The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : `Social access' is key to India's progress

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 05, 2007
ePaper


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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

`Social access' is key to India's progress

Staff Reporter

Hyper commercialisation in the name of capitation fee a threat to education opportunities

SIVAKASI: "Hyper commercialisation in colleges in the name of capitation fee would be a threat to providing education opportunities, and institutions must strike a balance between excellence and affordability to keep the gates wide open," N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu , said on Sunday.

Higher education institutions should not deny students a chance to enter colleges by demanding capitation fee. "Quality infrastructure and accessibility should not be seen as contradicting and conflicting," he said, delivering the convocation address at the third convocation of Sri Kaliswari College here.

Stating that the key to India's future lay in `social access', he quoted Nobel laureate Amartya Sen's observation on the imbalances and inequities in the country's education system.

"The base of our [education] pyramid is not broad and strong. A huge proportion of our boys and girls drop out before they finish 5th class, and at least 55 per cent of girls drop out before they reach 8th class," Mr. Ram said. Whereas in Kerala, the dropout percentage, up to five years of age, was almost nil, and the ratio was only 0.7 per cent when it came to students up to 8th class.

According to him, the greater achievement of the system would be to bring in those who lacked opportunities and broaden the education system.

He urged the students to focus on learning English and communication skills, as "English became terribly important not only as a link language but also for intellectual life."

Mr. Ram referred to the thriving fireworks industry in the town and the `blot' it had for reports of child labour employed in the manufacturing units.

"It is heartening to know that child labour is declining. The entrepreneurs of Sivakasi took it up as a mission to eliminate the dubious reputation. The pace of change could be accelerated," he said. "Every child must be in school but not as part of labour force."

He asked the students to focus on emerging areas like biotechnology, which would power the country's economy.

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