons, to appreciate the need to go into the root-causes of the problems and to find effective solutions. Perhaps the education sector in Bihar with so much of indiscipline must require ruthless actions and surgery. Let the political interferences be out and meritocracies prevail in education.

I can only appeal to Nitish Kumar to bring a revolution in education in Bihar everything else will follow. Bihar needs many Madan Mohan Malviyas. As I keep on hearing there are many black sheep in the administration causing delays and holdups. Let Nitish Kunar remove all the red tapes in the administration to encourage such people.

Posted in bihar, education | Tagged | Leave a comment

Two States, Two Universities and common Mentors

It is interesting that Amartya Sen and Sugata Bose are at the helms of affairs of setting up two world class great institutions of excellence: Nalanda International University and Presidency University. While the former one is to come up near Rajgrih in Bihar, the later one will grow out of the former Presidency College, Calcutta in West Bengal. As one from Bihar and also an alumnus of Presidency College, I am looking with a great hope for the two institutes to get shape. With the age factor against me, I don’t know if I shall see the institutes bloom in its full glory.

I sometimes wonder if the two distinguished professors will prove themselves two great managers too to complete these dream projects that can shape up and change the academic culture of the eastern India and bring a pride to the whole nation.

While Nalanda International University will come up as a new campus on 1000 acres, it is not known if Presidency University will have a new campus out of Calcutta. Perhaps it will be necessary for Presidency University to move to a new campus in an appropriate location because of the space constraints in present location today. Otherwise, it will have a similar disadvantage that IIT, Kharagpur faces today.
Image
Academically, it will be easier for Presidency College to take shape of an University. It has already around 18 full-fledged departments of various subjects providing graduate and post graduate courses. And I hope that even after the damage caused by the leftists government, it must have some excellent faculty in each department and scaling up may not be difficult. Presidency University can also look to its alumni to assist in getting its dreams realized. I would have liked each of the department to become a full fledged school in the university, and the best of the alumni of the department from across the globe could head and help to make it world class.

In a country with $22 billion dollar worth of valuables stashed in just one temple, the fund can’t be a problem for this great cause. I wish the industrialists, alumni and also people of the country to donate generously for the fund required in making the dreams of Presidency University realized. I always look back to the example of Madan Mohan Malviya. If he could arrange the entire fund for seeing his dream shaped, why can’t it happened today in much more prosperous India of the day?

In case of Nalanda International University, I wish the teachers are paid in line with the best in the world and selected from all over the world. Each school such as the school of historical sciences and the school of environment and ecology that are starting next year must cover every aspect of the subject in different departments.

The centre and Bihar government must construct a 6-lane express way connecting the university from Patna airport and railway station, and plan a world class International satellite township with all infrastructural facilities on the periphery of the university campus. The region must remain sanitized for providing the academic ambiance.

I wish it happens faster with some Japanese or Chinese efficiency as both the countries are participating in the project. Interestingly, both the projects have a tacit support of the chief ministers of the states.

Posted in education | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

President of RWA, Sector 41, Noida : an Extraordinary Appeal

After many months, I felt an inner urge to write this letter rather an appeal in the interest of the sector’s residents. The latest Samvada has published two entries one from the reigning President of RWA and the other from the leader of so called opposition. Before proceeding, I want to tell both of them that none of the residents feel like reading such correspondences. We have not decided to live in this sector for reading such letters. We wish to live in peace in a community with pleasing social ambience.

The incumbent executive including the president have run the RWA for many years. They have mastered the art and science to keep on winning. It doesn’t mean that the majority of the residents really love them to continue. For a change, why should not they on their own decide not to contest the election and allow new aspirants to come? I know that as per the constitution it is not required. A president may keep on winning the election and retaining the reign till end of his life like many in Arab countries. And the residents will hardly bother.

I will again appeal to all the office bearers that they on their own must discard the office after a reign of two years. I wish it should be incorporated in the constitution of the RWA and for that matter it should be universally applied. Citing example from the country’s political scenario, the communists in West Bengal kept on winning election; it didn’t mean they were liked by the people of the state and finally they were thrown out. Why should it happen in a residential complex?

I am sure every resident of the sector will love my idea and the incumbent will become more respected.

I have few more things to share with residents of the sector.

The sector is too big for fellowship to develop. RWA must divest its resources to develop each block. The block representative must be a leader good enough to organize many get-togethers to develop the necessary fellowships among 150-170 families living in that many houses. The families must know each other and in long run be of help to each other if required.

The community of the sector must be more active to make its member contribute more to the community around, such as the families and the needy persons in the village or for the people working for the sector and providing various services. It may be providing the healthcare services, skill training or education to those who can’t access and afford. With so many of wealthy people and with so much of resources, we can certainly do something to make a difference in the quality of life of those deprived ones that can be example for other sectors of Noida.

Further, as I don’t know the fate of the next election, I request the next President or the executive that come for two more things:
Please have a good library in the community centre with bookshelves lined up all along the walls to provide an impetus to the young population of the sector to join the knowledge society. Many ministries are offering various aids.

Please create some playgrounds for the kids wherever there are some vacant areas such as one in our A Block. Unfortunately Noida Authority has totally missed this aspect in its planning.

I request the executives to make the sector look a little better. Encourage for a little effort and self constraint from the residents.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Change not Reshuffle Cabinet

I once considered all the three ministers mentioned below as very efficient and effective. SM Krishna did a wonderful job as chief minister of Karnataka. Chidambaram is very impressive if one hears him. He is effective as home monster too but perhaps he lacks humility that must come with power. I had very hopes with Manmohan Singh, but he is not brave and even though he denies he is just a lame duck prime minister. I don’t understand how he can be called democratically elected, when everyone knows that he is there as Sonia put him there. The stories below will certainly make one doubt why should these men be there still.

• During a debate in the 15-member Council on security and development, Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna read out the Portuguese delegate’s speech, instead of India’s for about three minutes before India’s envoy to the UN came forward and pointed to the Indian speech in a stack of papers in front of Krishna. Further, with mikes on, Krishna whispered to his ambassador, ‘Should I read it from the beginning?’ The ambassador said, “Yes, you can start again”.

• A person whose name figured in the list of 50 most wanted Indian fugitives in Pakistan that was given to Pakistan was found to be living in a suburb of Mumbai. And the home minister P Chidambaram sought to play down the goof-up. “I did not prepare the list. It was prepared months ago. Just one name… whether it is the same person or two persons of same name, we have to see. “Be that as it may. If you prepare a list of 50 people, one name, assuming that we are wrong in one name, 49 are right. I don’t think we should make a big issue of it. It is possible there could be an error or there could be two people with the same name. I will go back and check,” Can any sane person take his argument? And still he is one of the best ministers.

• Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his meeting with the media last week made an ‘off-the-record’ comment by about “25% of Bangladeshis being anti-India” and influenced by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)’. Can you tell a neighbor a thief even if he is one? Is Manmohan showing his age? How can a great nation bear with it?

According to a reshuffle buzz, Manmohan may drop S M Krishna. I will again impress on him to bring some from private sector. Why should not he approach NR Narayana Murthy or Sam Pitroda and Krishnamurthy or Subodh Bhargava or Shreedharan to be in his team? There may be many more and better persons known to Manmohan.

And more than that let there be a re-engineering, structural change. Create a ministry of manufacturing and drop many that are not required.

Posted in governance, indian politics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

‘Strong and Effective’ Lokpal

As expected the all party meeting called by the government to come to a consensus on Lokpal Bill failed. Naturally three hours were not good enough. But one can easily conclude few things out of the Sunday meeting.

There was a consensus on making Lokpal effective and strong.

The prime minister, his party and the government agreed that the bill must be robust enough to make Lokpal effective and strong to deter persons from corruption.

The opposition in all party meeting rightly had expected a final draft from the government, after its minister spent so much of time with the members of civil society that it intends to present in parliament in the monsoon session. However the government didn’t do that it instead presented both versions.

Perhaps now the government will prepare its final version and get it through the cabinet before putting into the parliament. The country men will come to know at that time if the government has yielded to the demand of the Anna team. Further the people will come to know only then if it really intends to create a strong and effective Lokpal.

Naturally, the debate in parliament will be fierce. However, the final result will reveal if the parliament realizes the rage of the people against the politicians and administrators or those in powerful position. Will the potential corrupt be fearful of the Lokpal that the parliament created or will they continue in the corrupt way as they are doing it now?

One thing is clear that the whole exercise of the series of meetings with the members of civil society was just a waste, as the government never wanted to give any respect to their ideas. The way the government pumped them up made all the political parties go against the civil society. It’s really bad for future. The civil society could be of a great help in more important bills such as Land Acquisition Bill or even making Food security Bill effectively implemented.

Unfortunately, right from day one, the government of Congress is biased against the Anna’s team and has branded it allied with RSS and BJP. Even if they are, there is nothing wrong in hearing them if they have some better ideas in the interest of the nation. After all we claim India as democratic country.

The government and opposition have only agreed to take up the bill in monsoon session. It would have also decided a time frame to get it implemented. I doubt. It may take many more months if not years.

Next, will Anna go for the fast and will it matter now anymore? Anna and his men will have to go to the people if the bill presented by the government is not with the right mission to eliminate corruption, and if the politicians show any inkling of perpetuating their power to manage all the bills

Posted in governance, indian politics | Tagged , | Leave a comment