Blog #9: Despite RTE, 70% kids not getting proper education: Expert

            In a press conference at Banaras Hindu University, Padma Bhushan and P M Bhargava said that one of the key problems out of the five they came up with that is hurting the nation is education. They also said that if India wants to become a developed modern nation they would need to address those five core problems. The other core problems were water, energy, corruption, and governance. One of the main issues is that there haven’t been any provisions implemented from the Right to Education Act after two years of enactment. They want to follow common school systems where rich and poor get education under the same roof without discrimination. The speaker also noted that they need to develop and upgrade technology as far as the needs and requirements of their people so that it could benefit everyone. Though the literacy rate is increasing, almost 70% of school-age children are still not getting proper education. One question that Bhargava posed was “How can we expect to improve and change the higher education scenario when the primary education that provides the base and foundation is not given attention?”

            I believe that the last quote “How can we expect to improve and change the higher education scenario when the primary education that provides the base and foundation is not given attention?” is a very good question. A lot of the focus is moving away from primary education when that is the basis of where education begins. Everything that you learn in primary school is built upon as you progress through school, so I find it interesting that most funding is put elsewhere. You would think that the investment would be biggest in the primary education sector just because that is the start of molding minds of great innovators, entrepreneurs, teachers, etc. I also think that there should be more inquiry in why the Right to Education Act hasn’t been implemented when they say that 70% of school-age children are not getting a proper education. I don’t understand how they believe they will make change if the Right to Education Act hasn’t even benefited them because of lack of implementation. This would probably help get everything started if there were more people pushing the act into actual execution and not just an act on a piece of paper. In addition to that, they should explain exactly what the Right to Education Act is and what they are trying to accomplish with the act.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-21/varanasi/31219855_1_higher-education-early-education-pt-madan-mohan-malviya