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BACK ISSUES | OCTOBER 2009 | CURRENT ISSUE
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guarantee education for all?
Giving right to education and really having access to education are two completely different things. In India even though we have right to education, more than half of the population of this country remain illiterate; the sole reason being that not every citizen gets access to this education. Education should be the foundation of a country’s base, which unfortunately does not happen in India. This in turn brings in other problems like poverty and crime. I feel that the government needs to pay serious attention in this regard.
Ayushi Jain Engineering student, Bhopal
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 I do not feel that the Fundamental Right to Education could guarantee education for all. It is worth mentioning that the government though partially succeeded in setting up a number of schools in villages, they did not bother to employ the required number of teachers in such schools. There are no proper facilities in these schools. Moreover, the maximum number of illiterate people reside in villages. Even the introduction of mid-day meals could not lure the rural kids to attend schools. No wonder we still do not have 100% literacy, even after 62 years of independence. I strongly believe that educating our rural population will be an important milestone of our education system, and only that can guarantee education for all.
Rose Martin St Wilfred’s College, Jaipur
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No, it cannot guarantee education for all. As an urban middle class, I may be getting my education. But what about my maid’s daughter? Why isn’t she being provided the same right? Aren’t we both Indians, so why this discrimination? I think the problem lies in the fact that the power lies in the hands of a few rich and powerful. The money generated by taxpayers is used only on themselves. The poor always remain poor. The solution to this can only be found when we try to educate the root of India i.e., rural India.
A girl’s education is stopped after her 12th standard in most parts of backward India. A boy is allowed to study and spend as much as he wants. What kind of fundamental rights are we talking about? Education is meant to bring about a sense of equality but we as Indians start our discrimination process right from childhood itself. I think it is very important to let girls study as much as they want so that they achieve a sense of freedom and individuality that is valuable to our country.
As the anonymous saying goes, it is “better late than never”. I strongly believe the new Fundamental Right, that is; “the state shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of 6-14 years” will guarantee education for all, since there is 25 per cent seat reservation for all the weaker and disadvantaged sections in government as well as in private schools. In countries like the U.S., Cuba and Brazil, free education is offered at all levels to their students.
Agreed that there will be a negative response to this question. We all know that the government has not been too concerned about our right to education. But let’s not be pessimistic. Definitely our country has come a long way since independence. Girls and street kids are being educated through various initiatives. But I think the most important step to be taken in this regard is to make a strong base. For this we need to strengthen our elementary school education system so that we can mould a child’s mind into the right direction so that he/she is aware of what glory education can bring in his/her future.