India Makes Education Compulsory And Free

The law, passed more than 60 years after India won independence, has been hailed by children's rights campaigners and educationalists as a landmark in the country's history.

India's failure to fund universal education until now, and its focus on higher education, have been cited as factors in its low literacy rates. More than 35 per cent of Indians are illiterate, and more than 50 per cent of its female population cannot read.

Official figures record that 50 per cent of Indian children do not go to school, and that more than 50 per cent of those who do drop out before reaching class five at the age of 11 or 12.

Campaigners say children from poor families are often discouraged by parents who need them to work, while financial obstacles are put in the way of families who would like their children to be educated. Families are often deterred by the cost of school books and uniforms.

The Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill will now guarantee 25 per cent of places in private schools are reserved for poor children, establish a three-year neighbourhood school-building programme, and end civil servants' discretion in deciding which children will be given places.

"Nobody can say no to admission to children. We are sitting on a great opportunity. If we lose it, I don't know what will happen to our country," said Kapil Sibal, the human resources and development minister.

"[Education] will be a fundamental right of the child. There is no way that we will not have the finances. We have to do it, we have wasted a lot of time," he told parliament.

www.telegraph.co.uk...

Most excellent news.

50% of the women are illiterate??
Thats just crazy!!
I think it is about time they did something drastic to help people get better educated.
Good for them.
Too bad America doesn't do that for the people in the low income ghetto areas.

This is very good news, and bodes well for India's future.

Universal education is a make-or-break qualifier for becoming part of the modern world IMO.

You know funny enough, even with those ridiculous rates, India is still one of the top producers in high education citizens, in medicine, banking and other high profile industries.

They have more kids on the honor role than there are kids in the US.

Imagine how much more productive India will become in 10 years when the populace is entirely educated and are able to pursue all of their dreams in any career.

Stories like this make me happy. One step closer to the end of American domination.

~Keeper

Originally posted by DrumsRfun
Too bad America doesn't do that for the people in the low income ghetto areas.

Does what?

The schools are there, the transportation is there, in most places they even get a free breakfast for just showing up. I guess we could always go the extra mile and pick each kid up in a town car?

The American ghetto kids dont go to school unless it's to sell drugs to their peers, take advantage of younger girls who are impressed by gold jewelry and spinning rims, pick fights with rival territories etc...

They'd much rather skip school and hang out on street corners all day.

Carpet bombing is the only solution. Sure, a handful of genuinely honest folks who just havent been able to get up and out would suffer but the pros/cons still show a winning situation in the end. Carpet bombing.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


I think that is a very bad attitude on your part and full of blanket statements.
Their schools are underfunded and don't have quality books and programs.
The breakfast thing is because they are in low income areas who might not get breakfast otherwise.

reply to post by DrumsRfun


I think it's a very naive attitude you have. I've attended these "ghetto" school, periodically worked with these "ghetto" schools and lived among these "ghetto" students for years longer than I would have liked.

Give one of these schools a billion dollars. All you'll do is give the school the means to procure items worth stealing. That might cause a brief uptick in attendance but once everything has been stolen or vandalized the kids will stop going again.

Throwing money into a building doesnt change the mindset of a culture and from what I've seen this "ghetto" culture is far more than a simple state of poverty or lack of funds. It's a pervasive cancer that creates and supports a constant cycle of defeat. Give each "ghetto" resident a million dollars and all you'll have is a bunch of rich idiots lpaying the lotto and binge drinking.

Money cant fix it and never will.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


Your exactly right its a culture based off of being poor.
Throw some money into it and give people better educations and better jobs and maybe it would change.
You don't know any better then I do so maybe its time to agree to disagree then.
I have gone to poor schools as well...big deal.