The quality and soundness of a culture depends entirely on its education system. Today, under the complete influence of the utilitarian spirit, the chief aim of education – which should be “… to help the growing soul to draw out that in itself which is best and make it perfect for a noble use” and “…not to prepare a man to succeed in life and society, but to increase his perfectibility to its utmost..” – has become to prepare oneself to “….pass examinations with success, for with diplomas, certificates and titles one will be able to find good positions and earn a lot of money.”
With this kind of aim how can we expect to have any decent education that concerns itself with the deeper values of life and culture.
For this very reason and with an underlying commercial mentality, the following things have become common in the field of education:
• Illegal charges levied on children’s school admission forms which are supposed to be free.
• School seats ‘auctioned’ out to the highest bidder.
• Children from certain communities favoured for admission, while others are subjected to extra payments.
• Good grades and exam passes obtained through bribes to teachers and public officials. The prices are often well known, and candidates can be expected to pay upfront.
• Examination results only released upon payment.
• Undoing of the consequences of failing exams by (re-)admitting students under false names.
• Embezzlement of funds intended for teaching materials, school buildings, etc.
• Sub-standard educational material purchased due to manufacturers’ bribes, instructors’ copyrights, etc.
• Schools monopolising meals and uniforms, resulting in low quality and high prices for these.
• Private tutoring outside school hours given to paying pupils, reducing teachers’ motivation in ordinary classes, and reserving compulsory topics for the private sessions to the detriment of pupils who do not or cannot pay.
• School property used for private commercial purposes.
• Pupils carrying out unpaid labour for the benefit of the staff.
• Staff exploiting and abusing pupils in many different ways (physically, sexually, etc.).
• Teacher recruitment and postings influenced by bribes or sexual favours.
• Exam questions sold in advance.
• ‘Ghost teachers’ – salaries drawn for staff who are no longer (or never were) employed for various reasons (including having passed away). This affects de facto student-teacher ratios, and prevents unemployed teachers from taking vacant positions.
• High absenteeism, with severe effects on de facto student-teacher ratios.
• Licences and authorisations for teaching obtained on false grounds via corrupt means.
• Inflated student numbers (including numbers of special-needs pupils) quoted to obtain better funding.
• Bribes to auditors for not disclosing the misuse of funds.
• Embezzlement of funds raised by local NGOs and parents’ organisations.
• Politicians allocating resources to particular schools to gain support, especially during election times.
This is only a small fraction of a bigger picture that has more serious implications.
It is well known that in certain regions even the curriculum or certain portions of certain subjects are rewritten with political motives behind. There have been instances where chapters are introduced in the curriculum by certain political parties or their leaders to praise their work.
A methodical effort is being made by so called big institutions to distort the past of our culture. Under the influence of various Semitic religious groups or the political groups with their vested cheap interests, a wrong picture is provided to students about the history of our culture. There is a systematic brain-washing and forging and infusing into the brains of the students that all the past achievements of India were not made by Indians but foreigners. And this is truly disheartening and a big blow to our cultural and spiritual heritage. Here it is not only money or any utilitarianism that is involved but the action of dark and destructive forces that are working to undermine the future of the country.
In the words of Stephen Knapp, an author of numerous works, dealing with the history of India: “Indian history has been turned topsy turvy in lauding destroyers as great builders.” There is a global conspiracy by various motivated groups both political and religious to methodically soil the history of our religion and culture and they find that the best way for achieving this aim is to present before students a completely distorted and false picture of Indian’s past. And for some vested political interests of their own, our political leaders, even after they come to know of such facts, take no measures to check this and worse still, the persons exposing such truths are penalized and somehow or the other silenced.
This shows the extent of corruption that is there in the field of education. This has repercussions not only for the future character and mindset of present generation but of future generations also because it has an adverse impact on our culture and precious spiritual heritage which are the very backbone of our country. More and more facts are being unearthed to show how this kind of corruption in the field of education compromises the future of our nation by depriving our young from feeling a sense of pride in their culture – and therefore all positive dynamism for the country – and by trying to make them the spokesman of alien culture. Our present day education, instead of making him a person of character and clear vision, makes him a slave of his own selfish desires and lower tendencies – a self-centered person. Naturally, any walk of life these people enter, they know nothing better than to step on others and make their way towards an individual success ensuring in the end their own degeneration and that of the collectivity they are part of.
