Mr.
Vice-Chairman, Sir, this Bill is very much
relevant because modern education is a very tough education, which is based on
very tough syllabus. At the time of admission of children in schools,
the private schools are conducting interviews even though the Supreme Court has
given a direction that there should be no interview for LKG and UKG
classes. But schools are conducting interviews at every stage. They ask
for a detailed profile of every child. The present system of education is
really very tough. You need technical assistance; you need scientific
assistance; you need mathematical assistance. These are all things which
are not available for poor families. They can learn only in classrooms
where the teachers120 have to
cater to 40 to 60 children in a classroom. Therefore, they are unable to do
justice to140 these children. As
a result, these children are having very low IQ. Within a period of 40 to160 45
minutes, the child has to absorb the whole subject, which is taught by the
teacher. That is a very tough job for a child. Then many of the families do not
take proper care of their children. They are simply handing over their children
to schools. They feel that it is sufficient for them and their duty is
over. But the rich people send their children for tuitions in every subject. In
this way, many of the teachers are earning240
huge income by taking tuitions in the same schools and colleges. In this
way, teachers are earning parallel income. So, they are least bothered about
poor children who do not have access to coaching. But we are worried for
children280 who do not have
access to coaching. Therefore, this is a very important issue because we all
are saying that our modern education should be of international standard.
At the same time, we have to see the real picture320 at the grassroots level also. Therefore,
the Government is having an obligation to see that there are separate
coaching centres to cater to the needs of poor children.
In
the USA, the system is such that community colleges are encouraged there.360 They can choose any field of their
choice and get the training accordingly. The community colleges assist them,
give them training and then give a certificate also which is acceptable for any
job. They do not bother about educational background. They are particular about
skills; they just try to find out whether a person has got the skill to do420 the job for which he is being
selected. Therefore, we have to look into this aspect. Our country is not
having the luxury of going to schools; our country is having the necessity of
going to schools. This problem also has a social aspect to it. If one is not educated;
if one does not have any certificate, it is480
very difficult for him or her to get married. Therefore, the State Governments
should come forward with some packages in order to give coaching to children in
evening hours. For example, we are doing it in Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu
Government has allowed special coaching classes in every Government school,
wherever possible.
In
rural schools, the headmasters and the teachers, who are interested in getting better
results for their schools, encourage the children by having evening
tuitions and early560 morning
tuitions. In this way, they can attract more children to their schools. In some
cases, they ask the children to sit in the classrooms till late night so that
they can give them coaching to get them prepared for600 the next day. When there is absence of
help from the family, there should be some help from the Government.
We are giving mid-day meal in schools. There is no doubt that it is
a very important scheme. Nearly twelve640
crores of students are taking their meals under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme.
Similarly, if we want to have better skills and better education, we
must have the participation of Government of India in it. If the State
Governments are not coming forward, and if we cannot afford to give
money for such coaching, then, we are depriving the real people,700 who are otherwise accommodated by way
of the Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Scheme. The family is now
allowed the facility720 of
crèches; the family is allowed to save its income; the family is allowed to
have insurance benefits. The Government of India has provided them all these
facilities.
The
Government of India is providing Mid-Day Meal to these children. The Government
of India is providing them Sarva Shikhsa Abhiyan, where schools with
good laboratories and playthings are provided. All the important works
like building roads to schools and building separate toilets for boys and girls
are being taken up by800 the
Government of India. We are giving textbooks and bags to children. We are
giving them bicycles under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. Then, why can we not give
them coaching as well? I feel that the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan should840 have a small component for this also.
So, wherever there is a need for that, the scope should be enlarged. That is an
important thing because the working hours of the rural poor are totally
different from the others. They have to work throughout the day. There is no
fixed time of eight hours of duty for men and women in rural areas. Wherever
opportunities are there, they have to go for work, earn money and look after
their families. We are giving educational tools to them. In Tamil Nadu, we
are providing free laptops for children studying in 12th
standard. This way, every State Government should get the awareness and see to
it that the poor students are given960
access to all the modern tools which are available for a rich student.
Sir,
as we know, there is a980
huge human resource available, especially in north India, and people are
migrating for want of some jobs. That is the state of affairs of several
countries throughout the world. But, in India, we are having the
potentiality now. Through Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and other schemes, we are
getting the skilled people. Whether it is below 30 years or above 30 years or
above 50 years, we have a large human resource available with us. But what
about the children who are growing up now? They have to be provided with
all the facilities. If we are doing it, we are1080 really helping people at the grassroots
level to come up to the desired standard and participate in nation-building. They
will have the knowledge to understand the world. Our educational system is
oriented towards that. All the subjects, whether it is1120 science, economics or history or even
languages, including regional languages, are all based upon teaching children
how to live in the society, how to understand the society around us, how to
understand the environment around us, how to live in this huge population.
These are all put up as lessons in the syllabus. Therefore, if they understand
this properly, instead of merely getting good marks or getting certificates or
simply learning to read and write and enhancing the memory power,1200 if they understand the need of the
society and the need of the environment, then, such children will become good
citizens as well.
In
today’s world, even a well-educated person is joining the terrorist movement
because they have not understood education properly. They have got a
deep hatred for the society. They cannot brave the pressure groups which
are around1260 them. They
cannot understand why they are not getting accessibility. Whether
they are from the Scheduled Castes or from the1280 Scheduled Tribes or Minorities,
they cannot understand how to live within the society because the education
system is there but they cannot realize the education system. They feel that even
if they get marks, they cannot get a proper position in the society.
Therefore, they hate the society and they are caught in the trap of terrorist
movements. In order to address this problem, especially in the tribal
areas, we have to help these people by way of coaching centres. In two
ways we are helping them; one is to show their productivity, and show their
ability for living with the society and another way is, that we are preparing
them to come up to the standard with other rich1400
(9) people who are competing at the national or State level.
Sir,
I feel that this Bill will give a new focus to the Government to
come out with a better enactment and to initiate a process. Finally, I would1440 like to submit that every State
Government is giving some help to the students studying in schools and
colleges only by issuing Government Orders because by an Executive Order it
can remain, it can continue or it can be reduced. The Central Government
brought the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme because it
should be a statutory right. If a statutory right is violated, if it is
not given, then they have got the right to agitate against it. I think they
also have the right to have this type of coaching centres. If this Bill
is passed at the national level with the allotment of certain money for that
purpose, I hope the State Governments will also accept it because we
know very well that the State Governments are very much nearer to the people.1577
