Politics and Business in Education

 

A few days back, the Tamilnadu assembly passed a bill to exit from NEET. CMs of states are still undecided on the opening of schools.  Our politicians have had their say on various education-related decision-making already. If you leave the education to politicians they will create quotas for their vote banks. If you leave the business to control education they will create Kota factories. The choice is either quota or Kota.  Either way, deserving candidates with a privileged or an underprivileged background lack fair access to education. Humanity despite its advances in all fields still has not found a solution to equal opportunity education based on voluntary choice of individual liking relating to one’s vocation and choice of his/her way of life.

The rationale behind the NEET resolution is to have a level field for everyone to avail of medical education.  Then there are various political nuances of Tamilnadu politics based on its stand on federalism or caste equation which I don’t want to delve upon as I already said if you leave education to politicians they will play to populism and election equations.  But from an educational point of view, the state did not want to grant advantage to those who have access to coaching factories. That again creates an uneven field for students of other boards like CBSE/ICSE in Tamilnadu.   We have to agree to the right of elected representatives of the state to look upon the interests of the state constituents. The question remains if Standard XII marks will be a good evaluation parameter granting a level playing field. How do you guarantee that there is no coaching industry that thrives for whatever agreed on entrance criterion?  The business will find its way in education how so ever Politicians would like to control.  

Education has been through this Business-politics circle all along. But one thing is sure: The government’s important role to ensure basic education to all. District and Municipal schools definitely have roles. Mid-day meal scheme is a serious incentive for underprivileged and rural kids. In the urban landscape, we have seen how the business of private schools has thrived and admissions at the Kindergarten level are contested. But the Government's control over private schools is something which is a tricky issue. Parents approach the government for issues like regulations on admission and education costs, exams. Curriculum, testing, affiliations have been under government regulation since 1947.   RTE introduced at lower levels has various implications. Here again, it is a choice between political interference and business clout.

We cannot have resources like those in the US or western countries to have strong public schools and its infrastructure. What needs to be done is government should focus more on strengthening basic education and while not spreading it out thin by investing in creating higher educational institutions.  Strengthening means creating better infrastructure and skilled teaching staff with a revamped curriculum that is more employment-driven. The idea should be to create government schools as an option for all urban and rural populace. And leave private education and its business to regulate itself based on market dynamics.  That’s the only model of coexistence of politics and business in Education

For higher education, as said let’s not spend more government resources to create more institutes of higher education. Whatever state-run universities that have delivered in terms of creating value for the country should be given more autonomy and allow more industry interaction to further emphasize on employability of students. The autonomy should extend in ensuring the quality of students entering.  The inclusion angle which was ensured by quotas need also be evaluated as no society can sustain ignoring quality in long run. It was very important to ensuring equality and inclusion to give chance to the underprivileged but the idea should also extend to create quality once equality is ensured. A time-bound approach is essential for this. But then politics and optics have created this anomaly as this goes on perpetually. 

The success of the IIT system is due to the difficulty level of JEE. This ensures that the best analytical minds enter the system. Though many argue that IITians have contributed more outside India but the statistics are misleading as there is a sizable number who have contributed in India. As economies go beyond boundaries and are interwoven, the impact has increased.    JEE also needs to be innovated to dismantle patterns created for cracking the exam. We have seen last decade how Kota factories have diluted quality IITs used to have earlier. Ignore than fanfare about crores packages, but the IIT brand has been diluted with its spread. Leaving aside IIT, the mushrooming of private and public colleges has not helped. Already we have seen quantity has not ensured quality and industry does not find most of the graduates employable. So it is wise for the government to focus on basic education.  Let the business of higher education justify itself by creating value for students who pay for it.

The challenges are enormous for a developing country like India with its population to evolve a sustainable educational structure. Despite having the resources like those in the US and demographics, the US still finds challenges in the access to higher education to all. The recent admission scandals have exposed the fairness of the system and its equitable structure. The system is not free of the rat race as we have it here. The market dynamics have found students burdened with hefty educational loans and have rendered higher education overpriced for the return on Investment. 

We have to realize the importance of human capital. The history of the Indian economy has proven how our human capital helped us towards a knowledge economy and world-class service industry. As we dream of Make in India or innovation/research economy, we need a strong self-sustaining education. Basic, Vocational, and Higher Educations are three pillars of India's story. Let the business and government work together to ensure that these pillars are strengthened and not weakened by their collusion.

Crossroads at the End of Summer

 

Last weekend marked the end of summer in this part of the world.  What a summer it has been, dominated by the concerns over events in Afghanistan, natural calamities, and the threat of new variants of virus originating from Wuhan.  India has also seen vagaries of nature but the monsoon so far has been satisfying especially from the agricultural point of view though it had regional anomalies. Indian summer started with havoc due to the second wave but as we head towards the festive season we still are not yet out of woods. Thankfully the massive vaccination drive has had an impact though we were a bit underprepared and were simply overwhelmed by our numbers. But the next few months coinciding with the fall and winter will be very landmark defining future decades as we pay homage to victims and martyrs of 9/11 twenty years after.  

9/11 changed our lives in many ways.  The world took a certain path at that crossroad. Taliban was in exile for two decades and are again back due to withdrawal of US presence. This is a threat to India. Pakistan has been at an advantage and China has a great regional interest in the Afghan situation. There will be efforts to destabilize Kashmir again by this axis. Thus we are at crossroads to play our cards correctly to monitor and control the situation.  One has to admit that events, as they unfurled in Afghanistan, were surprising to neutral eyes. How could the exit be so chaotic for a superpower and how the local military can be neutralized? There is something more to the story than what it meets to the eye. Is it the largest supply of opium at the center of everything? India and the whole world are at the crossroads if terrorism is boosted after two decades.

The US has seen a direct impact of climate change. Ida killed around 50 people in NY. There was an extreme heat wave in Northwest US and British Columbia province of Canada. California faced drought and forest fires. The East Coast was hit with several storms in an unusually wet and hot summer. Similar patterns are seen the world over including in India. But this summer’s convergence of extreme events proves that climate change isn’t a future threat; it’s here. Scientists, political leaders, and environmentalists all broadly recognize that extremes and unpleasant surprises—events that once seemed impossible—will become more commonplace. This summer is the proof and we should act immediately. Its target to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels, and corresponding climate emissions are imperative to save us. We are at crossroads between safety and perils.

This summer also was devastated by the Delta wave in various parts of the world. Before this spring, we felt we had controlled the virus that originated from Wuhan last year. But the variant had other ideas. The western media criticized the Indian government based on its eternal hate agenda but later it was vindicated by trends worldwide. Though one has to admit we were and are still unprepared. These are the challenges arising out of our reality of population and living conditions. On expected lines the inquiry about the virus origin was inconclusive. Vaccination bottlenecks of compliances, approvals also need to be streamlined. The role of Big Pharma was questioned again on efficacy and distribution challenges. The vaccination drive in India was exemplary but no one in western media acknowledged that. But the fear of new variants, waves still looms especially with the festive season around the corner. We are at crossroads between safety and perils.

India's economy grew at a record 20.1% year-on-year in the April-June quarter rebounding from a deep slump last year, helped by improved manufacturing in spite of a devastating second wave of COVID-19 cases. Economists say, looking ahead, we believe COVID-19 is presenting itself as less of a risk to economic recovery thanks to vaccination progress and low-risk perception. Instead, unchecked inflation is a potential risk that can dent consumer confidence and unsettle rates and Forex markets. Managing inflation is now with the government. The government also has another agenda on the structural reforms. Thus coming months are crucial again as we are at crossroads.

This was landmark summer for sports as well. We saw exciting Euro with a team strong in traditional defense winning it against natural flair-driven teams. We saw a successful Olympics for both organizers in Japan and the Indian contingent. The Javelin Gold and Hockey bronze were special. Let this be a milestone and we should aim to double the medals at Paris24. We again lost ICC silverware as our cricket team remained unprepared in the WTC Final like we were at the advent of the second wave.  But the momentum from Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane were not lost in two grounds in London.  But we also had nadirs of 36 and 78 in between. Definitely a roller coaster ride for a cricket fan.  The team is at crossroads as the team now faces another ICC silverware challenge.   

The end of summer also means the start of the new academic year in the US. Back to school as they say. But personal lives of many are also at crossroads with many colleges are going ‘in person’. There are new empty nesters with kids moving out to the dormitories of colleges. Many students from India also are flying out to foreign universities for higher educations. It is an emotional ride for parents as students set to conquer new horizons leaving an empty nest for parents.

The end of summer also means the beautiful Fall season in this part of the world.  The entire region will turn into a painting canvass with fall colors occupying the mind-space. In India, we also will start our festive season with the advent of the Ganesh Festival. Let the lord grant everyone wisdom to help us take the right path at this crossroad.

Soft Targets for the Utopians

 

There used to be a time as a young boy, I wanted to be part of them. These people defined the public opinion-making in India through their columns, lectures, interviews controlled by very few. They were the English speaking as well as senior vernacular Intelligentsia. They were part and parcel of every prestigious event staring from school-level gatherings, to prestigious cultural events. They received various awards from Gulley to Delhi.  They defined public morality and consciousness. They claimed the empathy of the masses and championed causes of the downtrodden as they were well entrenched in their ivory towers and worldly comforts. They had access to the ruling class and policy-making. Then there was liberalization. Access to better lives was democratized. Eventually, there was the internet, and opinion-making was also democratized.  So this group went into oblivion and turned obsolete. Now this group is trying to remain relevant by selecting soft targets. They still remain in Utopia remaining silent of real perils for the society as well justifying the evil deeds. They ignore basic laws of data analytics to equate small outlier events as commonplace occurrences creating fear psychosis within the masses. Having seen this transformation for the last three decades, I no longer want to be a part of them.

I encountered one of the Utopians after I wrote a piece analyzing heroic deeds of Kargil heroes. Towards the conclusion of this article, I shared my feeling of being unworthy of the sacrifices of these young people.  The first objection was to the futility of war and why as a society we kind of celebrate war and glorify its outcomes like a sacrifice. Also, there was a dragged-in comment amount about how if we coexist and believe in something called secularism we won’t need wars.  Also, there was complaining that ‘new’ India has lost these values.  Utopians believe that so long as it doesn’t affect their own immediate self and those nearby all the worldly problems can be solved by idealism. But in the real world, there are conflicts. Though no one likes war or its outcome but they happen. And someone has to take upon the tasks to defend or maintain law and order. Just like someone has to enter the drainage to clean it.  And we should be thankful for our armed forces, Covid workers, sanitation workers and Police. But then these are soft targets.

Now that you must have realized the category of people I am referring to, another important attribute of these Utopians is to remain silent on issues conveniently or ignore the elephant in the room or even justifying the certain wrongdoings suitable to the causes they champion.

Do we remember the hue and cry they created when delta variant ravaged India? We were caught unprepared, and due to the sheer numbers, our system was overwhelmed.  Now the whole world is suffering and there is complete silence.  Some of the people justified post-election violence in Bengal with something as insensitive as the winner’s prerogative. Utopians were singing paeans about Kerala Government for Covid control and oxygen supply but when numbers started going haywire what do we get complete silence.    

Recently we saw the silence of Utopians on seizure of Afghanistan by the extremist elements. But then denouncing them would be dangerous. These elements hardly believe in freedom of expression. Now they don’t cry about feminism. But then they denounce every Indian tradition to be anti-feminist and patriarchal as they are soft targets. In fact, some of them even try to justify the Taliban with something as ludicrous as Taliban at least hold press conferences. They want the Taliban to be given second chance. They justify their extremism as a counter to US policies. Some Utopians are comparing them to Indian traditionalists. They know they can do that as they are the soft targets.

Utopians blame India’s stance on various matters ranging from Farm Laws, Kashmir, Economic Policies, Judicial reforms, laws approved democratically. The only and only reason for that is the inbuilt democratic nature of ‘Indian culture’. Please note secular values, constitutional beliefs are just jargon. But underlying religious traditions of coexistence make democracy and freedom and expression possible in India. But this has rendered whatever is considered to be called Indian as a soft target.  Thus they can speak out against anything under the sun against the state, culture, and religious traditions.  

Now I know here there will be swords drawn equipped with skew data analytics quoting sedition laws being used, the plight of so-called urban Naxalites, regulation of NGOs, journalists under attacks from states and so on.  But you cannot ignore a great underlying number of cases where people have expressed way they wanted to in a safe manner as compared to  incidences which are blown out of proportion by the Intelligentsia.

Here in the USA, Utopians have found their soft target in Global Hindutva. They questionably claim to have support from 41 universities as an entity for what they call it a Global online conclave titled Dismantling Hindutva. There they are trying to explain to people who have no affiliations to know the so-called perils of Hindutva. Hindutva is now widely accepted as the ‘Indian way of life’ as compared to a religious identity. This is accepted even by the courts of India. Indian Culture believes in coexistence. Live and let live has been our ethos. We know the demographics and as a widely multi-religious society as ours we have to do be inclusive in our lives. There have been assertions of aspirational India which has reflected positively in all walks of Life. Let this assertion be not branded as aggression or jingoism as maligned by these Utopians who seem to have missed the bus and lost favors with governance.  But again Utopians know their soft targets as they are trying to influence the mind space of second-generation Indians across universities and those who don’t have any initiation. These activities should be countered ideologically and counterpoints have to be put in democratically.

Dil Mange More

 

Many of us liked the movie Shershah: a Biopic on Late Capt. Vikram Batra.  It was good storytelling overall. Thanks to the valor and sacrifice by men like Capt. Batra, we could recover lost ground in Kargil and very recently at Galvan.  Nation has been always proud of and thankful to its armed forces since Independence. It was an Independence Day weekend followed by victory at Lords over our past Lords that made the mood more patriotic. ‘Yuddhasya Vartaha Ramya” as they say in Sanskrit meaning the war stories are always engaging, but at the same time, they can be tragic as well to those who lose their lives or are injured and more those around the martyrs and injured. But maybe crying over their losses is a bit disrespectful to their valor and sacrifice.

Right during the Kargil conflict and many years following the war, I had a chance to interact with those who fought on the front. I also experienced the first-hand feedback of personal losses to our armed forces due to my involvement with the activities of defense family support/ defense entrance causes for the Trust in the memory of my closest friend: Late Flt Cdt Parag Chandrakant Limaye. Parag laid down his life for the country during his instructor-led flight training mishap of MIG plane in 1995. Some Kargil Stories are simply unbelievable highlighting the difficulty levels for our forces. Hats off to their indomitable spirit!

While listening to these stories, I was intrigued by how people are capable sometimes of the strangest of transactions: they pay with their own lives for the sake of the country.  Normally we can imagine people ready to give their lives for their families. For these martyrs, I think they have a broader vision. They feel nation as their extended family and feel any harm to their nation as harm to their own family. That can be one of the ways to rationalize this strange transaction to the mind of civilian life. But do these army men confront death for any ideological or for that matter even for popularly attributed patriotic reasons?

I had read a statement from a soldier returning to the US from Iraq. He said, “While civilians can postpone their intellectual confrontation with death, a soldier doesn’t have this luxury. On the battlefield, you better sort out your relationship with “Joe Black” quickly, before it’s too late. Thoughts of death will occupy your mind. However, every soldier has another way to deal with it and none of them like to talk about it. Therefore, I can only speak about my own thoughts: The first thing that I had to do when I entered a war zone was to make peace with myself. This means nothing else than to reconcile your ego with the fact that your life is probably over. You always wanted to see the beaches of Thailand? Only one more time see a loved one, a person that is special to you? Forget it, you are going nowhere! The prospect of death has ruined all your life plans and you better deal with it. Of course, when I realized this truth, I became very sad. Many people say that they are not afraid of death itself, but they fear the process of dying, but I wholeheartedly disagree. We fear the great unknown. To get rid of this fear, we have to explore this unknown. We have to take a deep look into the black hole and explore death’s true nature. The moment you have found satisfying answers, something wonderful will happen: Death has become familiar to you, almost like a person. You think more about death than about your family than about anything else. It’s not the great unknown anymore and some soldiers even start to embrace it. Death is an unavoidable certitude you can’t run away from, so why not make it your friend?”

A general gave a firsthand account: “There is no one single emotion that motivates all soldiers to risk death. What are these death-defying emotions?  

Kill the enemy, destroy him at any cost, and if we don’t kill them they will kill us. In the heat of battle saving your own/ life of your buddies by killing the enemy first is a strong emotion and sometimes this results in your death/ injury.

The job we are tasked with is very important for our Unit /Army/country; we have to do it at any cost even at the risk of death or injury.

A strong bond with the team:  I must follow my team and do what they are doing including risking their own life.

A strong attachment and devotion to and along with a conviction of the martial achievements / traditions of their Regiment/unit/nation which compels the soldier to do the job even facing almost sure death to keep the honor of his Regiment/unit/nation.

 A deeply rooted self-image of a brave warrior and to maintain this image in the eyes of all around him, he is ready to risk his own life.

Lastly but most importantly, the excitement of battle prevents his mind to think of death or injury or their consequences at that moment. The task in hand suppresses all other emotions including fear”.

This thought process is something which can explain such heroic feats well symbolized by this famous reply on the television history in India: “Dil Mange More”. As the jingoism set in as an aftereffect of this movie, worldwide Independence Day’s celebrations, and Lord's victory mellowed down there were few questions that started troubling me. Do we as a society deserve the sacrifices made by these real heroes? Do we ourselves think our nation to be our own extended family? Do we follow rules and regulations of the land during our daily lives, occupation, and as a part of civic society?  I know this might sound cliché and cynical but it’s a real honest feeling especially in context of the sacrifices made by someone whose heart wanted more.