• PAGE ONE
• INDEX
• HOME

The equity factor in education policy

Ruddar Datt

THERE is a general acceptance of the fact that education is the best way to empower the poor and the weaker sections. The growth of the middle-class -- around 160 millions now -- is a testimony to the education policy pursued in independent India, w hich opened the gates of learning to the millions of underprivileged.

But with the ushering in of economic reforms in 1991 and the greater emphasis on privatisation and globalisation, there appears to be a visible weakening of the equity objective in the education policy. To get rid of the scourge of poverty, there is a ne ed to build on the equity objective more strongly for at least the next three decades. As Swami Vivekananda put it:

``A nation is advanced in proportion as education and intelligence spread among the masses. The chief cause of India's ruin has been the monopolising of the whole education and intelligence of the land among a handful of men.''

To understand the obstacles to mass education, one would need to examine some recent developments.

Elementary level

The last two decades have seen the rapid growth of the so-called public schools -- a misnomer for private schools, which are English medium, charge high fees and often admit only children belonging to the upper-middle and affluent classes. Origi nating in the metros, these schools are now sprouting up even in districts and towns. Obviously, the entire cost of educating the child is borne by the parents. Article 45 of the Constitution enjoins upon the state to provide free and compu lsory education to all children until they complete the age of 14. The state is, however, absolved of the responsibility to fund these institutions.

Most of the so-called public schools, which now account for 20-25 per cent of the total enrollment in elementary education, are acknowledged to be superior than the state-run schools. This is evidenced by: a) much lower drop-out rates, b) a higher propor tion of pupils obtaining better grades; and c) better infrastructure facilities.

The other component of elementary education comprises state-run schools and, to some extent, denominational schools which cater to the lower-middle and poorer sections. As provided in Article 45, these schools should enroll every child who seeks admissio n. But, unfortunately, the drop-out rates here are higher and the quality of education, inferior. This is the consequence of a number of factors. Notable among them are:

A A significant proportion of the children are first-generation learners and, hence, their parents are unable to guide them;

A The majority come from poor social and economic background -- a retarding factor, no doubt;

A The schools lack the basic infrastructure -- sanitation facilities, drinking water, proper buildings, educational aids, and so on. This reduces the retention rate;A The quality of teachers is wanting, and the teacher-pupil ratio is very high; a nd

A In remote areas, non-attendance by teachers is prevalent; this is mainly because of the absence of local monitoring.

Despite all these shortcomings, nearly 40 per cent of the pupils complete V standard . But the drop-out rates in VI, VII and VIII standards are higher -- hardly 25 per cent of the students reach VIII standard. Thus, to improve the general level of ed ucation, improving the quality of these schools is a must.

Equity in education enjoins upon the state to help the weaker sections. Unfortunately, under the privatisation euphoria, there is much talk about competition and survival of the fittest. But survival of the fittest is the law of the jungle. A civilised s ociety must ensure `survival of the unfittest'. This basically is the rationale of Article 46.

With this end in view, the following suggestions could be considered while formulating an education policy:

W The system of grants should be altered. Schools in villages and small towns must be given more grants in order to develop the infrastructure needed to make the school environment more attractive;

W The teacher-pupil ratio should be improved so that the concept of single-teacher or two-teacher schools is done away with;

W Local monitoring mechanisms, via panchayats, taluk or zila parishads, should be strengthened to resolve problems such as low attendance by teachers and sanitation, drinking water, maintenance of buildings and provision of equipment and teaching aids;

W Schools that register lower drop-out rates and increasingly churn out pupils with high grades should be suitably rewarded -- by granting them more facilities and, to the teachers, advanced increments;

W More resources will have to be pumped into elementary education if the goal of universal elementary education is to be achieved; and

W By a legal enactment, at least 25 per cent of the children admitted to public schools should be from the weaker sections, with no levy of tuition fees.

Secondary level

At the secondary level, the high dropout rates, especially among girls and those belonging to the SC/ST, are because of their having to choose between continuing education and a career. Obviously, these children are unable to pursue courses such as engin eering, medicine, computer training, information technology and management because of the high costs involved.

Moreover, with secondary schools concentrated mainly in the urban areas, the children will have to be sent to towns/cities. This not only adds to the cost but also affects the education of girls, as their parents are often unwilling to send them outside the village.

Thus, corrective measures will have to be worked out to reduce the costs for the poor.Higher education

Higher education, leading to a undergraduate/post-graduate degree, is the privilege of a few. For most, higher secondary is often the terminal stage of education. The spread effect of higher education would help the weaker sections acquire vertical mobil ity in life. Currently, there is much talk about raising tuition fees at the university level -- there has been no major revision in the last 50 years or so, it is argued. This may be necessary, but, at the same time, adequate care should be taken so t hat the poor are not priced out of the system. Already, in the name of self-financing courses, institutional fees have been hiked by Rs. 10,000-40,000 even in state-funded universities.

The problem has to be viewed not only from the point of view of institutional cost, but also from the cost to the student. The share of the poor under the scheme of privatisation has been dwindling over the years. The poor, unlike the rich, cannot take u p courses of their choice, even if their academic records are good enough. This aspect of the education policy needs to be looked into. Sample a few suggestions:

A At least 30 per cent of the seats for boys, and 35 per cent for girls, drawn from the weaker sections, should be made tuition-free. This policy should be enforced in both state-run and private institutions;

A A scheme of scholarships or stipends should be introduced to enable the meritorious among the weaker sections benefit from the opportunity provided to them; and

A For those with average merit, loans should be made available so that they can enter the realms of higher education. The loans could be repaid on instalment basis, as and when they get employment. A revolving fund could be set up in each state for the p urpose. And resources should be pumped in every year to strengthen the fund.

To fulfil the objectives, as laid down in the Constitution, more resources will have to be allocated for education. The target of 6 per cent of GDP for higher education should be achieved within a decade. Efforts should be made to promote equity so that the socially and economically weaker sections are able to afford education and move up to the learning curve. The responsibility for educating the poor lies on those who have become educated at their expense. As Swami Vivekananda put it: ``So long as the millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every man a traitor who, having been educated at their expense, pays not the least heed to them.''

(The author is a New Delhi-based freelance writer.)