Youth For Equality

For Equality Protection in India

Youth For Equality Policy Document on Education

EDUCATION FOR ALL, CRUTCHES FOR NONE.

The essence of our effort is to ensure that every child has an equal opportunity, not to become equal but to become different -to realize whatever unique potential of body ,mind and spirit he or she possess.

THE PRINCIPLES: EXPANSION, INCLUSION, EXCELLENCE.

Necessary Step

  1. Constitute National Commission on Education for comprehensive and holistic planning of different sectors of education like pre-school, primary, secondary, higher secondary, vocational, professional and higher education.
  2. Central Government Must Enact the Right to Education Bill, 2005 and should immediately withdraw the proposed Model Right to Education Bill 2006.
  3. Spend 10 per cent of GDP or 15 per cent of the Central Budget on Education without further delay.
  4. Make schools, colleges, and universities caste and religion free.
  5. Increase Opportunities for Higher Education: Only 7-8 per cent of India’s’ population in the age group of 17-23 years is enrolled in higher education. The public investment in higher education is only 0.37 per cent of the GDP. Increase the public expenditure on higher education and increase the opportunities for higher education for all. By 2020, at least 25% of eligible population should be enrolled in higher education. This requires at least 2000 new universities (currently only 350 universities) and 40,000 new colleges.
  6. The Government must ensure that nobody is denied professional education because he or she is poor.
  7. No one should get admission to school, college, university, or professional institution on the basis of caste, religion, social status, or monetary power of parents/guardians. The Government should take active steps to curb the practice of “Capitation Fee”.
  8. In private- public partnership, ensure to uphold the quality of education and prevent crass profiteering.
  9. Ensure quality infrastructure like proper classrooms, drinking water facility, sanitation facility, transport facility, libraries, hostels, adequate teachers, modern educational tools in all educational institutions.
  10. The Article 21 A of the Constitution should be amended to make good quality education up to 18 years, a Fundamental Right. The responsibility of the Government, at different levels, must be recognized and made justiciable.
  11. To ensure a minimum quality of education, there should be a schedule of norms for all schools, colleges, and universities.
  12. There should be extensive revision and restructuring of the existing curricula with emphasis on needs, excellence, and research.