Knowledge, values and skills should be the fundamental aim of education. But the government’s intention is quite different. Each and every government aims at producing a group of skilled but slave-minded workers, who will work according to the direction of their bosses but dare not question any policy of the government. Prof. Anil Sadgopal expressed this opinion at a round table conference organised by Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) at the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi on 10 August. He blamed the government that a public welfare project like education or health is planned in such a way that it would be failed. A capitalist-backed government is bound to create all possible business scopes for capitalists even in the education or health sector. He mentioned Right to Education Act (RTE), saying that it was enacted to befool the countrymen in the name of free and compulsory education. More than 36 crore population of our country is below 16 years age, if the government cordially wants to provide free and compulsory education, they should follow a unique education system all over India.
Prof. Madhu Prashad, a prominent educationist, was there among other guests. Her emphasis was on the language policy of the government. “Due to wrong language policy, the last two generations are not able to achieve command on even a single language, even their mother tongue.” She also strongly condemned the new trend of Saffronisation of education in the name of culture.
At the end of lectures there was an interesting question-answer session. The delegates participated in this session actively.
The programme was entitled as “Sansad Mein Shiksha” (Education in Parliament). Tausif Madekari, the National Secretary of SIO, in his inaugural speech, explained the aim and objective of the round table conference. After the inaugural speech a two-volume analytical report and collection of questions and answers discussed in Parliament during the last one year was released. According to Prof. Anil Sadgopal, it was a unique work ever done in this field.
At the end of the programme, Mr. Layeeq Ahmad Khan, National Secretary of the organisation, in his presidential address, explained the next programme through which the SIO will struggle to uplift the quality of education and to make the student community as well as the countrymen understand the new threats of India’s education future.