Free Education Is Moral Obligation

A good education system is the fundamental requirement for an enlightened society. A society can have progressive thinkers only when it ensures that its children get good quality education. The education institutes play key-role in dispensing citizens who are honest, self-restraint, tolerance for pluralism and show faith in the democratic institutions.

However, education still remains a distant dream for many people, due to their socio-economic background. Over the years, education has become a privilege for many and accessible to only those who can afford it. There is no doubt that the quality of education has improved, and there is an increase in the number of the educational institutions. But it is not just the quality of the education that has gone up, the fee structure of the schools has become exorbitant, making education an expensive affair and nearly inaccessible to many people.

UNIVERSAL FREE EDUCATION:

Universal free education is the only solution to address the problem of inaccessibility of education. Developed countries are already following the policy of free and compulsory K-12 education for all, and trying to extend it to the universities. It gives the people who cannot afford the education, a chance to educate themselves and improve their career prospects.

The universal free education is a beneficial deal and yields desired results in the long term. Many countries from west are investing in the developing nations like India and China bacause of the availability of the educated youth. In this present knowledge driven world, having a well-educated workforce is imperative for a robust economy. Also, it helps in reducing the unemployment level.

EDUCATION IN INDIA:

There is a sea change in the literacy rate in India, as opposed to the literacy rate in the pre-independence era. In these 69 years, India has made astonishing progress in the field of education. The numbers of the educational institutions have three-fold during 1951-991, and the literacy rate increased from 18.33 to 52.21. Post-1991, the after the freeing up of the economy, the literacy rate has made significant progress. India’s current literacy rate stands at 74.04 percent; the rural literacy rate is 71 percent, and the urban literacy rate is pegged at 86 percent.

Though the figures look impressive, still there is some lacuna in the overall picture. During the years, 2001-2013, the population increased by 18 crores, and the children enrolled in primary schools increased by 1.86 crores. The reason being the unaffordable fee structure of the for-profit schools. The state intervention is necessary to bring the education within the reach of everyone.

In 2009, Indian parliament enacted the right to education (RTE) act. This act implies that every child between the ages of 6-14 must have a free and compulsory access to education. By doing so, India has become one of the 135 countries to constitutionally confer the right to free education to all its citizens.

NOT JUST FREE EDUCATION BUT QUALITY EDUCATION:

One of the biggest issue that people have with the government funded schools is the quality of the education. Lack of the availability of proper infrastructure and qualified staff discourages the people from joining their kids in the public schools. There is a need for government to look into these issues and resolve them.

The present government is already making a move towards raising the quality standards. The government in collaboration with IIT, IIM, NIT and few other private institutions, has started an initiative called SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds).

SWAYAM aims at providing a quality education to the students from 9-12, through the online portal and mobile applications. This course is instructed in 10 regional languages, and the government estimates that at least one core students to be benefitted by this initiative. This initiative offers courses in engineering, social sciences, and management. All these courses are offered at free of cost, students have to incur the expenses only if they want to get a certificate. This program is very helpful to the students who cannot afford the quality education. Also, it is helpful for students who are unhappy with the course curriculum and quality of the education at their colleges.

If this program is efficiently implemented, free and quality education will not be a distant dream for the poor people of this country.

Atluri Sriman Narayana is an Indian dental surgeon,He founded the Sai Oral Health Foundation.He was honored again by the Government of india in 2002, with the fourth highest india civilian of padma shri.