Letter from the Editor
E
nthusiasm for new year festivity has evaporated following the great tragedy which has been visited from the deep sea upon millions of unwary innocents whose near and dears, homes, savings and very livelihoods, have been washed away by the giant tsunami waves of December 26. Now as the monumental task of cleaning up, comforting and rehabilitating the hapless victims of nature’s wrath begins in India, one can’t help dreading that given the repeatedly proven ineptitude of the Central and state administrations to cope with disaster, great hardships, heart-burn and injustice is in store for the poor and underprivileged who have borne the brunt of tsunami 2004. As a new year resolution I urge all citizens, particularly readers of EducationWorld who are likely to be caring and compassionate, to resolve to donate at least 3.5 days’ remuneration to any one of the several reputable organisations which have bravely stepped forward to provide succour to the victims of this new year’s eve tragedy. But given the benefit of past experience in Indian disaster relief, it’s important to note that it isn’t enough to merely write a cheque or make a cash donation. True charity necessitates following the money and ensuring it is expended for the purpose for which it is given. Let’s resolve to do so this time round.
Unfortunately such suspicion of the true intent and motivations of people involved in great and worthy causes is justified. Because during the past half century since government officials at the Centre and in the states have captured the commanding heights of the Indian economy, post-independence India has transformed into perhaps the most corrupt, unjust and inegalitarian society worldwide. And the nation’s politicians and bureaucracy have set a bad example of corruption, injustice and kleptocracy which has infected Indian society as a whole.
What is it like for innocent and idealistic children and youth — who constitute the majority of the national population — to grow up in this amoral society fashioned by the unworthy heirs of the Mahatma? What are the subterranean scars and lacerations on their psyches as they come of age in this republic of patently obvious social, political and economic injustice? These are some of the questions our cover story written on the eve of Republic Day which will be celebrated by a self-serving establishment with unwarranted pomp and pageantry on January 26, attempts to answer.
The special report feature in this issue also highlights another injustice which has not been remedied for over half a century. Why are students of government schools lumbered with shoddy, unreadable textbooks characterised by innumerable factual, logical and other errors? The rational expectation would be that textbooks sponsored by the Central and state governments would set high quality benchmarks for the entire nation.
The reality is just the reverse. Consequently an estimated 100 million children who attend government schools are sentenced to learning from uninviting, unreliable textbooks commissioned and approved by government councils and examination boards. An open, continuous and uninterrupted textbooks racket denies children of the poor at the bottom of the social pyramid equal opportunity and upward mobility. EducationWorld had blown a loud whistle about this nationwide scandal a year ago. But that didn’t trouble the deeply dormant conscience of the citizenry. So here’s a second whistle.
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