Quality education- only for the High and Mighty?

The news item in Daily Thanthi interested me so much that i decided to write a post on it. Education in India is a multi billion dollar business run by the Education Mafia. The Government stands a lame by-stander watching the game. For the poor and the down trodden, quality education remains a distant dream. I read on Daily Thanthi newwpaper this article on June 16, 2011- http://www.dailythanthi.com/article.asp?NewsID=653531&disdate=6/16/2011. The article speaks vividly about the admission of Erode District Collector Dr Ananthakumar's daughter in a Government Primary School. As we all know about Daily Thanthi and it's constructive(?) journalism, i don't dwell much on the description of the episode.

Collector Dr Ananthakumar fills out admission form and his daughter
attends her classes in Government Primary School.

But the gist of the news is this- Erode District's Collector Dr Ananthakumar was present in Kumalankuttai Government Primary School to acmit his daughter in Second Standard. He was offered a VIP chair to sit, but refused to sit and occupied a bench along with the other parents. He filled up the admission form and asked for school unifrom. The Head Mistress of the school replied that Government supply was only for the children enrolled in Noon Meal Scheme and the Collector enrolled his daughter in the Scheme too, saying his daughter would take food under the scheme. And the high light of the news- " Forgetting the fact that she was the daughter of the District Collector, his daughter Gopika sat down along with other students studying there." Oh my! Daily thanthi and its Constructive Journalism(!) Who knows, the scribe must have thought Collectors and their children descend from Heavens Above!

A welcome move by the District Collector, who has taken the right initiative in enrolling his daughter in a Government School which even the lower middle class would not contemplate! Ask the DC's peon- his son or daughter might be studying in a Residential School with all amenities. Officers like Dr Ananthakumar bring us a whiff of fresh air. While we must congratulate the Collector for his brave and steadfast decision which none of us, including me would take, i am deeply disturbed by Amma and her antics. She vehemently refuses to implement the "Samacheer Kalvi" ( New syllabus). This syllabus is a genuine step in  bringing about a uniform education system in the state. Why should the Education Mafia, who were once thugs selling arrack, rule our education system? If the syllabus is the same for Government and Matriculation Schools as well, why would people shell out tens of thousands for admissions in private schools? Amma's refusal makes one wonder how much the Education Mafia paid as ransom for upholding their monopoly in education business.

Ironically, the Government has gingerly accepted to follow the Samacheer Syllabus for 1st and 6 th standard students, tearing away objectionable portions of the books and pasting stickers on objectionable portions. Now this duty is undertaken by teachers of both classes throughout the State who paste green stickers ( note Amma's favourite color!) and tear off objectionable papers. The Education Department Officials have issued oral orders to ensure that students don't remove the stickers. If books are found with stickers removed, action will be taken against the concerned teacher! Poor teachers... never in their life would they have torn so many pages!

Teachers tearing away pages like mad in a center!

I thank my lucky stars i am a Railway clerk, not a State Government Teacher. Tearing away tickets is better than tearing pages from books;) I earnestly request Amma to change her stance on Samacheer syllabus. It is for the betterment of the people- after all these people voted her to power. Going by her past, it seems Amma has learnt nothing from her mistakes- she loves to continue her Hitler Rule- and now the poor students are caught in the cross fire. God save the children from Amma!