The path-breaking cover story of this issue has been brewing within EducationWorld’s head office in Bangalore for quite some time. While every issue of this first-of-its-kind publication for the past four years and more has focussed a searchlight on areas of darkness within the nation’s vitally important education system, there’s been some dissatisfaction that the searchlight provided a partial rather than whole picture of the problem. It then became obvious that as in all things that go wrong, there is a multiplicity of infirmities — with a cascading effect upon each other — which have combined to sicken the system. Out of this awareness was born this month’s cover story — which hopefully provides a complete picture of the rackets rooted in pervasive corruption the republic is heir to, which threaten to destroy Indian education.
The purpose of this month’s cover story is not to sensationalise the issue of corruption within the education system as much to generate awareness in civil society that the entire floor of the education system has to be elevated. The existing model of a few schools and colleges offering globally accepted world-class education while the overwhelming majority languish in a desert of mediocrity is as unacceptable as it is unsustainable. With the Indian economy growing at 6 percent plus annually, there is a clear and present danger of the output of the few islands of education excellence proving inadequate. Moreover since everybody can’t be a general, the quality of the troops who man the shop floors of Indian industry and the service sector, also has to be improved if India Inc has to take on global competition in the rapidly crystallising new world order.
Therefore removing the dirty dozen corrupt practices which threaten to destroy Indian education is a pressing national priority if some good is to flow out of the recently-inducted United Progressive Alliance government’s welcome initiative to fulfil the long-delayed promise to raise the nation’s annual education outlay to 6 percent of GDP. We would be delighted if our cover story stimulates a country-wide debate on ways and means to clean up the education system so that the young and vulnerable graduating from the nation’s institutions of learning are equipped with real learning and problem-solving skills urgently required by Indian industry and society.
Coincidentally, our special report feature is also an investigation into the causes of India’s dismal performance in the Athens 2004 Olympiad which concluded on August 29. The fact that India with its pool of 1.2 billion citizens won only one Olympic medal while Australia with a population of 18 million won 49 and even Ethiopia with all its problems of hunger, poverty and civil war won seven, points to a major structural fault which is bedevilling Indian sports education. A detailed analysis is offered in our special report feature.
In addition there are our usual comment pages and news reports. I believe this is a particularly enriched issue of EducationWorld. But admittedly, this is a subjective assessment. If you have any suggestions to upgrade this publication, your inputs are very welcome; write in to us. Like the nation’s academic and sports education systems we also need to improve continuously.