Eduardo hits out at religious pvt.
schools
Sandesh Prabhudesai
5 February 2002
Alleging that most of the private schools
in India follow sectarian religious agenda, Eduardo Faleiro,
the Goan MP and convenor of Parliamentary Forum for Education
and Culture, has strongly mooted ‘common school system’, prevailing
in Scandinavia.
The Rajya Sabha MP has also described 93rd
constitutional amendment to create fundamental right to education
as unnecessary exercise, while demanding a national law to
determine all kind of infrastructural facilities in the government
schools.
The Lok Sabha has already passed the amendment
during the last session, but yet to come before the Rajya
Sabha for discussion. Fundamental right to education up to
the age of 14 years already exists as per the Supreme Court
ruling and it is also implied in Article 21 of the constitution
(right to life), he states.
"Free education means not merely free
from tuition fees but also adequate classrooms and teachers,
free uniforms, textbooks and other educational material",
observes Faleiro. A national law in this regard and its immediately
implementation at state level is the need of the hour, he
adds.
Though private schools provide the best infrastructural
facilities, Faleiro feels that their sectarian orientation
due to ownership by religious institutions tend to create
a divide within the Indian society. "I am not taking
any names. Everybody knows it", he quips.
On the other hand, opines Faleiro, that the
government schools are suffering in spite of having dedicated
teachers, due to poor infrastructural facilities. Though Goa
stands third after Kerala and Mizoram in the country in educational
sphere, he feels the government schools here are a neglected
lot.
Citing example of his own Raia village near
Margao where he studied 50 years ago, Faleiro informs that
the government school there runs eight classes in one classroom
with total 42 students whereas the neighbouring private school
has 50 students in each class.
The convenor of the Parliamentary forum also
admits that commercialisation of education has resulted into
privatisation of education when actually human resources like
education, health etc should be exclusively provided by the
state.
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