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Sunday, Apr 09, 2006
Online edition of India's National Newspaper Sunday, Apr 09, 2006 |
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National
An economic survey by the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishat (KSSP) threw up an interesting finding: the single most important factor determining economic hierarchy and, hence, social status of Malayalis, is education. There is nothing surprising about this; in Kerala, families invest heavily in education. Education policy, then, is a big factor in the minds of voters. Kerala's achievements in education were the result of government-led initiatives aimed at raising literacy, avoidance of gender gaps in enrolment and creation of infrastructure. The private sector, dominated by community organisations of all hues, also played a big part. This was the case till the 1990s. But now, the education infrastructure is bursting at its seams, and the demand for seats is spilling over into neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. In a free-market approach, policy makers hit upon the idea of privatising education, especially higher and professional education. The result: Kerala's education sector is today a happy hunting ground for those out to make a quick buck. From hardly a dozen some five years ago, the number of engineering colleges in Kerala has now risen to 84. The State has 72 self-financing engineering colleges. According to the latest Economic Review of the State Planning Board, the last three years have also seen the establishment of six medical and dental colleges each, eight Ayurveda colleges, 17 pharmacy colleges and 42 nursing colleges — all self-financing. The Government's defence has been two-fold: one, it is only preventing the flow of money from Kerala to professional educational institutions in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka; and two, the Government by itself cannot foot the education bill of a growing middle class. But the Opposition is crying foul: they see in this a clever ploy to commercialise education. The conflict has spilled over into the streets, with students fighting pitched battles against the police. The interesting thing about the controversy is that both proponents and opponents of the liberalisation of higher education have benefited from it. The divide is sharp at the level of discourse, but it gets blurred when one looks at the ground reality. The ones who really lose out are the poor and the disadvantaged, for whom professional education is just a dream. Rajani S. Anand, a Scheduled Caste student who jumped to her death from the roof of the building that houses the Commissionerate of Entrance Examinations, was a victim of this system. A student at a Government engineering college, Rajani took her life as she was unable to raise money to support her studies. Her death shows that new inequalities are emerging in Kerala. The KSSP study revealed that only around 16 per cent of those aged 18 to 25 from poor families — who make up 50 per cent of the State's population — are lucky enough to enter college, and less than 5 per cent progress to professional education. Self-financing colleges are beyond their reach. Most end up with a secondary education, which leaves them educated but unemployable. This raises some questions: how will such youngsters and their parents vote? Will they buy the argument that there can no free lunches any more? Or will they find merit in the Opposition's critique of the system? The outcome of the Assembly elections could well turn on the answer to this.
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News:
Front Page |
National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
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Kerala |
New Delhi |
Other States |
International |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Engagements |
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