We should not allow politicians to fool us
Not a single day passes without some politician accusing the poltician of the party in the opposition, or any politician in the opposite camp, generally called as "enemies" by the political class.
Frankly speaking, there seems to be a tacit understanding between the two political parties at the Centre, who bring up some issue or the other, to divert the attention of people.
Only now and then, the solid issues get discussed. For example, the issue of corruption and black money. The present BJP Governemnt promised to bring back all the black money from Swiss banks, but nothing much has happened on this front. Some issue or the other crops up, and the bigger issue is all but forgotten.
In Tamil Nadu, the two main parties -- the DMK and the AIADMK -- have always played games to divert attention of people, even on vital matters such as the quality of education, the reforms needed and so on.
For example, the standard of education in the State Government schools is so poor, and the net result is that the number of "centums" that is, the number of people who score one hundred percent in each of the three or four crore subjects is increasing year after year.
There is no continuous assessment as is done in the CBSE schools. There is so much of emphasis on cramming, and the net result is that the entire emphasis is on working out problems that almost fall into a set patten in a subject like Mathematics. In fact, the number of schools that specialize in teaching all the tricks of the trade in cramming with a missionary zeal, is increasing year after year.
Every one -- the students, the parents, the educationists, the adminstrators and, worse, the State Education Minister and even the Chief Minister -- is very much aware that there is something or everything seriously wrong with the rather outdated syllabus of education, and the way the entire System is administered.
Yet, no one really bothers as every parent and student wants a share of the pie. Those who score one hundred percent in Physics, Chemistry and Biology, can easily walk into a Medical college on merit. So, parents are ready to pay a donation of over one lakh rupees and secure a seat in what is called the "rasipuram" schools.
The "rasipuram" schools represent one of the fastest growing industries in education in India! What started wih just one school has not multiplied many times over, and a small town, some one hour from a big city called Salem, is a nationally famous centre for cramming of the worst kind!!!. This small town, in Western Tamil Nadu, is the worst advertisement for what a school or any school should not be. However, even Ministers are known to have invested in some benami venture or the other, and the results are there for all to see.
The brightest student, who secures centum in each of the core subjects of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry and gets admitted to the prestigious Anna University campus in Chennai ( this Campus college has a syllabus, teaching methods, industry interaction and whatever, that is far superior to any of its affiliated over 500 colleges, and hence enjoys one hundred placement) , fails in the very first semester of the Engineering Degree to which he or she secures an admission to.
How does this happen? It happens because the Anna University has a pattern that is far superior to the training that is offered in the State Board of Educaiton, upto the plus two level of school final examination. The students are not able to cope with the very high standard of educaiton, all of a sudden.
This is a hugely serious issue. One political leader, whose party is actually a caste-oriented and caste-based party, has openly advocated upgrading the syllabus of the State Board, to the CBSE level. This is a very good suggestion. It is also interesting to note that some more politicians have also started supporting this stand. A very important point is that unless the public at large gets involved and involves the judiciary, nothing is going to happen.
Similarly, in most of the North Indian States, there is rampant corruption and a huge amount of violence against women. Yet, the media and the politicians happen to find some issue or the other, to just divert all the attention of people. The people are made to look like fools. Those who are uneducated have already migrated to many South Indian cities, and are working as construction laborers, for wages that are sometimes even forty per cent less thatn what they earn back home. This blatant exploitation is also not reported by anyone -- the contractors and the politicians are active accomplises in the game.
Years ago, the wave of investigative journalism presented a good alternative to the public, to kow the shady dealings of the politicians, with the Indian Express newspaper being in the forefront of the camapign. Since then, there has been a highly subdued press, both electronic and print, that has done absolutely nothing to expose what the politicians too -- their corruption, their double standards and so on.
Similarly, whatever is rotten with the management of the Environment, the education sysem, the domestic violence that leads to even deaths of women and so on, should be highlighted in much greater detail. We should never out politicians to get away with the present trend of diverting people's attention, with the most silly issues. If these things are allowed to continue, there will be anarchy in the society.
Sociologists, lawyers, scientists, technocrats and such other professionals ought to get-together as a group and do something more dramatic as a Nation. For, unless this is done, we will not be able to see any improvement in the lives of ordinary people. The judiciary is doing a commendable job, but we all need to support the judiciary in whatever little ways we can.
Our lives have already become very complex. However, this is no excuse for not undertaking meaningful social action.
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