Free Education in India: Is it Achievable?
What is the cost of Education?
A question that many know, but
rarely anyone dares to ask themselves. Furthermore, what exactly is the cost of
premiere education in India? In the times of Mahabharata, the cost of education
was Eklavya’s thumb. In the current scenario, it is more than the life’s
earnings of a middle-class family, not less than selling the soul to Satan
himself. There are numerous related questions as well, including, does the cost
of education affect the nation at large?
For a developing nation,
education plays a vital role in strengthening the country through different
channels. From a short-term perspective, it makes the population smarter and
brighter, knowledgeable and aware of the worldly affairs. Considering the long-term
benefits, education enables a country to introduce sustainable goals and plans
to build a stronger society later on forming a developed nation. And as per the
general fact of nature, an educated individual will earn more than an
uneducated individual in an ideal situation, adding his share to the existing
GDP.
Next question is, why is this a
topic of discussion at the moment?
November 2012 marked a major stir
in the fee structure of the Indian Institute of Technology, where the students
faced a sudden hike in their studying expenses. The IT council suggested an 80%
rise in the undergraduate fees, making it up to ₹90,000 a year. Source.
Imagine, a kid from a lower-middle-class
family who studies hard to crack IIT. He shells out the hard-earned income of
his father to join in coaching to prepare better and after two unsuccessful
attempts, he finally makes in the list. And suddenly, there he finds out the
fee structure of this government institute, which he believed earlier to be
budget-friendly being a government-run institution. His dream to get a degree
from a premier institute comes down crashing, as he fails to bear the fees for
his education and eventually joins a general course with lower fees, compared
to a professional one.
Here is a brief fees structure of
IIT:
The year 2019 saw another stir,
where the hostel fees of Jawaharlal Nehru University was revised after 19 odd
years. Under the revised fees, students needed to pay a newly added service
charge of Rs 1,700/ month. Further, the rent of a single room shot up from Rs
20/ month to Rs 600/ month, and similarly for a double-sharing room from Rs 10/
month to Rs 300/ month. Source
Delhi High Court gave the verdict
in January 2020, stating, “Burden of paying contractual employees in state-run
educational institutions cannot be put on students and the government has to
find the funds.” Source
The premier education in India
comes at a great cost, so it turns out to be a tedious task for many households
to fund the education of their younger ones. In such cases, they end up
studying at below the standard colleges, or at times, quitting their studies as
well. Opting for government-run institutes offer no solace as well, owing to
the high fee structures for professional courses.
The Indian Institute of
Management, Ahmedabad charges a whopping amount of 28 Lacs for a postgraduate
course, being a government-run premier institution. Source.
A middle-class student cannot even imagine entering such a course, owing to the
fee structure.
As per the Constitution of India,
“The Constitution (Eighty-sixth Amendment) Act, 2002 inserted Article 21-A
in the Constitution of India to provide free and compulsory education of all
children in the age group of six to fourteen years as a Fundamental Right in
such a manner as the State may, by law, determine. The Right of Children to
Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which represents the
consequential legislation envisaged under Article 21-A, means that every child
has a right to full-time elementary education of satisfactory and equitable
quality in a formal school which satisfies certain essential norms and
standards.” Source
The RTE requires to further extend
and cover the complete education for students, removing quotas, reservations,
and benefits of any sort, to offer free education to all, on the basis of
knowledge and ability. This act shall enable the students to pursue an education
at government-run premier institutions, without worrying about how to source
the fees for the next semesters. Additionally, the citizens of India have to
take care of the economy so that the government shall not suffer any losses
while providing free education to all. This can be done by paying complete
taxes on time, which will enable the government to complete the fund cycle
effectively. Further, citizens require to assist in promoting better education
by involving and volunteering themselves as wherever they may prove
instrumental in teaching, guiding or assisting students. With such a framework
in place, the country shall be termed as a developed state in a very small
period of time, with one of the highest literacy rates and skills.
Relevant...wats the policy in developed countries for professional Institutes
ReplyDeleteBut, let the standard of other institutes be improved and anyway successful students from this institutes get hefty salaries and they hardly look back to their alma mater. So its quite justified...hiking the fees and hostel amenity charges for these premier institutes.
ReplyDelete