From: Sankara Narayanan <psn.1946@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Dec 10, 2012 at 1:55 PM
Subject: Re: If we can build flyovers, why not schools, ask academics, activists
It is impossible to Provide Schools for All Children in 3 yearsIn the article, Do not extend deadline for completion of school infrastructure, Bageshree has asked, "Why should providing schools with adequate infrastructure within three years to accommodate all children be difficult in a country that has been able to achieve extraordinary things when it comes to building flyovers, airports, Grand Prix circuit or conducting international games?"Can even all the judges of all the courts of India really succeed in forcing the State Governments to implement the law for "providing schools with adequate infrastructure within three years to accommodate all children?" In real life such an achievement is impossible, especially in India which has limited resources and rampant corruption. The work cannot be done even in 30 years without taking some drastic measures.The implementation of the law for providing proper schools for all children cannot succeed without making some laws that can enforce the use of the available financial and other resources like school buildings to the maximum extent possible.You should read my old email message of 26 May 2006 to understand how some drastic changes in the use of limited resources are needed for getting success in this matter of providing education to the maximum number of students. There should be Night Shifts in schools and colleges. Many schools and colleges should be made to function 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for most of the year.Wishful Thinking of Social Activists
The wishful thinking of eminent persons like the scientist Yash Pal, the former Foreign Secretary Muchkund Dubey, member of the National Advisory Council Aruna Roy, Medha Patkar of Narmada Bachao Andolan, Harsh Mander of the Centre for Equity Studies and Teesta Setelvad of the Citizens for Justice and Peace, cannot make much difference in bringing about full implementation of the legislation to provide proper schools with adequate infrastructure within three years to accommodate all children in the country.Many crazy social activists are just making a lot of noise about the rights of the people without understanding the real nature of the massive problems that are caused by the limited resources and rampant corruption in India.Ashok T. Jaisinghani.Editor & Publisher:----- Original Message -----From: Ashok T. JaisinghaniTo: THE TELEGRAPH ; Vijay TimesSent: 26 May 2006 1:08 PMSubject: Rioting & Fasting on Quotas can be StoppedSave Students from Caste WarRioting & Fasting on Quotas should be StoppedPoliticians and bureaucrats have deliberately created monopolies in different spheres to exploit the people. They thrive especially on all artificially created shortages. We all know there is rampant corruption and exploitation in the educational field. Education has become a very big business for the politicians and bureaucrats.Many educationists are not allowed to open new schools and colleges because the politicians and bureaucrats want to exercise monopolistic control in the educational sphere. The severe shortages of seats especially in the professional colleges have been deliberately created to make huge amounts of money through the massive donations and capitation fees that are extracted from the parents of students. It is wholesale extortion in which many politicians are openly involved.Many trustees of educational institutions are among the most corrupt persons in India. Through various rackets in the educational sphere, the politicians and bureaucrats get the right to "sell" the reserved seats to their chosen student clients at huge prices amounting to many lakhs of rupees for each seat.Rioting and fasting on the issue of quotas and reservations in educational institutions are not good for the students. The doctors and students should immediately stop rioting and fasting as advised by President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and other leaders who have the real interests of the students in their minds.Night Shifts are needed in Schools & CollegesIt is easy to increase the number of seats in different schools and colleges. There should be night shifts too in most schools and colleges in the cities and towns. Many schools and colleges can be made to function 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for most of the year. That would also give jobs to many thousand new teachers who will be required for the night shifts.The medical, engineering and other professional colleges should be open at night just like the hospitals and factories. After graduation, do not many doctors and engineers work in night shifts in hospitals and factories? The students studying in the night shifts should be given concessions like lower fees, cheaper hostel accommodation and other facilities. The factories that operate only during the day should be encouraged to use their premises for industrial training schools at night.Private classes that are run efficiently should be given recognition as educational institutions by the school boards and universities. The students of such private classes should be considered as regular students and allowed to appear for the examinations conducted by the school boards and universities. Students should preferably not be studying both in schools or colleges as well as in the private classes. The students of private classes, that are recognized as educational institutions, should leave the seats in schools and colleges for the other students.The top universities of India should also offer more and more courses through lectures on the radio, TV and internet to the students who cannot attend the regular classes due to different reasons.We must do everything to stop the agitation of rioting and fasting students turning into a caste war. You are requested to forward this email to the students you know in India.Ashok T. Jaisinghani.Editor & Publisher:
----- Original Message -----From: Sankara NarayananTo: IHRO ; bharat-chintanSent: 06 Dec 2012 7:27 AMSubject: Why not FDI in building schools?
BANGALORE, December 6, 2012If we can build flyovers, why not schools, ask academics, activists
BAGESHREE S.'Do not extend deadline for completion of school infrastructure'Why should providing schools with adequate infrastructure within three years to accommodate all children be difficult in a country that has been able to achieve extraordinary things when it comes to building flyovers, airports, Grand Prix circuit or conducting international games?
Several eminent academics and activists from across India have posed this question to Pallam Raju, Union Minister for Human Resource Development, while appealing to him not to concede the demand for extending the March 31, 2013, deadline for completion of school infrastructure as mandated by the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009. The Act came into force on April 1, 2010.
Representation
A representation endorsed by many, including scientist Yash Pal, the former Foreign Secretary Muchkund Dubey, member of the National Advisory Council Aruna Roy, Medha Patkar of Narmada Bachao Andolan, Harsh Mander of the Centre for Equity Studies and Teesta Setelvad of the Citizens for Justice and Peace, says that any delay in fully implementing the legislation will particularly affect children from the deprived sections.
Three-year deadline
The legislation set a deadline of three years for all the States to prepare for its implementation. However, several States have asked for a two-year extension to provide adequate schools, classrooms, water and sanitation facilities, teachers, teaching-learning material and so on as mandated by the legislation.
"Though the Minister said after the last Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) meeting on November 8 that there will be no extension, the demand is expected to be reviewed again during the next meeting," said V.P. Niranjan Aradhya from the National Law School of India University, one of the signatories to the representation.
The last CABE meeting noted that over 12,000 new schools remain to be opened across the country and over 2.5 lakh additional classrooms, besides a large number of toilets, drinking water facilities, and ramps are still under construction.
The representation notes that children from the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes, Muslims, girls and those from migrant and displaced families will be the most affected by any delay. "We are concerned that the State may never be prepared to provide education to these children," they have said.
On a war footing
"The proposal for extension as a blanket measure is uncalled for. Rather than seek extensions that will harm the children's development and life chances, the Centre and States must work on a war footing to make available the requisites by 2013," says the representation.
March 31, 2013 is the deadline for providing schools with adequate infrastructure
'The proposal for deadline extension as a blanket measure is uncalled for'
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