The Hindu Business Line : Education, the great leveller

Today, the country's top educational institutions can be compared to the best in the world. Institutions such as the IIMs are being wooed to go global, with none other than the Prime Minister of Singapore championing the cause. Substantial allocations have laid the foundation for education in Urban India. It is time the Government took the success story to Rural India.

EDUCATION IN Rural India has still a long way to go.

When Gaurav Agarwal of IIM Bangalore walked away with an annual pay packet of Rs 86 lakh for his job abroad, it was not just India Incorporated, which sat up and cheered. But also millions of parents and students, struggling to break into these citadels of learning. Most of these aspiring students would have passed out of prestigious schools and colleges in urban India, before entering the hallowed portals.

A world apart from the dreary government schools that their parents had to toil through before gaining admission to the college in the distant township, and walking away with the ultimate prize of a top Government job, India has made rapid strides both in education and employment potential. But it still has a long way to go.

Rich dividends

There is no denying that the government's dedicated endeavour to extend education has begun to pay dividends — at least in Urban India. Today, the country's top educational institutions can be compared to the best in the world. Institutions such as the IIMs are being wooed to go global, with none other than the Prime Minister of Singapore championing the cause.

But it is still not time for the Human Resource Development Ministry to rest. Millions of rural children are still without access to schools, leave alone higher education. Urban India, be it Delhi or Mumbai, often presents a picture of contrasts. There are a large number of government schools, often in prime locations, with low enrolment, poor attendance and lower quality of education. Besides, there are the sprawling private school campuses, besieged by large number of perturbed parents every year, unsure whether their wards will make the grade.

For most children of these illustrious schools, gaining entry into institutions of higher learning is virtually axiomatic. They have a wide choice of colleges and institutes, offering excellent curricula and standards.

But the same situation is not the same in Rural India. Primary education is still neither universally available nor accessible. The inherent demand for good education, which is evident across Urban India, is most pronounced by its absence, leave alone demand and access to higher education.

Substantial government allocations have laid the foundation for education in Urban India. Fuelled by strong demand, education has been able to grow well beyond these foundations. The educational success is evident in the massive services sector led by software, information technology, BPO and IT enabled services. Now, it is time the Government took the success story to Rural India.

Of the 7.10 lakh primary schools in the country, majority are located in Rural India. But the numbers are deceptive, given the large population they cater to. While there are 1.37 lakh high-schools, higher secondary and junior colleges, the villages may have a large number of high schools. Of the 9,000-odd colleges and 25,000 professional colleges, most of them are in urban pockets. The high cost of land and inadequate infrastructure have forced some professional colleges to migrate to Rural India, but they continue to be populated by urban students.

It is not the dearth of professional colleges that is impeding education in rural India; it is the absence of effective demand. The effect of good education, leading to a professional degree, then to good and remunerative jobs, is yet to percolate the rural mindset.

Commercialisation of agriculture and remunerative prices is bringing prosperity to Rural India. And, yet, the rural population remains averse to sending their wards for higher education and prefer them children to follow in their footsteps.

Increased reservations is a supply-side strategy and need not result in extending better education to the depressed classes. The demand for education has to emanate from the depressed masses in rural India, when supply-side solutions can prove proactive.

The Government should desist from making a tokenism of education. Rural schools should be better staffed to create a benign educational atmosphere.

With adequate funds, they can be transformed. While the 1986 National Policy on Education had stipulated that six per cent of GDP should be invested in education, the actual figure is way down at 3.49 per cent.

The demonstrative effects of professional qualification and remunerative jobs will kindle a real demand for education, backed by burgeoning purchasing power from Rural India. And not to forget the tens of thousands of qualified professionals, required for transforming India into a back office and top service provider for the whole world.

Success story

Education is a great leveller as the success story of Sarath Babu reminds us. The software engineer and management graduate from IIM Ahmedabad, rose from selling idlis in the streets of Chennai and plans to start his own chain of catering units. Time we heard similar success stories from Rural India.