Readers' Views: Teaching Bihar

HindustanTimes.com readers give their views on how to improve literacy rates in Bihar.

HindustanTimes.com readers give their views on how to improve literacy rates in Bihar.

HT Image

Keep education a must for joining politics. That will resolve most of teh issues.

- Shyam (shyamnair1972@yahoo.com), Hyderabad

The basic flaw lies in government schools there. They are poorly built and teachers there don't come to class. If we look at the reasons for this behaviour of teachers then we will find that they are very poorly paid.

Also administration is in a poor condition as it has no check on it. The teachers thus stop coming to schools and engage in private tuitions to make money as their counterparts in public schools are given good money.

With 2% education cess substantial funds can be arranged but I don't think that conditions can be any good for Bihar bcoz as long as the present govt. is there they will eat all the people's money

- Vineet Mundhra (vineet43@yahoo.com), Jaipur

I think Bihar needs compulsory family planning across the board and also needs it. The next phase is to have military style boarding schools for the children, so that they do not stay in society and nurture hatred for different groups.

Limited voting rights for people who have not completed their school education.

- Chandru (chandrun@msn.com), Portland, USA

Free education till high school, free meal for all children till high school, creating ample job opportunities for illiterate & unemployed people to elevate masses.

- Rakesh (rakesh@clearpack.com), Shanghai, China

To remove illiteracy in Bihar or for any other development it is first needed to reduce the scale of corruption if not totally eliminate it. Govt of Bihar has spent of lot of money on education which has gone to fictitious schools.

NGOs which have proved their worth should be invited and provided govt support to take part in massive education programs. In Bihar it is necessary to improve the quality of education rather than only increasing the number of literates.

University students should be encouraged to to volunteer for adult education programmes. University students from financially weaker families with ability to teach should be given opportunity to do adult education as a part time job. This will also result in good environment in universities where lot of students will be engaged in meaningful work.

Higher education scenario in Bihar is decimal. As a result plenty of of talented students are migrating to other parts of India. A central university with a central govt controlled engg & medical colleges is a must. A central university will allow students from other parts of India to come to Bihar & a cultural change will also take place.

If a large no of students are able to get quality education in state , they will have to spend less money , pressure on infrastructure like train etc will also reduce. I think a multi pronged attack is neccessary to bring out Bihar from present mess.

- Mithilesh Kumar (mithil_kumar@hotmail.com), Cincinnati, USA

Bihar should have army rule for the next five years, in which all politicians-criminals would be arrested, all their properties should be confiscated along with the properties of the officers who have assets in excess of their declared income.

With those money, schools and universities should be set up and teachers should be recruited by the central government. All existing teachers and professors in Bihar appointed during the last 15 years would get clerical jobs only as they are not qualified in any way.

Education must be compulsory and free at all levels. Those who are poor ( with family income less than Rs 7000) will in addition get supplimentary incentive grants to attain schools and stay in schools.

In future only those with good education and civilized manners would be allowed to take part in politics. Yadav clan must be banned from politics.

- Dipak Basu (Bose66@hotmail.com), Nagasaki, Japan

It needs overhauling of primary and middle education system in the state. At this point when education system is totally collapsed, I think it needs to be privatised which should be regulated by HRD ministry and not the state government. Thanks !
Rakesh Ranjan
ranjanr@gmail.com
San Jose, CA
USA

The government should start schools all over the place in Bihar. It would only be the educated people who would take things forward.

Media played a strong role in bringing down communism which is a global force. The stranglehold of criminal politicians can be killed by a strong media industry.

Sell radios for Rs 5 in Bihar. Its entertainment and its cheap. Then educate the people through this media. The brand that people like Laloo have built, can only be broken down by systematic and strategic thinking.

Rs 5 per radio is possible. Battery companies can earn good money selling batteries as well.

- Vikram Pandit (job4akhil@yahoo.co.uk), Delhi

Bihar's education system is crippled by complete apathy of state government towards basic education which is nowhere on their priority list. Basically wilfully they do not want people to be educated else people like Laloo, Ramvilas Paswan and Shahabuddin will have no place in Bihar without illiterate people .My suggestions to improve literacy in Bihar are:-

1. Central government and Bihar government must take responsibility together for eradicating this menace as it is beyond reach and means of state government.

2. Invite private participation in education and give education-coupons like food coupons provided by private companies. This can be used by poor students to get enrolled in private schools with better quality of eduaction.

3. Curriculum should be changed to create not only would be white collar workers but for all categories.

4. People in villages need incentive to send their kids to school beacause by putting kids in school we are reducing the earning capacity of the family.

5. Harsh punishment for corrupt education officials who does rampat corruption and I am sure they will not allow the cess money to needy.

6. Increase number of teachers in schools. I have seen one teacher handling 150 kids. He will never teach any thing.

These are few things which will probably bring Bihar's literacy on track. Above all what is needed is a genuine desire to eradicate this problem by lawmakers of this country and specially Bihar.

- Shashi Bhushan Thakur (shashi@ge.com), Bangalore

As we all know, in a lawless land like Bihar, it is imperative to force people to go to schools. I also understand that the politicians wouldn't want people to be educated because they are afraid that they will not stay in power once people are educated. (Am I being optimistic? I know India has come a long way, but power in politics is pretty visible).

I do not see any other options but to have some dedicated officers who are righteous in what they do and I might even go the extent that military rule would do a lot of wonders..just to suppress the landlords, Ranveer Senas and the local police (local police goes hand in hand with politicians -- corrupt, though there may be a few officers who are very good, but their hands are tied down).

- Srikanth (dvknn@yahoo.com), Memphis, USA

We have to reform the education system in Bihar. In 1968-69, Patna University was one of the best universities in India. Dr N S Nagendra Nath was the principal of Science College, Patna. Dr Nath predicted (1936-1965) that a soumd cell can be used to modulate light by the Raman-Nath mode (ref. Antenna Design with Fiber Optics, published by Artech House Inc., London and Boston, 1996).

We have to bring good honest scientists & Professional book authors in Universities. Central Government (New Delhi) must provide funds to do high quality research in Bihar.Please note that Bihar is not backward, we have to bring honest Biharis(scientists, Professional book authors) from other parts of India or foreign countries.

- N Sinha (akelectromagnetique@videotron.ca), Montreal, Canada

I am an engineer from Bihar, currently pursuing MBA. What my observations are that Bihar typical suffers from the case of brain-drain at a very early stage.

Children normally prefer to study till 10th standard and in some cases till 12th standard in Bihar schools which are either CBSE/ICSE affiliated and follows the medium of teaching in english. Most of bright students given an opportunity, prefer to study post 12th outside Bihar, mainly Delhi.

There are a few good colleges in Bihar such as Science College or Women's college in Patna, but often the classes are not held regularly, faculties prefer to take private classes, there are strikes from either teachers on non-receipt of salary or strikes called by Students association.

Moreover, the college admin is biased by castes and creeds. Students learn the lesson of bribing by looking at the college admin. Incidentally I had to pay some money to staff and the peons to just get my transfer certificate on time.

Bihar Intermediate appears to be overloaded and in majority of cases, it appears that the papers are not corrected and marks are assigned on whims or if there is any logic devised, may be the number of extra sheets taken!!

This is very very demotivating. I have secured 77% in 10th standard (CBSE), 69% (about which I am not at all convinced) and 89% in my engineering. Incidentally I have done my engineering from a college in Ranchi (which was then in Bihar), but being a deemed university managed by private body, was far far away from all the other Bihar based colleges.

I believe to tackle illiteracy, Bihar needs to look at its education level provided, which if could motivate students to stay and study in Bihar, will motivate illiterates to study! Illiterates don't see anything convincing or satisfying in studying in Bihar. bringing about a culture change in Bihar education system is a must for Bihar to improve...

- Shipra (shipra@spjimr.ernet.in), Mumbai

Desolve state managed eduacation to private sector.

- Manohar Jagalur (docjag@hotmail.com), Albany, USA

Educated persons should join hands heart and resources to fight the menace of caste, creed and religion. Must not be influenced by any political bug. Apolitical approach to development first then politics makes us share our smiles globally. No doubt "we are a POLITICAL animal but no politics with the STATE's development as a whole".

- Sharda Kumari (gramin1@rediffmail.com), Bhojpur (Ara)

1. Improve primary education infrastructure to begin with. For this establish schools, improve conditions of roads etc.

2. Ban politics from educational institutions. Treat it like cigarette smoking which harms other people.

3. Provide job opportunity.

- PashupatiKumar (pash_k@yahoo.com), San Francisco, USA