The Chairman of the Commission on the Common School System (CSS) in Bihar, Muchkund Dubey, has lost hope in the Nitish government so far major change in the school education system is concerned. However, he maintained that the Union government could not shy away from its responsibility of implementing the CSS as Right to Education had been made a fundamental right.
While delivering a lecture in Patna on Tuesday he regretted that even four and a half months after the submission of its report to the state government not a single recommendation had been implemented. The Commission submitted its report on June 8 last.
The former foreign secretary of the country, who was speaking on "Restructuring the School Education System in India", said that he was thinking that the work done by the Commission would not go in vain as the chief minister himself took personal interest. However "I fail to understand if the indifference is due to the chief minister's pre-occupation with floods or huge financial implications," he asked.
He lamented that the school system were in a shambles though for the sustain growth rate of the country it was essential to improve its condition. The worst hit are the children of the weaker section of the society, he said.
The Commssion, in its report, asked the state government to rein in private schools and provide quality education to all its children free of cost till Class VIII. For this and many more radical measures the state government will have to spend additional amount of at least Rs 10,000 crore annually on education for the next nine years. At present it spends something around Rs 6,000 crore.
Source: The Bihar Times, 25th Oct,2007
