Quality education sought for all

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 10

Education for All, a seminar, was organised by the All-India Students Federation (AISF) at Shaheed Karnail Singh Isru Bhawan Ludhiana on Sunday. 

Speakers asked the government to ensure quality education for all, end commercialisation of education and rid it of obscurantist ideas. 

Inaugurating the seminar, Charan Singh Sarabha, veteran teacher leader of Punjab, said the governments have completely taken off their hands from education and pushed it into the hands of private sector. “Budget on education has been successively reduced. As a result, education has not only become expensive, but is also losing its content to inculcate scientific outlook among students,” he said. 

Sarabha said: “Primary education is the basis of development of a person’s mindset. But there are several schools who are poisoning the minds of children on communal and caste lines completely negating the teachings and aspirations of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Kartar Singh Sarabha and other revolutionaries.” He said there were concerted efforts being made by the Sangh Parivar to saffronise education and introduce obscurantist ideas in the syllabi. 

Dr Arun Mitra said Kothari commission appointed by the government way back in 1964 had recommended common area schools for all sections of society, where children mingle with each other. But this has been completely ignored by the successive governments. Instead, with large scale entry of rich and the affluent, who consider education as a commodity, education has become for sale and out of reach of common students. Higher education has been badly affected and it has been taken over by the education mafia. 

Karamjeet Kaur Badhni said the AISF was organising a big rally in Delhi on February 18 and had called upon students to participate in it and force the Modi government to change its policy towards education. Deepak Kumar, general secretary, AISF, Ludhiana, assured of effective participation in the Delhi rally.