‘Revamp education, allocate more from GDP’

Nagpur: Educationists from the city strongly feel that the sector not only needs a complete overhaul but also a major portion of GDP should be allocated for it like other developing countries.
“Our education is dead at the moment and it would need a major overhaul which should start from the school level. Schools and universities have become exam conducting bodies while students are not at all inclined towards learning. Our share of GDP for education is poor in comparison to countries like China. If we really want to compete with them, the allocation needs to increase substantially,” said management guru Sanjay Arora.
Professor Lalit Khullar s believes in consolidation of education, which is highly fragmented. “The big colleges should mentor new ones just like IIM-Ahmedabad is doing for IIM-Nagpur. Radical changes are needed in the way aided and non-aided courses are conducted. We also need a really good faculty, who will have inclination and aptitude for imparting education to students. There is also dearth of good humanities courses as all attention of the government is on professional ones,” he said.
Others like Nagpur University’s former management council member Sanjay Khadakkar feels the new draft National Education Policy (NEP) would take care of most of the aspects, but at same time, there are concerns over growing inclination towards privatization of the institutions. “By 2030, they’re planning to abolish concept of affiliated colleges and granting autonomy to all of them to come at par with globally recognized pattern. However, the poor section of society would suffer, as they wouldn’t be able to afford exorbitant fees of private colleges,” he said.
The school education sector is also in doldrums, according to educationists who stressed allocation of more grants. They are hoping that issues like RTE payments and non-salary grants are sorted out.
“The government expects us to provide quality education but does not keep its end of the bargain. Schools have been waiting for years for full RTE payment but they have been releasing in bits and pieces and that too, after lot of bureaucratic delay,” says Rajendra Dayma, president of Independent English Schools Association.
Echoing the sentiments, Headmasters Association president Madhusudhan Mude said, “Our schools haven’t been getting proper salary grants which makes it impossible to operate schools. The electricity, water and property tax bills need to be paid up while there are many other issues. I hope the Union government releases funds to address all these issues.”
Vidarbha Junior College Teachers Association general secretary Ashok Gavhankar, says the pension scheme has to be made applicable to teachers and there should be pay parity with the central government. “The Union government must increase allocation for education so that we can provide quality education,” he said.