As the original champion of private enterprise in my capacity as the very first editor of India’s pioneer industry-friendly business magazines (Business India and Businessworld), and having since ventured into education journalism driven by the conviction that modern, high-quality education is the foundation of meaningful socio-economic development, I am surprised by the glaring failure of contemporary captains and leaders of Indian industry to practice enlightened self-interest.
Liberated from the shackles of licence-permit-quota raj and prospering mightily within the new liberalised, globally-connected economy growing at 7 percent-plus per year, the insensitive new leaders of India Inc seem wholly ignorant of their obligation to exhibit the acceptable face of capitalism. They seem unaware that they need to invest in the free market system which is making a comeback in Indian society after four decades of unproductive, corruption-intensive neta-babu socialism. Instead, they take pride in their epicurean sophistication. Meanwhile even as effete nexgen captains of industry party intensively, over 150 of India’s 630 administrative districts are virtually under the rule of Naxalite revolutionaries — a violent insurgency movement revolting against inegalitarian Indian democracy.
Against this gloomy backdrop it was a pleasure to stumble across information indicating that right here in the garbage — sorry, garden — city of Bangalore, 2,600 employees of the low-profile blue-chip corporate Intel India are preparing to celebrate a historic event — the number of ICT (information communication technologies) trained teachers under the company’s Intel Teach Program crossing the 1,000,000 mark. No mean feat given that the total population of teachers in India is 7 million.
The objectives, processes and programmes of Intel India’s education promotion engagement with K-12 schools and higher education institutions are detailed in the inspirational cover story in this issue, which provides an excellent blueprint for Indian industry to resolve the massive talent shortage with which it’s confronted. If only one-tenth of India’s 20,000 companies match the Intel Education Initiative, the country would leapfrog into the league of advanced nations.
Our special report feature too, highlights an issue of critical importance to national development. It focuses upon the criminal neglect and failure of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre to transform the Right to Education Bill which makes it compulsory for the State (i.e, government) to provide free and compulsory education to all children between the age of six-14, into an Act of Parliament. Our assistant editor Summiya Yasmeen is indignant this Bill which has been pending since 2003 following a constitutional amendment in 2002, is being shuttled between groups of ministers and the Central and state governments. She is particularly incensed that the UPA government is able to finance the purchase of private jets for VVIP ministers (Rs.1,000 crore), fund the foreign junkets of bureaucrats (Rs.56 crore in 40 months) and the Sixth Pay Commission Award (Rs.12,561 crore per year), but can’t find Rs.36,000 crore (“less than 1 percent of GDP”) to put 160 million out-of-school children — the nation’s future — into classrooms.
Strange priorities, indeed!
