Dr Gursharan Singh Kainth
India is striving to achieve since long for an inclusive education system and trying hard to break all the barriers that are being created between the various classes of people. However, our education system has been successful in providing education to everyone in the country – what inclusive education demands. It demands creation of community to impart education. But, it is important to understand the difference between quality education as well as inclusive education. Education has two different dimensions: inclusive and quality. Education system begins with inclusive education. Why is inclusive important? When an inclusive system is in place, it simply means that the system is taking care of the educational needs of everyone in the neighbourhood and society. It is important that the inclusive system be set before the education system expands. India carried out the inclusive system of education with the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan – the first attempt to make primary education free for one and all such that the primary education system represents inclusive. The Right to Education Act (RTE), enacted in 2009, has ushered in hope for school education in the country. It is the culmination of efforts made by educationists, members of civil society and judiciary for the last many years. Free and compulsory education for all children had been debated even in pre-Independence years. It made its way into the Constitution as a Directive Principle of State Policy under the former Article 45, whereby states were required to ensure provision of free and compulsory education (FCE) to all children till the age of 14 years within a period of 10 years of the formulation of the Constitution. There is enough evidence to suggest that this goal has not been achieved even several decades after India became independent.
The assumption that a pupil from the SC/ST/OBC/Weaker sections or migrant labour families is weak in learning is itself the weakest argument put forth largely by those who want recognition as teachers and educationists fully funded at public expense with security of service till retirement. This mindset has to change. The challenge before RTE is not only of money resources and higher budget spending for primary education. The major challenge is to scout and pack our primary schools with quality teachers with skills of transmitting knowledge to each differently placed child and wedded to the values of love and compassion. If teachers, educationists and private managements consider RTE as a populist law and primary education as a product meant for the elite and affordable families, we will understand the difficult road that needs to be travelled by people who espouse the cause of free and compulsory education for all.
For the country as a whole, the problems are diverse and hence need innovative and out-of-box solutions. Many NGOs and initiatives by educationally charged and spirited individuals have shown alternatives to reach the millions of marginalized children. In the eyes of the law and the standing rules and conventions of the departments/boards of education some of these initiatives and experiments may be classed as “unrecognized” institutions, though they are achieving the objectives of the RTE. Along with the formal institutions established by the government and the private sector, the informal sector in education should be pulled to harness the benefits for RTE since it has proved to be effective in terms of delivery and costs.
But, the question arises: What after inclusive? What if the inclusive system does not fulfill the educational needs of the person? It is important that quality education follow inclusive in the route. Quality may not necessarily mean having everyone on the same page; it means suiting the needs of the students and creating a system based on those needs. Can a system that suits the needs of a student with hearing problems suit the one without any issues? There are many kids with special needs, and the education needs of a person with special needs are totally different from those with no special needs. If there is a fast learner in the school, there is also one who learns slowly. The education system needs to be customized for both these groups. The learning environment should be created differently for both these groups. Quality education takes care of this!
Currently a mix of both the education types is observed in our current education system. While on one hand our education system provides inclusive education such that all classes of people can get access to education, there is this other side which is striving to improve the quality of education. These people are trying too hard to make sure that the education system slowly moves from being just inclusive to combining inclusive and quality.
As of now only high end and mid end schools have been able to achieve this and that too to a certain extent. But, sooner or later the aim remains to include this fantastic combination to all levels and classes of education such that literacy and knowledge improves hand in hand. However, periodic inspection of schools was abandoned a long time ago. Teachers having political liaisons get themselves transferred to the schools of their choice while those with no political links have to serve reluctantly in rural and remote areas. A congenial atmosphere is needed to be restored in schools.
According to 10th ASER report 30 per cent of our enrolments in rural India are in private schools and the number has shown steady increase in the recent past. On the other hand, the enrolments in Government schools are on decline. Across all the states in India private school enrolments are nearing 50 per cent of total enrolments. Total 96.7 per cent children in India are enrolled in schools. What should a policy response to this situation be? Focus on more enrolments? Invest more on infrastructure in Government schools, create regulations and rules to curb enrolments in private schools or, even better, close down private schools? More focus should be where the children are more, and focus more on outcomes in education rather than inputs. There should be better regulation of private schools. RTE be amended to shift its focus towards outcomes in education. This alone will help us significantly to solve the challenge of declining learning outcomes as seen in ASER 2014, and along the way, will also save thousands of Budget Private Schools that are facing the threat of closure. Educationists expertise on a variety of topics, such as, ranging from home schooling to technology in education and also had an opportunity to explore how an ideal policy and regulatory framework would look, which would enhance independence for parents and children in education.
There is strong need for de-politicization and de-bureaucratization of the education system in the country. The think-tank on education demanded setting up of an autonomous education commission comprising educationists is set up to evolve a comprehensive education policy for the country. The commission must not have political nominees. An all-India education service (IES) be created on the lines of IAS and IPS services to involve committed educationists in the education system. The education system should focus on the development of personality in consonance with the values of our culture and spiritual ethos, Social service be made integral part of the education system. At every terminal stage in the education of a child social service must be made essential and for this educational institutions including universities and colleges should adopt villages for the purpose.
The present education system was largely information based. It just amounted to dumping and vomiting of information and did just nothing to build a comprehensive personality of the students who could delivered to the society meaningful There is need to rewrite the Indian history which does not reflect the Indian ethos. Instead it tends to distort facts and run down heroes of the Indian freedom struggle and spiritual traditions. Indian education system needed to be wedded to the Indian culture and ethos. Every nation has its own culture and history to shape the education system. Indian education system must shed off the burden of Macaulay system and adopt indigenous ethos.
(The author is Director Guru Arjan Dev Institute of Development Studies)
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