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| Keep politics away from schools | | |
The Right to Education Bill, though not immediately applicable to Jammu and Kashmir unless ratified by the state legislature, has triggered a nationwide debate. If a legislation of the Parliament is not directly applicable to Jammu and Kashmir it does not make any sense to discuss that here in this column but the issue of reservation being debated in the country is much deeper in this state –political involvement in the education system. J&K’s entire education system is heavily politicized. Last month, when the right to education bill, 2008 was tabled in the Rajya Sabha, about one-fifth of the members were present on the occasion. It may not be unfair to see this dwindling attendance as a reflection of the attitude of India’s politicians towards the issue of universal education. The history of the bill does not exactly reinforce the people’s faith in their elected public servants. As early as 1950, the Constitution had directed the State to secure the right to education for all, although precious little was done for the next fifty years. After lying dormant for decades, the directive principle was turned into a fundamental right through an amendment in 2002. Yet, subsequent governments were not exactly proactive about the right to education bill until the United Progressive Alliance resurrected it after being re-elected to power this year. As far as education is concerned, politicians, so far, have been indifferent at best and, at worst, taken a mercenary interest in the matter. So, it is hardly surprising that the National Council of Churches in India has raised serious objections to a section of the bill that endorses the involvement of politicians in the working of schools in their constituencies. Clause 21 of the bill states that elected representatives will be made part of local school committees, a provision that leaves open an alarming scope for the misuse of political authority. In Jammu and Kashmir, even much more than the involvement of politicians in school system, a majority of the teaching community, particularly in government schools, have political tendencies so much so that during elections they become the key campaigners. The Bill on the Right to Education has limited scope of political involvement than what is in vogue in Jammu and Kashmir in practice. The influence wielded by local leaders over the managing committees of schools, both state-funded and privately-run, is no secret. From gaining admission to schools to the recruitment, transfer and promotion of teachers, most aspects of the education system in J&K are often biased towards those who know the right people in the political pecking order. A clause that now officially sanctions political meddling is going to deepen such exploitative trends. The only good that politicians can do to the education system is by keeping themselves outside the teaching machine. The latter should be left exclusively to educationists, who understand the ground realities far better. Politicians can facilitate the working of the system by lending fiscal support and advice from outside.
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