School Vouchers for RTE Access to Poor Students

"During the last decade, many states in India have implemented the voucher system for the targeted beneficiaries in healthcare services by collaborating with the Union Government and International agencies. By introducing the voucher system in school education, the school governance system enabled with information technology would ensure universal access to primary school education for children belonging to economically weaker sections of the society. There will be positive incentives both from the private schools’ point of view as well as parents’ point of view and it would be a win-win situation ensuring that no child is left behind."

This is my last of three part article series on Right to Education Act of ten years implementation. Its time now to make amendments in the 25 per cent reservation of seats in private and unaided schools for economically poor children through "School Vouchers for RTE Access to Poor Students"

Centenary of Liberal Thinker Nani Palkhivala

This is my token of remembering the great thinker with courage - Nani Palkhivala (1920-2020), a scholar making of his own style and skills... I end with the following paras:

To advance the liberal democracy in India towards a more prosperous country for all citizens, we have to remember and foster the following Five Doctrines of Nani Palkhivala (From February 1971 Issue of Freedom First Magazine):

1. The Constitution believes in the distribution of wealth, and therefore it not only permits but encourages the creation of wealth by enterprising individuals who with their vision and expertise are prepared to take risks and develop their country. That is why our Constitution confers on all citizens the fundamental rights to acquire, hold and dispose of property and to carry on any trade, business, and profession.
2. The right to property is often derided as the “least defensible” right in a socialist democracy. Yet a little reflection should show that this right is of the essence of a sound body politic and of a democracy which aims at marching forward economically….. Countries, where freedom has become a way of life, can do without the luxury of a constitutional right to property. But in India where economic fanaticism has become a way of political life, it is imperative to retain the right to property.
3. There are times in a country’s history when inaction and silence can be a culpable wrong, and we are living in such times. It is not enough that we believe in our national motto that truth with ultimately prevail. We must take active steps to see to it that falsehood does not have a very long inning before the ultimate moment of truth arrives.
4. The survival of our democracy and the unity and integrity of the nation depend upon the realisation that constitutional morality is no less essential than constitutional legality. Dharma (righteousness; a sense of public duty or virtue) lives in the hearts of public men; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no amendment, can save it.
5. National integration is born in the hearts of the citizens. When it dies there, no army, no government, no Constitution, can save it. States of mind precede States. Inter-faith harmony and consciousness of the essential unity of all religions are at the very heart of our national integration.

RTE Access to Poor Students: Cases of Four States

This article, second part of the series, gives details about the school admissions under the 25 per cent reservation of the RTE Act in four major states during the academic year 2019–2020 and looks at the reasons for the failure of the implementation of the provision.

and the first Para starts..

The RTE Act, 2009, was one of the landmark laws in primary education. But the implementation of the Act has been facing many challenges across the states in the country, especially the implementation of the provision for 25 per cent reservation in private and unaided schools for children belonging to economically weaker sections. This part discusses the school admissions under 25 per cent reservation of the RTE Act in four major states during the academic year 2019–2020.

The path to Dharma AND path of Adharma

The most critical aspects of humanity facing ever since the human common senses are used purposefully for bettering are two things which also often get infuriated or fanatical in the public debates all over the world: these are religion and the ideology of politics.

I write this post after reading a small article by a senior advocate R Venkataraman who has such an amazing skills to put down the complex things into a clear and lucid manner.

Sometime back, he wrote a article on senior advocate's legal skills and the impact of certain principles of religion in his arguments of cases in court for decades. 

I find some of the his lines of thoughts most interesting and compelling to read and read again to ponder and understand the meaning of the words (m)used by R Venkataraman.

The following are some of the excerpts from the article:

"Religious philosophy is neither caste specific nor gender biased. It only imparts the transformative process to every human being, from the path of Adharma to the path of Dharma. Like Adharma which has universal belonging, the opposite of it namely Dharma has universal application and is relevant in law. The core of Dharma is free from both gender and caste discrimination.Self realisation or emancipation is again free from the clutches of either caste or gender sensitivity.

It is critical to look at religious philosophy as one that is broad-based in its practice and classifies human attitudes on the basis of Dharma and Adharma.....

It is important to remember that religious philosophy is concerned only about Dharma and Adharma and prescribes the method without any favor or bias towards any class or gender."

  

RTE Access to Poor Students: Challenges Faced by the States

I am writing a three part articles in a series on the challenges faced by States in implementation of Right to Education Act, especially the 25 per cent reservation in private and unaided schools for children from economically weaker sections. 

It has been a decade the RTE Act came into enforcement, we need a comprehensive review on the process promises vs achievements.

This article, first part of a series, discusses the challenges faced by some of the state governments in implementing the RTE Act and analyses how they have failed to prioritise the needs of primary education of children belonging to economically weaker sections of the society as mandated in the constitutional provision. The following parts will explore alternative ways to ensure universal access to quality primary education to poor children.

VS Srinivasa Sastri – Forgotten Liberal Intellectual – Part 2

This is second part of my article on the forgotten liberal, VS Srinivasa Sastri. 

Historians like Ramachandra Guha has painted with wild castiest views rather than looking at objectively.

This is example how well read historian fails at times. Zareer Masani has given right reply through review of Guha's Gandhi book!

VS Srinivasa Sastri – Forgotten Liberal Intellectual – Part 1

I have new article about VS Srinivasa Sastri (1869-1946) in the Spontaneous Order Online Publication of Centre for Civil Society- a top Free Market Economics Think Tank in New Delhi. This is first of two part serious on Sastri's life and works.

Almost all of us know about MK Gandhi's prominent role in India's Freedom Struggles. However, very few people know about the freedom struggles pursued by leaders like M.G.Ranade, GK Gokhale and VS Srinivasa Sastri.

Sastri opposed mostly Gandhi's politics for good reasons!

In his home land, Tamil Nadu, VS Srinivasa Sastri was ignored in the post independent period because he was Brahmin despite the fact that he had given financial assistance to several poor students for their education. He even adopted poor students!