AAM ADMI SUFFERS IN ‘HIGH-GROWTH’ INDIA
HIGHLIGHTS OF
PAMPHLET ON EDUCATION: CONGRESS-LED GOVERNMENT FAILS THE TEST
An important issue which featured in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections was rolling back the twin onslaught of communalization and commercialization of education which the BJP-led regime had unleashed on the people of this country.
Detoxification of Curriculum: While some measures for detoxification of NCERT textbooks were taken, the mandate to CABE could not be fully realised.
Budgetry Allocation : When the UPA took office the share of total expenditure by the States and Centre on education in GDP was 2.67% (2004-05). This figure increased to 3.08% in 2008-09, far from the CMP promise of 6 % allocation of GDP. In fact state governments account for a significant part of the increase.
Right To Education Bill : Thus the most required legislation for the right to education was virtually scarped by the Government. This was a grave injustice to the more than 380 million people denied literacy in the country.
Commercialization Of Education: While private sector institutions including the schools sector flourished, charging exorbitant fees, government failed to any social legislations.
Cuts in Allocation: The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan saw a decline in expenditure which went down from Rs 12,020.2 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 11,940 crore in 2008-09 and has been further decreased to Rs 11,933.9 in this year’s interim budget. A large number of teaching positions have not been filled up on a regular basis. Instead, of lakhs of casual teachers, like parateachers, are in place who get wages even less than the minimum wage.