Privatization of educational institutions

In India, there is a major trend to encourage private organisations in the making of educational institutions, schools, colleges and universities.Social commitment is the most important part of imparting education, that is not sold by private companies.Profit driven organisations cannot impart education as the language used by those running the institution is business language where the student is a "prospective customer". No care would be taken in developing the intellect of the individual student; "how much profit(fees) can be extracted from him" is the main aim of the institution. In a space created by these profit driven organisations, few educational skills can be imparted. Can these institutions teach critical thinking? Can they teach rationality and logic? Can they teach good values?The chief goal of education--full development of mind of the student cannot take place in a private organisation which is striving to make money. May be few skills can be delivered, thats all. A private college can deliver few technical skills only, so that a student is "job-ready". Giving opportunity for the development of the intellectual capacity of the student is not the aim of such an institution.
Today's students are tomorrow's citizenry. They should be taught good values and be taught to make sound judgements. Students should be given chance to engage in debating different viewpoints.They should be given space for discussion in schools. Educational institutions should not just teach how to conform but teach to think critically, to think rationally and to think logically.No private organisation making profits is interested in that. Engineering graduates from private colleges know no engineering. For the money they had paid, they got degrees. They have to be retained to make them job worthy. So privatisation of educational institutions has not worked in India.Knowledge corpus is doubling every five years; so if one finishes engineering college in four years, he would be outdated as soon as he leaves college. He has to relearn his subjects, and constantly update himself on the latest developments.There are efforts taken to bring foreign educational institutions so that quality will come out of competition. Here there is already many private firms competing with one another. There is no need for more.
While vocational colleges may train candidates for job market, universities can train for higher research. Teacher training institutes have to be improved first, so that we have good teachers.Good teachers will mould whole generation of employable engineers, doctors and professors.
 

Why are we so intolerant

There is increasing cultural intolerance among modernized Indians. During annual literary festival at Jaipur in which elitist writers had participated, a small comment on rising corruption in India was taken as a big insult. He had no intention on hurting feelings of anyone. His words have been taken out of the context they were in. Academia was told give its opinion, and media kept on re-analyzing the issue. This is like enlarging the little comment and making a mountain of a mole hill. Nobody should say anything as it could be misinterpreted and taken out of context. This gives a bad name to the writer. It is as if the media is denting the writers, as it wants. There are intolerant persons who find something wrong with every word.Reactionary persons can revolt on anything. Then there are those who seek publicity by making themselves controversial.Reactionary persons and seekers of controversy create much commotion. Word are exchanged, then thee is no room for reconciliation.Enmity develops as hot dialogues lead to more hatred. This is not good.We so are intolerably intolerant.
There are healthy debates result when a writer who had written against holy books was asked by the religious leaders to talk about it with them.He can have a discussion and debate his view points.And conflicts can be resolved.
If one had views different from others, there is no forum to resolve it. Instead they make statements to the press infuriating the other side.Discussion is an effective way to resolve opposite views.But that is not done.Once spoken, the words cannot be taken back, so care must be taken. And if the words affect political or religious ideologies, then the writer has had it. Newspapers will go on and on publishing mutual disagreements. All disagree at all times.We are a republic of different viewpoints.
Often one must be "politically correct" otherwise, he could be jailed. This is a bad trend as it could erode our democracy.  

We remember the martyrs

On this Republic Day people remember the martyrs. The two soldiers whose mutilated bodies were found made each one of us think of their sacrifices. We can empathise with their families and share their grief. Sentinels give the ultimate sacrifice when they keep watch in our borders. It is the most  risky profession which one can have. Even at these trying times, we control ourselves from actions of hate and cry for our soldiers who had to give up their lives. The army drums during the ceremony of "Beating Retreat" strike a melancholy chord in our hearts. Army music, instead of livening us,they saddens us.
We also empathise with the girl who had lost her life during sexual assault by criminals in the streets of New Delhi. It was amazing to witness 25 lakh citizens of Delhi protesting in historical places to make the government realise their lack of governance in stopping such crimes. Insensitive people holding high office gave their own comments on the protests. People asked for the right to dignity for all women. Lack of proper police force, and ineffective courts also contributes to high crime rates.
New awakening of the Indian youth to the social reality has to be appreciated. Every knows now about lack of social control mechanisms, lack of governance and feudal mindsets have brought about cruelty to the women everywhere in India, not just Delhi. Even without any leadership, the individuals revolted and showed their feelings by peaceful protests. This is indeed the land of Gandhi.

    

Justice Verma's Committee

Within a month, 650 pages comprehensive report has been prepared by Justice J.C.Verma’s committee as recommendations for improving security of women and children in India. Punishments for criminal offences have been offered. Stringent deterrent will prevent offences. Codification will prevent reduction in punishment as it is done now; life sentence which once given could be for 20 years and not 14 years as it is reduced now. For aggravated sexual assault, whole life sentence will be given. Besides imprisonment, “fine” will be charged for meeting medical offences for the victim like acid attack. New offences were defined like voyeurism stalking and acid attack. And it was define that there is a “breach of command responsibility” where the senior police/security officer is held responsible for acts committed by his juniors. The committee was able to see the patriarchal features in framing of law, and recognised marital rape as an offence for all ages. Senior security officers would get 7 to 10 years for the offences against women and juniors would get only 5 years of imprisonment for the same crime. “Intentional touching “can get a sentence of 2 years to 5 years imprisonment.”Trafficking of a person” can get a punishment of 7 years or up to life term. Frequent crime of “eve-teasing” is grouped as sexual assault. Even with the codification of punishment, offenders can get away because of the casual way police operates. Sensitising police has been taken up but they are resistant to learn new approaches. The measures have to be implemented otherwise they remain in paper only. We can make improvements in law enforcement agencies, but the real social controls have to be taught to individuals in society. Schools have to instruct good values and make better citizenry of future India. It has been recommended by the committee that school curriculum to ensure better values; moreover breaking down the stereotype of the dominant male is very important while constructing future citizenry. Immunity to police forces and armed forces from conviction for sexual assault is most pertinent, as this is important in trust deficit of the state; sexual violence in the conflict zone will not be overlooked. Homosexuals have rights and they will not be violated upon. The report has taken care of all aspects of sexual assault in a detailed manner. It is an excellent report which has to be implemented for betterment of the Indian social environment.

 

Backlash effect

In India, whenever we make a legislation to reverse the pressure of social inequalities, we get a backlash. When widows were given a share of demised husband’s property, many widows had died (mysteriously killed). Because the other members of the household like the husband’s brothers regretted giving a share of their wealth to the widow of their brother. “Killing them off” seemed liked the option which they exercised to eliminate widows in the completion for family property. 

Giving property to divorced women has had to effect of strict social rules by “khap panchayats” for its women—like banning mobile phones for women. A positive step forward is seen as a threat to patriarchal power structure. Women’s emancipation is a threat to male dominance of patriarchy. In some states the rise of lower class like “dalits” is regretted by the upper castes, and this could be the reason for the sharp increase in the incidence of rape. In the feudal India (hundred years ago), “dalit” women were frequently violated upon and kept in a lower level where they cannot rebel.But  it was over long time ago; they can no longer be suppressed in free India.

 In the state of Tamil Nadu, last week, leaders of caste groups were promoting ban on inter-caste marriages. They want to preserve their caste identities; this was to protect their own women by keeping them within their own groups. The ‘social psyche’ of the people since the violent ‘gang rape of December 16, 2012 in New Delhi has made people very wary. They want protection of “their women”. But all women need protection and support –not just women of their caste. Narrow mined leadership has reverted to caste consciousness.

Modernism has arrived and we have to keep pace with changing world. However the power relations may be people will have to learn new ways of life. Whether there are repercussions on social structure or not (backlash or not) people are living in present era. They will change their mindsets. World cannot change for them,they have to change to keep up with the world.

                                                                                                                                                          

Importance of preserving environment

National Investment Board(NIB) has been given power to make clearances without approval from the Environment Ministry. NIB can over rule other ministries when it comes to big projects.This is to facilitate making of industries faster.This is highly regrettable.Industrialists can see only profits. They will not care for the environment, which would get damaged.
Many times procedures are altered to meet deadlines and targets and these procedures violate the norms and guidelines of Department of Economic Affairs.One should not be motivated to evade rules.To meet the target, which is 20 km of road per day, orders were issued so that the National Highway Authority of India could quickly invite tenders.So tenders were invited for Public Private Partnership projects before it could be approved by Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee.Bids were invited before approvals for them were obtained, so the bidding date was extended. Traversing rules has become so casual, for environmental clearance seems so unimportant to bureaucrats.
In Goa, 169 environmental clearances were given within five years (2004 to 2009) for mining 60 million ton of iron ore every year.25% mined iron was made without clearances. Much more were mined illegally and shipped to far away shores(China) and no approvals were obtained for that.When approvals were made, there was no transparency or accuracy. Environmental impact assessment was done without knowing that the mined ore would dissolve with the many rivers there increasing the iron content of the water to dangerous levels. This affects the aquatic life and makes the water undrinkable.Between 2007 and 2008, 17 mines were cleared but they were in wild-life sanctuaries.
Mineral exploration is encouraged and even incentives are offered to develop mines. These are see as simple and easy procedures that have immense repercussions later on.
Wild life sanctuaries are affected, people's livelihoods(fishermen) are affected.Inaccurate environment impact assessment destroys the land, water and air. Without having proper parameters to assess, judgements are made. Diversity of flora and fauna cannot be ever replaced. These policies will have long term ecological impact on the country's environment.When the results come out, it would be too late.

Cost of development

'How to preseve environment while utilizing our resource for development' is the main challenge for today’s India in the making of future India. Political elite compromises on quick depletion of natural resources and clean surroundings; and they en-cash it. It is permitting degradation of environment by allowing unlimited number of companies which promise to bring progress and industrial development. New form of post neocolonialism has emerged; Indian polity is exploitative and wants to mask real growth in India in guise of development.The truth is that 'growth for the country means impoverishment of the people'.
Our environment is being degraded by making environmental clearances policies ambiguous. Growth in India is for those who take advantage of non-transparent policies in the making environmental clearances.
The poor are the worst affected as they are in constant battle with limited resources and rising costs. For instance the poor need firewood as fuel and they are not able to cut trees which are a free source of fuel. Regulations to stop cutting of trees has meant that there is no source of fuel. Government has not made a source of fuel which would replace firewood for the poor. This tightens the noose and the poor are hurt, and are pushed into further impoverishment.
People are not part of the growth agenda in India’s growth story. Dams and hydroelectric powers affect water sources and reduce the fish stocks which feed the poor. No fish means no food for the local people. No alternative livelihoods have been offered to the fish-folks; now what would they eat, how will they live? Dams make infrastructure but they are built at the cost of life of the people. But are not dams built for the people? “Growth for whom” is the question. The local people suffer and the benefits of the dam are enjoyed as electricity by urban India. Homes have been dislocated so that dams can be made. But no new homes were made. Meaning is that locals have been evacuated and were not given any compensation or space to live. Factories are made in tribal lands; promises are made by offering jobs to locals. They only bring further impoverishment of the people who are given bare minimum wages. No labour reform. Factories pollute the water, and poison the land and further degrade the environment.
We, the educated elite are able to visualize the potential hazards and see how healthy growth is being stopped and subverted in the guise of development.We are not able to bring to senses the dominant political elite whose mind is being molded by selfish interests. How fast we realize this trend and how we come out of the situation will determine future India.