Dr. V.P. Niranjan Aradhya, fellow at the Centre for Child and the Law, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, expressed concerns over increasing “threat” of privatisation of education in India.
He was delivering a special talk on ‘Equal school education and the condition of current educational system in India’ at a seminar that was organised around the theme of Marching Towards Quality Education, at Pundit Siddarama Jambaladinni Auditorium here on Saturday. The seminar was organised jointly by Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, Primary and High School Teachers’ Associations, Navajeevana Mahila Okkoota and SDMC Chintana Vedike.
“The pace of privatisation in education sector posing a serious threat to the education system in India. If the situation continues unchecked, most of the government schools and colleges will disappear from the scene within next ten years. The education would then become a costly commodity that only affluent can afford. Most of the children from downtrodden and marginalised sections would completely be deprived of even primary education making the Right to Education a mockery,” he said.
He alleged that the politicians cutting across party lines were hatching “systematic conspiracy” for closing down government schools on an alibi of poor quality education. The design is to facilitate private educational institutions to flourish, he added.
“These elected representatives and political bigwigs are themselves running a number of private educational institutions. No matter which party assumes power, the government would always formulate educational policies that would facilitate rapid expansion of private schools,” he said.
He charged that the government had not taken any action against unauthorised private schools that were cheating people at will.
“In Bengaluru alone, over 1,200 unauthorised private schools are cheating people. The government should have booked criminal cases against them. But, no case is booked so far,” he said.
He stressed the need of collective efforts by the civil society, particularly teaching community, to build a mass movement demanding equal educational opportunities to all, irrespective of socio-economic status.
Joint secretary of Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, Syed Hafeez Ulha in his keynote address, called upon the people to be up in arms for opposing commercialisation of education.
Primary School Teachers’ Association district president Veerabhadrappa, High School Teachers’ Association district president Mahaboob Pasha Mulimani, social activists J.B. Raju, Bharati, Chaya and others were present.
