New Delhi. Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, founding member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and former Union Human Resource Development Minister and member of the 'Margdarshak Mandal', has raised sharp questions on the education policy, budget and administrative priorities of the Narendra Modi government. In an interview given to Hindi daily 'Amar Ujala', Joshi has raised serious questions on the education policy of Modi government and its priorities. He has raised questions on the government and the system regarding reduction in the education budget, closure of government schools, increasing privatization of education, paper leaks and widespread corruption. He has also made sharp comments on the policy priorities and direction of the current system.
Read :- The way corruption is being solidified under BJP rule, one day it will also be exposed like 'theft in Ram temple': Akhilesh Yadav
Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi has linked the paper leak problem to the increasing corruption in society and governance instead of considering it merely a flaw in the examination system. He said that when people see the dominance of money and corruption everywhere, they also start adopting the wrong path and basically the government and the system should be held responsible for this.
We have paved the way for paper leaks and then you ask why this is happening? If education is not meaningful then what is education?
What is the root cause of Paper Leaks? On this question, Joshi said that the biggest reason for this is that it is not decided where we have to go in the field of education. Joshi said that it is important to link education with employment. He said that education should be meaningful. If education is not meaningful then what is education? Joshi said that today's situation is that in Delhi an MA pass person is working in the Municipal Corporation and a PhD degree holder is working in the Municipal Corporation office. He said that once I was deeply troubled to see that a sanitation worker was a B.Ed. He was doing a contract job worth Rs 25-30 thousand. So where is this matter going?
Joshi said that on one hand colleges are being opened, but on the other hand it is not being seen where are the jobs for the youth who graduate from there? According to him, a secure job is a government job, in which security is assured till the end of life. He said that when I was studying, most of the people used to come to our place to take admission in Physics. Then after ten years people started coming into electronics and then after 15 years people started coming into electronic engineering.
Read :- Encephalitis was the result of sick mentality of SP and Congress governments: CM Yogi
He said that you have to see what is your plan? What will people do if they do not get employment? So whoever has to go, will go there. Linking paper leaks and corruption in the education system with the increasing corruption in the society, Joshi said that when wrong paths are opened in the system itself, it is difficult to expect honesty from the students.
When you have opened the way for scams and after that you are saying why is this happening?
He said that when this happens, there will definitely be a scam. Then the man sees this. It is said that if someone is getting the contract by taking bribe, then I cannot pass the application now and then when he sees that my teacher has got the contract by taking bribe, then why can't I pass? Joshi said that when allegations are being made against the minister and him, when allegations are being made against people in the judiciary, then he says that this is the way. Now you have opened the way and after that you are saying why is this happening?
He said that it is we who have made this path. It is not the fault of those children. This is our fault. Comparing his tenure with the current situation, Joshi said that I say very humbly, why was the paper not leaked during Vajpayee ji's time? He said that at that time the focus was on basic things. Joshi said that now scams are happening in banks, then there will be scams in education too. Scams are happening in business. The government itself is doing scams. Then why are you blaming this poor student? He will definitely do it.
Linking it to the broader social structure, Joshi said that you have to fundamentally see that what you have decided in the society, the structure of the society that you have created, has been created because you have created it for material gain. He said, 'You have set the aim of the society that there should be money, everyone should become rich. He can also become one by picking someone else's pocket.
Read:- The fight between the Constitution and the ideology of BJP-RSS in the country, atrocities against Dalits have not ended till date: Rahul Gandhi
'The exam is not over, the war is over'
In response to questions on the students' protest at Jantar Mantar and the government's preparations regarding the paper leak, Joshi called it a result of centralization. He said that it has been assumed that every problem will be solved from one place. He said that now efforts are being made to find out how to make pamphlets so that they are not leaked, then how to get the pamphlets printed from the place where they are being made? How to deploy army for their protection? How did airplanes come into existence? While telling this, Joshi started laughing and said, brother, it is amazing. The exam was not done, it was a war.
What is the priority of education budget?
Joshi also raised questions regarding the education budget and priorities of the government. He was asked whether the expenditure on education in the general budget still remains low and whether education is not among the priorities of the government. Joshi has not replied. He said that looking at the budget allocation of previous years, it is found that the budget for education, primary education and medical is decreasing, while the expenditure on roads and road transport has increased.
Development is not complete just by building roads, 'You have built the road, but where will the engineer come from?
He said how many roads should be built, how should they be built, what is the need of the country? This can and should be considered, but at what cost it should be built and whose priority should be given, it should also be considered. Joshi said that in any development policy, first of all it should be decided what is the priority of the country? He said that if the priority is industrialization in the country and that too private industrialization, then everything will move in that direction. If your priority is the overall development of the country, then education will go in that direction.
Read :- VIDEO- Modi government minister Jual Oram's open threat, said – Some BJP leaders are plotting to remove me, I will cut off their hands.
Giving the example of the relationship between infrastructure and education, he said that development is not complete just by building roads. 'You built the road, but where will the engineer come from? For that, engineering colleges will have to be built. If you build a road, where will the machines to build the road come from? If she is coming from abroad, then what is the benefit?
It was not appropriate to change the old education policy just because it was made during the tenure of Rajiv Gandhi.
Regarding the new education policy, Murli Manohar Joshi said that its first attempt was made during the government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He told that at that time a case of objectionable material regarding various communities and castes in textbooks had come to light and this matter had reached the Supreme Court. After this he was asked to make a new education policy. Joshi said that he studied the education policy of that time and found that there was no need to make a new policy.
He said that I saw the old education policy. I said there is no need. Whatever we want to do, we can do it. He also added that it was not appropriate to change the old education policy just because it was made during the tenure of Rajiv Gandhi. He said that his government made necessary changes on the basis of the old education policy and where it was necessary to integrate various aspects, it was done so.
While making education policy, first of all it should be clear what is its objective?
Joshi said that while making education policy, first of all it should be clear what is its objective? That objective cannot be linked to any one industrial policy, or linked to any one trade policy, or linked to any international policy or linked to any war policy. It should be holistic, which should include all these and also the development of man. Joshi also raised questions on the process of preparing the new education policy. He said that the chairman of the old policy was scientist K. Kasturirangan is his old friend. According to Joshi, when he asked Kasturirangan what he was doing in the new education policy, he replied that 'whatever the committee is doing, it is doing. I just coordinate whatever comes.
Joshi said that many things in the new education policy had also come from NITI Aayog. Comparing it with the Planning Commission that existed during his tenure, he said that in our time there was a Planning Commission, but the Planning Commission did not interfere in education. He used to say that such people are needed, the labor force should be like this.
Read:- Karnataka minister B Nagendra, surrounded by financial irregularities case, resigns from the cabinet, said – I am resigning to save the party from embarrassment.
Whether the child is poor or rich, he will study in the locality or in the village.
Joshi advocated a uniform school system for equality in education. He said that if necessary, the Constitution should be amended to ensure that every child studies in his neighborhood school only. He said that whether the child is of a rich person, or of an IAS officer, anyone's child, be it poor or rich, will study in the locality or in the village. Equal education should be there from the beginning.
He said that this system should be implemented at least till secondary education. Joshi said that this was my imagination and even today I believe in the principle that unless there is such education in the country and unless education is free to this level, we will remain far behind in terms of education in this country.
Make money from people's education and health, this has never happened in this country
Joshi also raised questions on the increasing commercialization of education, saying that education should not be considered a commercial activity and its objective should not be to earn money. He said that those who come into the field of education should definitely come into the field of education. It is necessary for the country, money can be made from it, but there should be some restrictions on it that the money generated from education will go towards education. Joshi opposed making education and health a medium of earning profit and said that it cannot be done that you make money from medicine and education, from people's education and health i.e. disease. This never happened in this country.
Joshi also raised questions regarding the goal of 'developed India'
Joshi also raised questions regarding the goal of 'developed India' in the current education policy. He said that setting targets is a good thing, but it should be clear what is meant by 'development' and 'developing'? He questioned that even if tribal communities are considered 'underdeveloped' on the scale of modern development, how can this be said from the human point of view?
The tribal community may be considered 'underdeveloped', does not lie, does not steal, lives in harmony with nature, is happy, does not cut forests.
Joshi said that he is protecting the environment, is simple, does not lie, does not steal, lives with nature, is happy, does not cut forests. According to him, it is important to decide in the education policy what will be the values of life for the society? He said that you want to maintain that value of life and you want to create this economic value. This is a contradiction. Joshi also raised questions on the increasing privatization of education and the expensive higher education. He said that on one hand the government talks about the 'great Vedic tradition' and 'knowledge tradition', while on the other hand such educational institutions are being built where the cost of education is becoming beyond the reach of the common man.
He said, if you want to study well then go there and bring fifty lakh rupees for that. What does this mean? No poor person can read this. He said that expensive education further increases economic and social inequality. Joshi said that its effect is also visible in the social pressure created among students in big educational institutions. He asked, 'Why are student suicides happening only in big institutions? Not happening in small schools. According to him, economic and social inequality together make the situation more serious.
It is not being asked why the number of children in government schools is decreasing?
Joshi also raised questions on the logic of closing government schools. He said that the reason behind this is being said to be the decrease in the number of children in schools, but it is not being asked why the number of children has decreased? He said that there are less children because he says the teacher does not come. Why did the teacher come? You haven't made any arrangements. According to Joshi, instead of closing government schools, the government should focus on improving their basic arrangements. He said that whatever noise is being made that this will happen, nothing will happen. Do it right. There is no problem. We will do it today.
Joshi also raised the issue of lack of basic facilities and teachers in educational institutions.
He said that when you have opened education (school) and there are no teachers, then what will the students do? You just saw a girl's performance. She is saying that we don't even have a physics teacher here. The second one is saying that we don't even have a building and the fourth one is saying that my school doesn't even have a roof. These children are saying. So where are you going?