None can argue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s pronouncements on education. Nor is it debatable that dropout rates are plunging in schools beyond elementary level despite the government’s best efforts.
This reflects economic realities in India, where the disadvantaged face the biggest problems keeping children at school till they are properly educated so that they can get a job on their qualifications alone. It can be truly difficult to keep the young interested in studying further when their families are facing economic hardship, and this is not just a rural phenomenon. Nor are the logistics of feeding over 100 million children daily around the country to be scoffed at. And yet the greatest challenge is to collectively raise standards for imparting knowledge. To keep kids in school we must be able to teach them all about life and the joy of living rather than just the monotony of rote learning.
Teachers are a selfless tribe practising a noble profession but they do have limitations. When standards in every field are swinging to new lows, we can’t expect only our teachers to rise above everything, and inspire and shape young minds. However, the need to give everyone a shot at meaningful higher education is the older generation’s duty. And as the Prime Minister noted, better schools have a duty to mentor others in their neighbourhood. This may not be practical, but the fact remains that unless India educates its young, it stands little chance against competition from within the region, particularly China.