The Hindu Business Line : Inclusive education

This refers to the article "In pursuit of excellence and inclusion in education" (Business Line, April 16). It is true that one needs to revisit the concept of educating the future generation and think out of the box to bring in innovative methods.

Training in skills that are appropriate for a segment of the population combined with the basic knowledge of language, arithmetic, civic sense, etc., is one of the sure ways of achieving success in this endeavour.

One needs to make widely known the advantages of such a curriculum so that the children are voluntarily sent to the schools. Sports has been neglected too long. While we are fighting over reservations in post-graduate education, there has been little effort to tap the enormous potential available in sports. Rural sports can transform into a major entertainment business in the semi-urban and rural areas.

Today, the urbanite has hijacked this area as well, and the funds for it too. Why is it necessary to have the best of the training facilities in the metros? Would it not be better to have them in multiple district-level locations, where abundant basic skills are waiting to be tapped? Spotting excellence is the primary task. To identify and implement systems to spot excellence is the first step. To nurture such talents, it is essential to build a public-private model so that the truly talented benefit.

V. Balakrishnan

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