Gobind Thukral

ON September first, 25 students of Zila Parishad secondary school at Chintakunta in Kareemnagar district of Andhra Pradesh climbed on the over- head tank and threatened to commit suicide. They were protesting against a desperate situation as five out of eight teachers had not turned up. The school has strength of 300 students, of which at least 100 will appear for class 10th Board examination in March 2010.

They were very angry and distraught. They said classes were not being conducted regularly and teachers were not serious enough about their studies. The school had 8 teachers, of these 5 opted for transfer and had not been going to school for a week. With only three teachers, proper classes were not being conducted. One of the three remaining teachers was also absent, leaving just two teachers.

This hopeless situation prevails in almost states except perhaps in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.  There are either no teachers or no proper buildings. Majority of the government schools lack any furniture, toilets and even black boards.  Over 70 per cent of rural schools have no toilets and some even do not have drinking water facility.

Closer in Punjab, the Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal protested against poor quality of text books to his own Punjab State Education Board. He was very sad at the poor quality of books and delay in printing. Education Minister. Mrs. Upinder Jit Kaur bemoaned that about 1.5 lakh Scheduled caste students were yet to get textbooks owing to its faulty distribution network. This situation has prevailed for too long. The Chief Minister wanted no compromise on quality and timely distribution of textbooks, and warned the board chairman that he would be held accountable. But no one was punished for this inordinate delay, only warnings. And, this is Punjab government’s own Board and it cannot as is the habit with the Akalis to lodge strong protests with the Government of India.

We are told these days Mr. Badal is serious about health, education and infra structure. Let us see where he takes Punjab. He knows very well about the acute shortage of teachers and infra structure in schools. For over two years he has been promising to recruit nearly 15,000 teachers and also set up Adarsh Schools. No success at all.  In fact, his constituency is short of at least half of the teaching staff. Same is the situation regards to health where either there are no doctors or no medicines. He should look to Haryana where all patients at the OPD get free medicines and cataract eye surgeries are free for all and the poor do not have pay anything for the treatment. He can benefit by sending his staff to study the situation. The excuse of shortage of funds is at times very lame. Why can not the government punish those who do not perform their duties regularly   and consciously? You do not need any extra funds for this.

The situation at the national level is equally pathetic. Everyone recognises that education needs immediate overall reforms. There is an emerging consensus within India’s 5 million-strong academic community that the nation’s moribund, moth-eaten education system fashioned by Lord Macaulay over a century ago needs a revolution. Today India is burdened with the world’s largest population of illiterate citizens and an estimated 59 million children in the six-14 age groups out of school. An aggregate number of job-seekers with the employment exchanges across the country has swollen to 41 million. It is not because there aren’t sufficient jobs, but because youth streaming out of the obsolete education system are unemployable. According to a recent report, a mere 15% of our finance graduates and 25% of our engineering graduates are employable. In fact, around 83% of our graduates do not have industry skills. Ideally, education should produce future generations of contemporary problem-solvers. These are indeed alarm signals for the Indian society.

Now Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal, in his enthusiasm to reform the school education system, has decided to de-legitimise the time-tested high school examination by asking around 10,000 Central Board of Secondary Education -affiliated schools to make Class X board examinations ‘optional’. The report of the Council of Boards of School Education representing over half a million schools — stated: ‘There is no general consensus among Boards on making Class X exam optional at present.’ Mr Sibal followed it up by holding a meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education, which also put a seal of approval on making the exam ‘optional’ for CBSE-affiliated schools.  A new experiment is being conducted without creating an alternative

The flimsy argument is that Class X exams are ‘stressful’ for students. What’s forgotten is that Class X students are mature enough to understand the advantages of an externally conducted examination.  The minister who is an able lawyer, but a poor educationist seems ignorant about the vagaries of the subjective factors involved in the process of ‘internal assessment’.  The demand for making the board examination ‘optional’ hasn’t originated from half a million school teachers. It has neither come from any other stakeholder.  Indian schools represent our national diversity. There is a reality which exists beyond CBSE-affiliated schools. Many children from lower middle- and middle-income groups receive formal education up to the tenth standard in schools located in small towns or semi-urban centres. These schools lack basic infrastructure and teachers, too, are ill-trained.

Also, a large number of students in these areas are ‘first generation learners’ and, so, require individual attention and extensive care. Thus, the need for an external examination by state education boards is felt in such schools because it creates a sense of discipline among teachers and prepares students for Class X board examinations. This move will lead to confusion in schools where some students will go for the ‘optional’ exam and others would choose board examination. Will teachers teach two groups of students in one class? Is it a sound pedagogic system? The high school examination certificate carries a great tradition and is rooted in sound philosophy of the educational system. By focusing attention only on the CBSE schools, our policy makers are ignoring this reality.

The main theme of the Yash Pal report was that our children don't get a chance to enjoy learning at school because the syllabi are irrationally organised, teaching is textbook-centred, and the system of examinations instils fear and encourages cramming.   But its recommendations like the previous several commissions are being lost. It is good to have a law even after a lot of delay and wrangling to provide a right to education. But where are the resources. The government, we are told is short of Rs 60,000 crore as of now. Again the maximum burden would be on the states whose duty is to provide education. And, they have neither the resources nor the will. Can Mr. Sibal provide an injection for that?

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India’s Independence Day celebrations divide Sikh separatists

Gurpreet Singh writes from Vancouver

THE presence of a Khalistani ideologue at the India’s Independence Day celebrations in Surrey has snowballed into a major controversy. Jatinderpal Singh Gill is one of the directors of the Dashmesh Darbar Gurdwara whose management supports an imaginary separate Sikh state called Khalistan. Not only the Dashmesh Darbar had boycotted the India’s Independence Day celebrations but had marked it as a Black Day. Both events were organized on August 16. While the Sikh separatists were making anti India fiery speeches at the Dashmesh Darbar, Gill was present at the Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Temple where the Hindu Sikh Forum was celebrating the India Day.

The Guru Nanak Sikh Temple is controlled and managed by the nationalist and the moderate Sikh leaders. During the event two gliders carrying conflicting ideological messages crisscrossed the sky. One carried a banner in support of India’s unity while the second one was tailed by an anti India slogan.  Since the India’s national flag was hoisted during the event, Gill’s presence has raised many eyebrows in the management of the Dashmesh Darbar. The President, Saudagar Singh Sandhu has sought his explanation while Gill denied that he went to the event as a participant. He claims that he went there as an observer. ``I did not go there to bow before the Indian flag’’.

Sandhu says that he will try to find the truth. ``Our gurdwara constitution does not allow members to pay any respect to the India’s national anthem or the flag’’. Whereas several members have issued a statement on behalf of the temple to clarify that Gill has not violated any code, Sandhu says that the letter head of the temple for this purpose has been used without his knowledge. The whole episode only suggests lack of coordination and divisions within the Khalistanis.

In the meantime, two progressive groups organized a candle light vigil on the eve of India’s Independence Day to remember those killed during the partition of 1947. The religious division between the India and Pakistan came almost at the time of the independence. The Taraksheel Sabha and the Fraser Valley Peace Council had organized the event at Surrey’s Holland Park on the night of August 14. This unusual function was the brainchild of Jasveer Mangoowal, a progressive female member of the Taraksheel Sabha.  The two groups had earlier organized a similar vigil to remember the victims of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919. Unfortunately, like before this time too not a single elected official of the Indian origin showed up while there are two Punjabi MPs, three Punjabi MLAs and two Punjabi city councilors from Surrey. ``This is despite the fact that we had sent emails to them’’, according to Shaihzad Nazir Khan of the Fraser Valley Peace Council. The event started with a moment of silence. A play about the ordeal of a partition victim was enacted by the members of the Taraksheel Sabha.

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Hatoyama wants to take Japan to the Asian fold

Dr Sawraj Singh writes from Vancouver

THE new Prime Minister of Japan, Yukio Hatoyama, a Stanford PhD, wants to take Japan to the Asian fold.  He wants to reduce Japan’s reliance on the U.S. He is very critical of the U.S. led capitalist globalization.  His slogan is fraternity and love, which the current globalization lacks.  He wants to create an East Asian community consisting of Japan, China and Korea and wants to reconsider relations with to U.S., including the 50,000 American troops which have been deployed in Japan.  His policies can be fundamentally different than the pro American Liberal Democratic Party of Japan which has ruled Japan for the last 54 years.  Hatoyama’s party, the Democratic party of Japan, is likely to change the foreign policy of Japan.

I have been to Japan  probably the most  developed capitalist country in the World.  For example, if we take the railroad length per square mile, the countries such as Germany and Japan are far ahead of the U.S.A. These countries are much smaller than the U.S.A. but their land has been much more developed under the capitalist system.

Japan has not only been a leader in the electronics industry but has an infrastructure which is probably the most advanced in the World.  In 1960, Japan had already developed bullet trains which were running between Tokyo and Osaka.  In 1981, I traveled from Tokyo to Kyoto in a bullet train.  Fifty years later, most of the countries in the World have not still caught up with the Japanese railways.

It is a very important historical development that the leader of one of the most developed capitalist country is criticizing the capitalist system.  This only proves that the global capitalism has reached such a deep crisis that it has severely shaken all the capitalist countries and their leaders are realizing that the capitalist system needs a fundamental change.  Obama also represents that trend.

For the last 54 years the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan has followed pro-American policies and Japan was unable to have very good relations with its neighbors, particularly China and Korea.  These countries have suffered tremendously because of the Japanese militarism and aggressions.  There is a strong bitterness about the historical role played by Japan.  Japan still has not sincerely apologized for the war atrocities.  In a way, Japan wanted to be closer to the Western countries and ignored its Asian neighbors.  Japan became the strongest advocate of the Western capitalist system and almost denied its Asian heritage.

With the crisis of the Western capitalist system and the rise of Asia, Japan has been forced to reconsider its policy.  Japan now wants to reassert its Asian and Eastern heritage and move to the Asian fold.  Already, China has replaced America and become Japan’s largest trading partner.  Japan has seen that by associating closely with the West its economy suffered much more than the other Asian countries. For example, China has been very less affected by the present recession.  China’s economy grew about 8% this year while the Japanese economy shrank. Even in the railways sector, China now has the best technology and the Chinese railway network continues to grow.

The saying that “better late than never” applies on Japan.  At last, Japan has realized that it is Asia’s century and Japan belongs to Asia.  Japan has also realized that the Western capitalist system is collapsing and a new model of development is needed.  Fraternity and love are the essence of the Eastern philosophy.  The world needs Eastern wisdom to come out of the deep crisis brought by the Western capitalistic globalization.  It is a very positive development that Japan wants to come back to the Asian fold and help to solve the problems faced by the mankind by using the Eastern wisdom.

[The writer is Chairman Washington State Network for Human Rights]

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China continues marching toward Asia’s century

Sawraj Singh

THE year 2008 and the year 2009 have shown that the trends of China becoming the most powerful country and Asia becoming the leading region of the world are now becoming a reality. China won more gold medals than any other country. China’s economy grew more than 8% while many countries faced severe recession and shrinking economies. China became leading trade partner of many important countries. china’s infrastructure is developing at a very rapid pace.

China’s success at the Beijing Olympics was remarkable. Not only China won more gold medals than any other country but it out spent any other country in the history of Olympics. The opening and closing ceremonies left their mark. The quality of service provided to the athletes and the visitors was also unparalleled.

Some people were saying that China’s economy is only strong because of its cheap exports and once the exports are cut back then the Chinese economy will also collapse. Nothing like that happened. When all the major western countries faced severe recession and the Chinese exports to them were cut back even then China managed to have a respectable rate of growth for its economy. The economy grew by more than 8%.

China became the number one trading partner of Japan, India and Brazil. In each of these countries, China replaced America to become its largest trading partner. Let us look at trade between India and China. The growth has been phenomenal. From 2000 to 2008 the trade has gone up 30 times. The trade has exceeded the targets and expectations. For example, it was expected that the trade between the two countries can reach fifty billions by the year 2010. Actually it may reach 60 billion.
China’s economic growth mainly came from the internal development. For example, the Chinese railways has now become the most advanced in the World. The domestic consumption is going up.

One indicator of growing domestic consumption is that the Chinese eating more meat. For the first time, in 2008, the Chinese meat production was more than the U.S.A. China produced more meat than any other country in the World. Similarly, for the first time, the Chinese auto sales exceeded the American auto sales. Chinese bought more cars than people in any other country of the World.
The Chinese major 500 companies made more profit than the topmost 500 companies of the U.S.A. The total profit for the topmost Chinese companies was about 170 billion dollars, whereas the figure was about 98 billion for the American companies. This has never happened before.

Few years ago, when the Chinese steel production exceeded the U.S.A. steel production, I commented that in the past two centuries there is a clear corelation between steel production and the overall development of a country. Therefore, china was bound to become the most powerful country when its production exceeded any other country's steel production. This is exactly happening. At that time very few people agreed with me that this is going to happen. However, now many people feel that China becoming the most powerful country and Asia becoming the leading region of the World are the two major trends of the World. Very few now doubt that the twenty-first century is Asia’s century.

[Sawraj Singh, M.D. F.I.C.S., Chairman Washington State Network for Human Rights, Chairman Central Washington Coalition for Social Justice]

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