*ON THE APPROACH PAPER TO ELEVENTH FIVE YEAR PLAN *
* *
*Towards 'Slower' And More 'Exclusive' Growth In Education*
Vijender Sharma
http://pd.cpim.org/2006/1008/10082006_vijender.htm
THE Planning Commission issued, in June 2006, an Approach Paper to the
Eleventh Five Year Plan titled "Towards Faster and More Inclusive Growth".
For the transition towards faster and more inclusive growth, the Approach
Paper calls for new initiatives in many sectors including 'education
services' and "a more comprehensive restructuring" which actually would lead
to privatisation and commercialisation of education.
The approach paper points out that since "only 10 per cent of the
addressable global IT/ITES (Information Technology/ IT-enabled Services)
market has been realised", the remaining 90 per cent of a "global potential
market of approximately $300 billion still remains to be realised." For this
purpose, India's advantage is, apart from talent, established track record,
and a geographical location, that it *"provides a 24 hour working day to
American professionals."* Therefore, the approach paper recommends to "*work
through WTO* to assure access to overseas outsourcing" and "build a much
larger IT workforce through an HRD plan, and improve urban infrastructure
through *public private partnerships*." The approach paper recommends full
exploitation of private sector initiatives in higher learning for expanding
capacity towards human resource development.
The entire concept towards education in the approach paper is centered
around privatisation, and appeasing the US lobby interested in education
that can be traded as a commodity for profit. That the higher level of
education, which ensures quality, quantity and equity, in a country leads to
all round development of the country does not figure at all in the approach
paper. For it, limiting only the "quality of human resource development"
limits the "growth process itself." There is no concern for access and
equity in education.
Chapter 4 "Strategic Initiative for Inclusive Development" is related to
education at all levels. This chapter lacks vision for the educational
upliftment of the whole society. The issues that restrict the participation
of girls and deprived sections in schools and at higher levels have not been
addressed. Overall thrust is to promote private educational institutions at
all levels.
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION AND SSA
The approach paper does not give a clear picture in relation to the
enrolment of the children in the age group of 6 to 14 years. It claims that
by the end of tenth plan, near 100 percent enrolment is likely to be
achieved. It has not taken into consideration about 10 crore children who
are employed as contract workers in various sectors. Without abolishing
child labour completely, children in the relevant age group cannot be
brought to school.
*Flawed SSA Schemes *
The approach paper points out that one of the main tasks before Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is to make school a "*more attractive, interesting,
and a joyful place*. The goal should be for all schools in India to have
physical infrastructure and quality and level of teaching equivalent
to *Kendriya
Vidyalayas*, and the 11th Plan must make significant progress toward this
goal." However, it has not been presented as to how this goal would be
realised. It seems that the Planning commission while preparing the approach
paper has not taken note of the prevailing schemes under SSA. One such
scheme to make a school *"more attractive, interesting, and a joyful
place"*is the
'National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL)'.
Under the NPEGEL scheme, 'A Model Cluster School for Girls', as "a model
girl child friendly school at cluster level will be opened in all selected
districts/blocks where the scheme is operational. A cluster will be for
about 5 - 10 villages with each block having about 8 - 10 clusters." An
existing school will be identified under this scheme for opening of 'Model
Cluster School for Girls' having the density of SC/ST/OBC/Minority girls.
This school will have the provision of an additional classroom, supply of
drinking water, electrification, and toilet for which one time grant up to a
*maximum of Rs 2.00 lakhs* will be provided. A maximum amount of *Rs
20,000/per annum* will be provided to each cluster to meet the requirements
of expenditure on various activities for promotion of girls' education in
that cluster including maintenance of the school and engagement of part time
instructors for additional specified subjects provided that *no instructor
would be hired for more than 3 months in an academic year and he/she would
not receive remuneration of more than Rs 1,000/ per month. *One can imagine
that *with merely Rs 20,000 per annum recurring grant for promotion of
girls' education, maintenance of the school and salary of instructors, what
kind of education would be given*.
*Jeopardising MDMS and ECE Schemes *
The drop out rate will decrease if the working mothers have "crèche
facilities for their children at the work site" and if there are free "well
run residential schools in regions of extreme poverty". The approach paper
fails to ensure the establishment of "crèche" and free "residential
schools". In the Model Right to Education bill 2006, the central government
has already dropped the provision of "free transportation arrangements to
the nearest school" and the provision of "free residential schools/
facilities" which existed in RTE bill 2005.
The approach paper recommends the merger of Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) with
the SSA. It also proposes to place Early Childhood Education under the SSA.
The Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) centers then, as proposed in
the approach paper, will concentrate on inculcating good health and hygienic
practices among the children. For this, it will be essential that these
centers have toilets and drinking water. Given the experience of other
schemes, the merger of these schemes with the SSA may jeopardise these
schemes themselves.
In order to help "differently abled and other disadvantaged children", the
use of information and communication technology (ICT) has been recommended
by the approach paper through "public-private participation" acceptable to
the states. As pointed out in the beginning, the approach paper cannot see
beyond ICT and public-private partnership. Those who drafted the approach
paper should have seen the realities at the ground level. No toilet, no
drinking water, no electricity, no adequate infrastructure, no adequate
number of teachers, but the ICT has to be introduced everywhere in these
schools through privatisation and create distortions among the children even
at pre-school and elementary levels. We wish that the Planning commission
would be able to identify and mainstream street children, differently abled
and other disadvantaged children who are seen on Indian roads begging and
selling different items to the passerby. However, no scheme has been
stipulated to attract, enroll and retain these children in the school.
The pre-school education component of ICDS-Anganwadi is very weak and
enrolment of under-age children and the repetition rate in primary classes
is, therefore, quite high. Therefore, the approach paper suggests, SSA shall
have a separate component for *at least one year* Early Childhood Education
(ECE), which in a phased manner shall be universalised. Thus the Approach
Paper has recommended *giving up the ECE for the age group of 3 to 6 years.*
*Subsidising Private Schools *
Poor quality of learning is due to lack of infrastructure and a large number
of posts of teachers lying vacant, the Approach Paper points out. In many
schools, there is only one teacher who has to teach all classes and do rest
of the work related to the school management. In return, this teacher who is
known to be a "builder of the nation" gets salary less than the declared
minimum wage of an industrial worker. It is shocking that the Approach
Paper, instead of offering better pay scales and other facilities to the
teaching and non-teaching staff and better and adequate infrastructure for
the school, finds fault as to the "quality, accountability and motivation"
of the teachers. No words for the government that failed to provide for the
education for all till date!
The Approach Paper has invented a "powerful method" to enable parents, by
giving them "suitable entitlements reimbursable to the school", to choose
between the available public or private schools where they will send their
children. This is a proposal to *subsidise the private schools* rather than
providing adequate facilities in the hugely underprovided public school
system. The Approach Paper has *given up altogether the necessity of
neighbourhood school or common school system*.
*Problems of Girls Ignored *
In relation to the girls' education, the approach paper has to say merely
this: "Gender sensitivity and health education should be included in the
curriculum at the elementary stage itself for developing the child's basic
attitude. To check the skewed sex ratios and stop violence against women,
gender sensitisation has to begin early and beliefs about inferiority and
superiority of sexes culled right from childhood." How to attract the girl
child to the school or help and enable the girls to go to institutions of
higher education is not the concern of the Planning commission. With the
enrolment of girls at all levels remaining far below compared to that of
boys, the approach paper has failed to give a plan for the empowerment of
women and ensure all round growth of the country.
Girls constitute about two-thirds of the out-of-school children in the 6-14
years age group in India*. *There are several problems, other than poverty,
which keep the girl child away from the schools. These include
non-availability of drinking water, toilets, playground, library, sports,
and other facilities; and of course women teachers. Non-availability of
transport and hostels is another problem that keeps the girls away from
secondary and senior secondary schools and colleges because these are far
away from their residences.
In this patriarchic society, the girls are often retained at home to take
care of their younger siblings. It is estimated that 60 per cent of all
girls in the country are involved in sibling care. In order to attract
these girls to school, it is a must to start crèches and Integrated Child
Development Scheme (ICDS) and Early Childhood Education (ECE) for children
for the age group 0 to 3 and 3 to 6 years respectively. Therefore, in every
primary school there should be such a childcare center. In order to increase
the enrolment at higher education level with equity, the education for girls
up to age of 18 years should be made free and compulsory with free transport
and hostel facilities. In addition, attractive scholarships should be given
to girls performing well. There is no such recommendation in the approach
paper and it seems the Planning commission did not even read the CABE
committee report on girls' education while drafting the paper.
SECONDARY EDUCATION
* *
The approach paper considers a person with a mere 8 years of schooling as
disadvantaged in the knowledge economy dominated by the Information and
Communication Technology (ICT). The 11th plan will, therefore, aim at a
progressive rise in the minimum level of education towards high school level
or Class X and providing access to all children in the age group of 6-16
years to this level. The demand for secondary education will expand
significantly as SSA reaches its goal of universal and complete elementary
education. Therefore, the approach paper has recommended a "new mission" for
secondary education, SSA-2 to cover up to class X.
Even if we consider the arguments advanced in the approach paper as such,
then in the 11th plan period the demand will not only expand for secondary
education but also for senior secondary education (that is Class XII level).
Therefore, the "new mission" should be up to Class XII level rather than
limiting it to Class X only.
*Exclusive Private Schools Zones *
The approach paper has rightly pointed out that "the state governments have
nearly stopped increasing funding of public secondary schools and aided
schools" over a period of last few decades. As a result, there had been
mushrooming of private aided and unaided schools that now account for 58
percent of the total number of secondary schools. While recognising the
"primacy of public responsibility for providing secondary schooling", the
approach paper recommends to evolve "strategy" so as to allow "*scope for
private schools to expand if they complement the public effort."* The
fleecing of parents by these private schools is well known. Most such
schools do not have adequate infrastructure and teaching and non-teaching
staff. The main purpose of these schools is not imparting education, but
commerce and business to earn profit. Teachers are appointed on contract
basis and daily wages (as low as Rs 45 per day) and hiring and firing is the
norm in these schools. It is clear that the "strategy" of the approach paper
is to help private schools to expand and further commercialise school
education.
The "strategy" of the approach paper does not end here. It expresses "a
feeling" (*read: a recommendation*) that "voucher schemes can help promote
both equity and quality in schooling in areas where adequate private supply
exists, provided that this is combined with strict requirements on private
schools to give *freeships to students in economic need*." It has already
been pointed out above that *the voucher scheme will subsidise the private
schools rather than providing adequate facilities in the hugely
underprovided public school system*. It has also been witnessed that the
private schools do not admit children belonging to economically weaker
sections. Therefore, the question of giving freeships by private schools
does not arise at all. In Delhi, the High Court had ordered a few years back
that the private schools that had taken land for their schools on
concessional rates from the government must admit 25 percent children
belonging to the weaker sections. However, the private schools have been
resisting the admission of such students till date.
The approach paper has further recommended that the *government must ensure
that public schools are available "in areas unserved and underserved by
private schools." *It means that *there need not be a public funded school
in an area where private schools exist*. It thus seeks to create *exclusive
private school zones*. Its consequence would be that the children of that
area who cannot bear the high fees of these private schools would be
deprived of secondary education. This recommendation is completely
unacceptable since it is against the interests of children belonging to
weaker sections and girls in particular, and promotes private school system.
*Casual Approach towards SC/STs and Minorities *
A casual approach has been presented in the approach paper towards the
education of SCs/STs, minorities. It recommends that special efforts must be
made to cater to "the educational needs of SCs/STs, minorities and girls
whose enrolment depicts a wide gap." The educational needs of these sections
and special efforts to cater to these needs have neither been identified nor
proposed. The 11th plan document must propose concrete scheme for increasing
the enrolment of SCs/STs, minorities and girls.
* *
*Towards 'Slower' And More 'Exclusive' Growth In Education*
Vijender Sharma
http://pd.cpim.org/2006/1008/10082006_vijender.htm
THE Planning Commission issued, in June 2006, an Approach Paper to the
Eleventh Five Year Plan titled "Towards Faster and More Inclusive Growth".
For the transition towards faster and more inclusive growth, the Approach
Paper calls for new initiatives in many sectors including 'education
services' and "a more comprehensive restructuring" which actually would lead
to privatisation and commercialisation of education.
The approach paper points out that since "only 10 per cent of the
addressable global IT/ITES (Information Technology/ IT-enabled Services)
market has been realised", the remaining 90 per cent of a "global potential
market of approximately $300 billion still remains to be realised." For this
purpose, India's advantage is, apart from talent, established track record,
and a geographical location, that it *"provides a 24 hour working day to
American professionals."* Therefore, the approach paper recommends to "*work
through WTO* to assure access to overseas outsourcing" and "build a much
larger IT workforce through an HRD plan, and improve urban infrastructure
through *public private partnerships*." The approach paper recommends full
exploitation of private sector initiatives in higher learning for expanding
capacity towards human resource development.
The entire concept towards education in the approach paper is centered
around privatisation, and appeasing the US lobby interested in education
that can be traded as a commodity for profit. That the higher level of
education, which ensures quality, quantity and equity, in a country leads to
all round development of the country does not figure at all in the approach
paper. For it, limiting only the "quality of human resource development"
limits the "growth process itself." There is no concern for access and
equity in education.
Chapter 4 "Strategic Initiative for Inclusive Development" is related to
education at all levels. This chapter lacks vision for the educational
upliftment of the whole society. The issues that restrict the participation
of girls and deprived sections in schools and at higher levels have not been
addressed. Overall thrust is to promote private educational institutions at
all levels.
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION AND SSA
The approach paper does not give a clear picture in relation to the
enrolment of the children in the age group of 6 to 14 years. It claims that
by the end of tenth plan, near 100 percent enrolment is likely to be
achieved. It has not taken into consideration about 10 crore children who
are employed as contract workers in various sectors. Without abolishing
child labour completely, children in the relevant age group cannot be
brought to school.
*Flawed SSA Schemes *
The approach paper points out that one of the main tasks before Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is to make school a "*more attractive, interesting,
and a joyful place*. The goal should be for all schools in India to have
physical infrastructure and quality and level of teaching equivalent
to *Kendriya
Vidyalayas*, and the 11th Plan must make significant progress toward this
goal." However, it has not been presented as to how this goal would be
realised. It seems that the Planning commission while preparing the approach
paper has not taken note of the prevailing schemes under SSA. One such
scheme to make a school *"more attractive, interesting, and a joyful
place"*is the
'National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL)'.
Under the NPEGEL scheme, 'A Model Cluster School for Girls', as "a model
girl child friendly school at cluster level will be opened in all selected
districts/blocks where the scheme is operational. A cluster will be for
about 5 - 10 villages with each block having about 8 - 10 clusters." An
existing school will be identified under this scheme for opening of 'Model
Cluster School for Girls' having the density of SC/ST/OBC/Minority girls.
This school will have the provision of an additional classroom, supply of
drinking water, electrification, and toilet for which one time grant up to a
*maximum of Rs 2.00 lakhs* will be provided. A maximum amount of *Rs
20,000/per annum* will be provided to each cluster to meet the requirements
of expenditure on various activities for promotion of girls' education in
that cluster including maintenance of the school and engagement of part time
instructors for additional specified subjects provided that *no instructor
would be hired for more than 3 months in an academic year and he/she would
not receive remuneration of more than Rs 1,000/ per month. *One can imagine
that *with merely Rs 20,000 per annum recurring grant for promotion of
girls' education, maintenance of the school and salary of instructors, what
kind of education would be given*.
*Jeopardising MDMS and ECE Schemes *
The drop out rate will decrease if the working mothers have "crèche
facilities for their children at the work site" and if there are free "well
run residential schools in regions of extreme poverty". The approach paper
fails to ensure the establishment of "crèche" and free "residential
schools". In the Model Right to Education bill 2006, the central government
has already dropped the provision of "free transportation arrangements to
the nearest school" and the provision of "free residential schools/
facilities" which existed in RTE bill 2005.
The approach paper recommends the merger of Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) with
the SSA. It also proposes to place Early Childhood Education under the SSA.
The Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) centers then, as proposed in
the approach paper, will concentrate on inculcating good health and hygienic
practices among the children. For this, it will be essential that these
centers have toilets and drinking water. Given the experience of other
schemes, the merger of these schemes with the SSA may jeopardise these
schemes themselves.
In order to help "differently abled and other disadvantaged children", the
use of information and communication technology (ICT) has been recommended
by the approach paper through "public-private participation" acceptable to
the states. As pointed out in the beginning, the approach paper cannot see
beyond ICT and public-private partnership. Those who drafted the approach
paper should have seen the realities at the ground level. No toilet, no
drinking water, no electricity, no adequate infrastructure, no adequate
number of teachers, but the ICT has to be introduced everywhere in these
schools through privatisation and create distortions among the children even
at pre-school and elementary levels. We wish that the Planning commission
would be able to identify and mainstream street children, differently abled
and other disadvantaged children who are seen on Indian roads begging and
selling different items to the passerby. However, no scheme has been
stipulated to attract, enroll and retain these children in the school.
The pre-school education component of ICDS-Anganwadi is very weak and
enrolment of under-age children and the repetition rate in primary classes
is, therefore, quite high. Therefore, the approach paper suggests, SSA shall
have a separate component for *at least one year* Early Childhood Education
(ECE), which in a phased manner shall be universalised. Thus the Approach
Paper has recommended *giving up the ECE for the age group of 3 to 6 years.*
*Subsidising Private Schools *
Poor quality of learning is due to lack of infrastructure and a large number
of posts of teachers lying vacant, the Approach Paper points out. In many
schools, there is only one teacher who has to teach all classes and do rest
of the work related to the school management. In return, this teacher who is
known to be a "builder of the nation" gets salary less than the declared
minimum wage of an industrial worker. It is shocking that the Approach
Paper, instead of offering better pay scales and other facilities to the
teaching and non-teaching staff and better and adequate infrastructure for
the school, finds fault as to the "quality, accountability and motivation"
of the teachers. No words for the government that failed to provide for the
education for all till date!
The Approach Paper has invented a "powerful method" to enable parents, by
giving them "suitable entitlements reimbursable to the school", to choose
between the available public or private schools where they will send their
children. This is a proposal to *subsidise the private schools* rather than
providing adequate facilities in the hugely underprovided public school
system. The Approach Paper has *given up altogether the necessity of
neighbourhood school or common school system*.
*Problems of Girls Ignored *
In relation to the girls' education, the approach paper has to say merely
this: "Gender sensitivity and health education should be included in the
curriculum at the elementary stage itself for developing the child's basic
attitude. To check the skewed sex ratios and stop violence against women,
gender sensitisation has to begin early and beliefs about inferiority and
superiority of sexes culled right from childhood." How to attract the girl
child to the school or help and enable the girls to go to institutions of
higher education is not the concern of the Planning commission. With the
enrolment of girls at all levels remaining far below compared to that of
boys, the approach paper has failed to give a plan for the empowerment of
women and ensure all round growth of the country.
Girls constitute about two-thirds of the out-of-school children in the 6-14
years age group in India*. *There are several problems, other than poverty,
which keep the girl child away from the schools. These include
non-availability of drinking water, toilets, playground, library, sports,
and other facilities; and of course women teachers. Non-availability of
transport and hostels is another problem that keeps the girls away from
secondary and senior secondary schools and colleges because these are far
away from their residences.
In this patriarchic society, the girls are often retained at home to take
care of their younger siblings. It is estimated that 60 per cent of all
girls in the country are involved in sibling care. In order to attract
these girls to school, it is a must to start crèches and Integrated Child
Development Scheme (ICDS) and Early Childhood Education (ECE) for children
for the age group 0 to 3 and 3 to 6 years respectively. Therefore, in every
primary school there should be such a childcare center. In order to increase
the enrolment at higher education level with equity, the education for girls
up to age of 18 years should be made free and compulsory with free transport
and hostel facilities. In addition, attractive scholarships should be given
to girls performing well. There is no such recommendation in the approach
paper and it seems the Planning commission did not even read the CABE
committee report on girls' education while drafting the paper.
SECONDARY EDUCATION
* *
The approach paper considers a person with a mere 8 years of schooling as
disadvantaged in the knowledge economy dominated by the Information and
Communication Technology (ICT). The 11th plan will, therefore, aim at a
progressive rise in the minimum level of education towards high school level
or Class X and providing access to all children in the age group of 6-16
years to this level. The demand for secondary education will expand
significantly as SSA reaches its goal of universal and complete elementary
education. Therefore, the approach paper has recommended a "new mission" for
secondary education, SSA-2 to cover up to class X.
Even if we consider the arguments advanced in the approach paper as such,
then in the 11th plan period the demand will not only expand for secondary
education but also for senior secondary education (that is Class XII level).
Therefore, the "new mission" should be up to Class XII level rather than
limiting it to Class X only.
*Exclusive Private Schools Zones *
The approach paper has rightly pointed out that "the state governments have
nearly stopped increasing funding of public secondary schools and aided
schools" over a period of last few decades. As a result, there had been
mushrooming of private aided and unaided schools that now account for 58
percent of the total number of secondary schools. While recognising the
"primacy of public responsibility for providing secondary schooling", the
approach paper recommends to evolve "strategy" so as to allow "*scope for
private schools to expand if they complement the public effort."* The
fleecing of parents by these private schools is well known. Most such
schools do not have adequate infrastructure and teaching and non-teaching
staff. The main purpose of these schools is not imparting education, but
commerce and business to earn profit. Teachers are appointed on contract
basis and daily wages (as low as Rs 45 per day) and hiring and firing is the
norm in these schools. It is clear that the "strategy" of the approach paper
is to help private schools to expand and further commercialise school
education.
The "strategy" of the approach paper does not end here. It expresses "a
feeling" (*read: a recommendation*) that "voucher schemes can help promote
both equity and quality in schooling in areas where adequate private supply
exists, provided that this is combined with strict requirements on private
schools to give *freeships to students in economic need*." It has already
been pointed out above that *the voucher scheme will subsidise the private
schools rather than providing adequate facilities in the hugely
underprovided public school system*. It has also been witnessed that the
private schools do not admit children belonging to economically weaker
sections. Therefore, the question of giving freeships by private schools
does not arise at all. In Delhi, the High Court had ordered a few years back
that the private schools that had taken land for their schools on
concessional rates from the government must admit 25 percent children
belonging to the weaker sections. However, the private schools have been
resisting the admission of such students till date.
The approach paper has further recommended that the *government must ensure
that public schools are available "in areas unserved and underserved by
private schools." *It means that *there need not be a public funded school
in an area where private schools exist*. It thus seeks to create *exclusive
private school zones*. Its consequence would be that the children of that
area who cannot bear the high fees of these private schools would be
deprived of secondary education. This recommendation is completely
unacceptable since it is against the interests of children belonging to
weaker sections and girls in particular, and promotes private school system.
*Casual Approach towards SC/STs and Minorities *
A casual approach has been presented in the approach paper towards the
education of SCs/STs, minorities. It recommends that special efforts must be
made to cater to "the educational needs of SCs/STs, minorities and girls
whose enrolment depicts a wide gap." The educational needs of these sections
and special efforts to cater to these needs have neither been identified nor
proposed. The 11th plan document must propose concrete scheme for increasing
the enrolment of SCs/STs, minorities and girls.