After independence we have been tinkering with this system of education. Our leaders have been thrusting their ideas on the nation without a national debate on the education policy. One of such outcome of the dreams of few leaders is the lofty concept of ‘right to education’. If you do not create and maintain educational infrastructure how do you implement this policy. Just look at the state of government run schools. They are a monumental tribute to the apathy of our politicians towards our poor young generations.
Students should have freedom to learn what they want to learn. What is the need for two language or three language systems? Why the government wants to force even the number of languages a student has to learn? Let there be educational institutions who offer education in any language. If there is a need and if they provide quality education, parents will send their wards to such institutions.
Right to Teach
It is the duty of a person with knowledge and skill to transfer them to future generations. It is their duty to teach. Indian society has always recognized this. This process helps in decentralizing the ‘education and skill building’ in society. This is till happening in every craft and traditional knowledge system but we have closed our eyes on the reality. Even today most of our world class artists and performers are the product of this ancient system. We need to empower our ‘Gurus’ and enable them to issue diplomas and degrees for their craft.
Just as there is fundamental right to learn, our culture believed in a fundamental right to teach. A teacher could collect his pupils under the shade of an ashvattha tree, if he is acknowledged as knowledgeable, acceptable to the society and has means to do so. That is what used to happen in our society and s/he was known as “Acharya”. Our literature is full of such universities (Ashrams) run by Vyas, Vashishtha, Markandeya, Vishwamitra, Gautam, Chanakya and other rishis. This is not possible in modern era, as the government and the modern university system do not allow an “Acharya” to confer nationally or internationally recognized degrees.
We need to create a legal framework where ‘right to teach’ is recognized.
We must follow three principles:
First Principle: Government should play a minimal part in education. But, “Limited government role does not mean indifferent government”.
Second Principle: Freedom of education, with right to learn as well as teach.
Third Principle: “Education is religion – provided it is practical and pays dividends”
“Right to Teach’ would create centers of learning in every area of art and craft. There will be huge employment generation.
Transparency in the system
Every educational institution must get itself rated by an independent rating agency like CRISIL, ICRA or CARE and publicly announce its rating to prospective students to enable the students to choose the institution they want to enroll in.
At one stroke, this will bring in transparency and ensure that every educational institution, whether public or private, is accountable not only to those students who are studying in the institution, but to prospective students and the public at large as well. Public announcements of the financial and educational records of the institutions as well as their ratings by independent rating agencies will generate healthy competition between the various private institutions and will also put pressure on the Government funded institutions to work towards all-round improvement.
A Model already in place
Such a system is already in place for maritime education in India. In 2004, the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS), which regulates maritime education in India, introduced a system of rating maritime training institutions in India. In 1996, maritime education was opened to private sector participation and over 130 private institutions are in operation today. To ensure that all institutions provide high quality education, the DGS has asked all maritime educational institutions to get themselves rated by one of the three reputed independent rating agencies in India – CRISIL, CARE or ICRA.
The publicly announced ratings will benefit
- Students, in deciding which institution to enrol in,
- Institutes, in differentiating themselves based on their quality,
- Employers, in assessing the quality of students graduating from the institutes and
- The DGS as well, to non-intrusively regulate the maritime education sector and ensure high quality of education.
