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Opinion | Another election, more good promises
Election always reminds me of some good and innovative promises made to common people. It is another matter how much of these promises are actually met at the ground level. So, I go through the manifestos released by different political parties meticulously, I always find it very exciting to read all these and I often find how strategically these manifestos are made out to be.
Election always reminds me of some good and innovative promises made to common people. It is another matter how much of these promises are actually met at the ground level. So, I go through the manifestos released by different political parties meticulously, I always find it very exciting to read all these and I often find how strategically these manifestos are made out to be.
Naturally, the 2019 Lok Sabha election gives me another chance to focus on some welfare measures that the new elected government can ensure. My first priority would be to revisit and revamp the health care system in the country so that the poorest of the poor can avail quality health care facilities. I do also belief that if there is health, there is hope. Some may say it is a wishful thinking but I am sure it is not impossible provided we want it to be implemented.
We can provide appropriate and adequate facilities in government-run hospitals and minimum facilities in all the primary health centres in the country. Time has come to run the government medical colleges under public-private partnership programme. The new government must provide state-run hospitals with reasonable infrastructure and with most of the facilities in every block headquarters of the country. The facilities are inadequate and not in consonance with government’s expansion programme. This way the new government can meet the slogan of ‘Swasth jeevan, Sukhi jeevan’ in true sense.
The second priority comes from the core of my heart -- education. Education, in general, and school education in particular, are in shambles. We cannot expect India to be a super power by 2030 with present system of education prevailing. India has three times more schools than China but still we have not been able to achieve universalisation of elementary education and we have a very sizeable number of ‘illiterates’ in the country.
The new government is expected to focus on consolidating the ‘Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan’ and also to start universalisation of secondary education in the country. Under the consolidation programme, can we think of bigger elementary school from class 1 to 8 at nyay panchayat level with all facilities like library, laboratory, technology and teachers? As it is a globalised world now and students have to face industry 4.0, we need to provide 21st century skills and non-cognitive learning skills through 21st century pedagogy in our secondary schools.
The restrictive, repetitive and regulative mindset prevailing in our school system must be replaced by an inclusive mindset. The new government can think of setting up government schools on the lines of Kendriya Vidyalaya in every unserved block of the country to ensure quality education in rural areas. It should be totally funded by the central government but run and managed by the state concerned.
In tertiary education, there is no further need to create islands of excellence. Instead, we must focus on universalising excellence and every higher educational institution, whether central or state funded, must become a centre of excellence.
So, it is expected that the new government will initiate a big reform in education. In fact, it should not be only reformation but total transformation. A mission mode approach will be required in this respect.
My third priority would definitely go to today’s younger generation so that they are not in unrest mode. New job opportunities would definitely need to be created but required number of jobs may not be appropriately created because of many constraints. The new government can think of developing micro-level entrepreneurship programme in a big way for the young generation so that many of them can become job creators later on.
And my last priority would be to maintain harmony among all castes and religions in the society. Let the new government ensure that the society is not divided on the basis of caste and religion and all development programmes must address this basic tenet of the society.
(The writer is an educationist and former chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education. Views are personal.)
