CLAIMS

During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP had promised to give top priority to education by allocating 6 per cent of GDP to education in central Budgets.

Opening up education sector to private and foreign institutions will encourage competition and improve the quality of education.

The government is implementing plans for inclusive education and for uplifting children from under-privileged sections.

Higher education will be modernized and brought up to global standards.

‘Since 2014, two new colleges have been opened every day. Enrollment in higher education has increased tremendously’ – Narendra Modi

NEP-2020 will pave the way for comprehensive development, Indianness and cultural renaissance.

By making available certificate or diploma or degree or honours degree at the end of each year of higher education courses, the system will become more employment oriented.

Curricula have been modified to include national culture and traditions.

TRUTH

The harsh reality of a decade of Modi rule (2014-24) is that average annual expenditure on education by central government has been only 0.41 per cent of GDP, which is less than the average of 0.66 per cent during the preceding decade (2004-14) under UPA rule. The Modi government has threatened that funds will be stopped to those states that do not adopt the New Education Policy. Recently, there have been reports that funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan have been stopped for eight such states.

By closing down or merging government schools, students are being forced to enroll in private schools. In BJP ruled states, admission fee is being charged from students under the ‘Chirag’ programme while private schools are being subsidized. When a large number of students shift in this way and the poorer students drop out, then this subsidy will be stopped.

There has been a mad rush to open the higher education sector to private sector and most of the new higher education institutions are privately managed. Due to exorbitant increase in fees of publicly funded universities, seats are lying vacant, while students are forced to turn to private universities in large numbers.

Over 10 lakh teachers’ posts are vacant in both the school and higher education levels. The push for online education and training, and digitization, is a conspiracy to prevent deprived sections of society from getting their right to education.

Most of the BJP ruled states are either stopping scholarships meant for SC/ST and other reserved sections, or delaying payments unreasonably.

The Right to Education Act 2009 which was enacted after a long struggle has been rendered ineffective in practice.

Repeated interventions in madrasas run by minority community institutions are being made to destroy them. Even the minority status of Aligarh Muslim University has been challenged.

In the name of ‘career building’, expensive private coaching centres are flourishing which, are mounting pressure on students and the tension-ridden children turn to suicide.

Instead of allocating sufficient resources, higher education institutions have been forced to adopt the ‘self-financing’ model. This has led to an exodus of students seeking technical education in fields like medical, commerce, engineering, etc. to foreign institutions where such education is relatively cheaper. The situation will further deteriorate due to invitations to low quality foreign educational institutions to set shop.

The Natoinal Education Policy 2020, apart from encouraging privatization, is designed to overhaul the whole education system. The provision for any student to leave a degree course midway and get a diploma is nothing but a move to extort money from hapless families. All the promises of making education more employment oriented have turned out to be hollow.

Through rewriting of history and saffronisation of social sciences, these subjects have been drowned in feudal, patriarchal and obscurantist thoughts and superstitions. In the name of astrology, Vedic maths and moral education, curricula are being filled up with irrational and unscientific ideas.

Under the ‘Karmyogi’ project, apart from Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharat etc., recorded speeches of BJP/RSS leaders that are reactionary and blame the citizens themselves for their pitiable condition are played in schools. Those supporting the communal and sectarian ideology of RSS, mostly with a low academic record, have been appointed Vice Chancellors of universities, as top officials of the University Grants Commission and other educational bodies.

The Manuvadi agenda of BJP-RSS is being implemented energetically in various Central Universities since 2014 by curtailing and stopping all forms of debate, discussion and dissent. Those asking questions are being silenced, those protesting are being sent to jail or even made victims of institutional murder, like Rohith Vemula. Teachers are being harshly restricted and face violence from ABVP goons if they criticize the ideology of the government.

In non-BJP ruled states, BJP appointed governors openly interfere in the functioning of universities. A prime example is the governor of Tamil Nadu who is refusing to appoint Vice Chancellors to Madras and Puduchery Universities.

Police and anti-social elements launch violent attacks on activists of organisations that fight for justice thus damaging the role of elected students’ unions and organisations. University administrations leave no opportunity to repress teachers and students. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Jamia Milia, etc. are vivid examples of this.

The Left and Democratic Front government in Kerala has implemented several exemplary policies in the field of education resulting in higher enrollment in government schools compared to private schools. The LDF government along with the state governments of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have refused to implement NEP 2020 and changes in curricula. In violation of the federal character enshrined in our Constitution, the central government has declared its intention of not giving grants under the education head to these states.

The Modi government has brought the education sector of the country to the brink of collapse. The Right to Education Act 2009 has been practically destroyed and the education sector has been corporatized, communalized and centralized.

SAVE EDUCATION AND PUBLIC EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS!  DEFEAT BJP!

Published by Communist Party of India (Marxist)