Primary education is a social need

“NEEM aims at decentralisation of education rights and duties and delegating powers at the State, District and Panchayat levels. Hence, while agreeing with the designation of the Minister for Education as the chairman of the Mission, we have stressed that an educationist be appointed as its Vice Chairman,” Rastogi said, adding that the proposal had already been included in the official agenda of the Education Ministry and was likely to be implemented by April 1999.

Stating that Rs 2,500 crores had been set aside for the NEEM, Rastogi added that six schemes would be integrated to work under the Mission. “These include mid-day meal, non-formal education, district primary education project (DPEP), operation blackboard, teachers training and education technology,” he said.

Stating that the World Bank had extended Rs 600 crore for the DPEP, Rastogi said, “We have asked the WB to integrate their fund with the Rs 1900 crore set aside from our national budget for the NEEM. However, if they decline to accept our proposition, we’ll go ahead without the WB loan. Anyway, we firmly believe that primary education should not be based on loans”.

Pointing out that much money was being wasted on general education, Rastogi said that future investments would concentrate on promotion of vocational and technical education. “In the rural areas, stress will be laid on promoting technical education vis-a-vis the requirements of the region concerned. Meanwhile, in the semi-urban areas, a greater importance will be laid on vocational education after class 10,” he said.

Prominent among the long-term goals are substitution of general education with distance education and establishment of more colleges offering vocational training and polytechnics. “In terms of employment raising opportunities, the universities and corporates have to develop a more symbiotic relationship in the future. The problem today exists because the varsities have become so theoretical that the corporates cannot comprehend their utility,” he said.

Rastogi upheld the view that the state language and not English should be the medium of instruction in all educational institutes. “While English works well till the reproductive and compositive stages of language learning, creativity of a child is best expressed through the mother tongue. English can be taught as a subject in schools but it should not become the medium of instruction,” he said.

Stressing that all socio-politco changes in the Indian society depended on the native language, Rastogi added, “One is confident that the mother tongue will score over English very soon. As we see today, no one can become a political leader without knowing the language of the masses for it is the only way they cannot identify themselves with him”.