Taking the easy way out

The RTE this year had the Supreme Court ruling that ‘all schools, except unaided minority institutions, will have to admit at least 25% students from economically weaker sections in the neighbourhood’. This on paper is a fine thought – the government in its complete inability to administer its existing ‘government’ school system is taking the easy way out – ‘reserving’ 25% for underprivileged kids in neighbourhood schools.

So what are they going to do to the government schools? Are they going to be run in the same inefficient way for decades to come? (Check out http://www.bba.org.in/news/images/RTE-2011.pdf.) Will simple basic education the way it should be, be denied to children who, despite the 25% reservation, will not have access to these ‘neighbourhood’ schools?00 Schools today are crunch spaces, with little seats and more applications than admission space. While the RTE as envisaged is going to squeeze these already ‘gold’ seats, it’s certainly not long term vision on the part of the government or the Supreme Court, if their goal is to see every child born in India to have access to education. You can also read a point of view at this link http://www.livemint.com/articles/2012/02/22223606/RTE-and-some-realities.html.

Let’s face it, there is a paucity of vision, will and of course, discipline. The vision to actually understand and utilise the urban and rural wealth in its people – the mass of the population lost in politics and political manoeuvring. Why is not there a concerted effort to restructure and rebuild the government school system? If the government schools were well-structured, much of the middle class would find relief as well, without the pressure of acquiring a school seat by hook or crook. The RTE in its true spirit, would find its feet as it should.

In every field, the government (not this particular one especially, but successive ones), have shown themselves incapable of running institutions. Be it an airline, a healthcare system, an education system... there is nothing we can show that we have built for the common people as a nation post independence, that has grown in stature and spirit. Most of what we rely on are legacies of the British that we have piled bricks on – even the law is a legacy and many of its edicts have no bearing on the ethos of modern India.

As one wise chap who should be doing things to make things work said on TV(news as entertainment of course), ‘private school premises should be thrown open to children in the neighbourhood as play areas’. What was and is this gentleman and his ilk doing when real estate is gobbling up space like there is no tomorrow, government or no government? Why is it that every one of our cities, growing at terrific paces, sees no effort by any governing system to plan for play areas for children? Without that planning or that effort, or the mere execution of that job, the easiest thing to do is to pick on someone else to transfer the pain to.

A good idea lost in carbonated bubbles

A new ad to make the rounds on television shows a group of young boys on dry arid terrain, enjoying an uninhibited game of cricket.

The voice over tells you that they may not have a coin to toss(they toss a Coke bottle top instead) sport footwear, etc. etc., but that this is enjoyment of the game of cricket for the sheer pleasure of playing cricket.

The visuals are captivating, the children featured even more so. Smiling faces of your average boy on the street, obviously the poor and the ‘underprivileged’. The visuals are in sepia.

Cut. The shot moves to Sachin wearing bright colours of the brand, new hairstyle and all, guzzling down a bottle of Coke, which the aforementioned boys of course, cannot even afford, thanks to their lack of even a coin to toss.

Insensitive? Yes. Lack of empathy. Yes, yes.

My pleasure in the visuals of the boys playing cricket has been completely wiped out. What a waste of a good idea.