The government boasts of a 65% literacy rates in its 2001 census. But, hidden figures show that only 5% of them ever reach graduation level, while a whopping 29% still live in the "able-to-sign" or minimum literacy status. The government statistics talk about increasing spending on education, but the fact remains that only a measly 3.8% of the GNP goes into the field. Universities have risen 8 times since 1951, but the number of substandard universities among them is fantastic. The number of educated unemployed in India has crossed an alarming 3.5 crore mark, and is still increasing with every passing day. The Government is slowly pulling its hands out of higher education, trying to cut its spendings, while politicization of the system is becoming commonplace in every state of India. Education has become a Market for the Universities. On the other hand, Universities have become tools for ideology-expansion for the politicians.

The Financial condition of the educational scenario is terrible. Professors are being treated more badly than municipal sweepers, and grandmothers continue to tell their grandchildren stories of Eklavya and Dronacharya. The teachers are being denied payscales as per the Fifth Pay Commission recommendations. "Contract Systems" have been ushered in. Non Salary Grant is tending to a negligible amount. Every college across the country is being forced to increase its fees drastically. Engineering colleges are found to lack proper equipments, while science colleges do not have adequate research facilities. The end sufferer of ALL THESE is the student himself.

Higher education is being extensively neglected. The funding for UGC has witnessed only a lowly 7% rise in the past 5 years. The entry of Foreign Universities in India is being thought upon. Such senseless moves seem to be "signature" moves of the current NDA government in Centre. Even though the concept of a Bharatiya Shiksha Kosh has been given a go ahead, massive effects of the project are still to be witnessed. Recommendations of a 6% GNP spending on education have been largely ignored, and we still stick to a 3.8% figure, and continue to boast of how it is better than that in Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Even on the front of granting Autonomy to Universities and colleges, successive governments have been only stage dancers. Out of the 10,555 colleges and 222 Universities in India, only 138 colleges in 8 states are autonomous. On the other hand, political interference in Education has been increasing with time. Senate bodies, Management Councils, Student Councils etc. which till now had remained fairly nonpartisan, due to their electoral nature, are being politicized to a new level. The Karnataka Government even went to the extent of dissolving such elected bodies in the state, and replacing such bodies with Government nominees. Universities have become hotbeds for spreading party ideologies. The State Governments have also lost their sense of thinking for the country as a whole, in this regard.

Much need not be said about the course structures in such Universities. Figures indicate an increasing flow towards technical and diploma courses rather than degree courses. Students joining pure sciences are waning, while the share of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities have too decreased. A very limited and rigid course structure has been an obstacle in the path. Vocationalisation of Education, suggested long back by the CABE committee in the National Education Policy of 1986, has not been implemented till now. However, the sounds emanating from New Delhi on Vocationalisation, and introduction of Professionalism in Education have not lessened even a bit.

The percentage of dropouts at the upper Primary level has been an alarming 53%. Still, the Government figures show beautiful increases in enrollments. Stress laid on English language at all levels of education needs to be removed immediately. The figures of dropouts in rural areas can be decreased significantly if education is through Mother Tongue, rather than any foreign language. Indian languages need to be given primary importance at all costs, so that national unity is all fostered at the same time.

Our education has failed to address the problem of a burgeoning number of unemployed workforce in the country. Various programmes initiated by the Government till date have been a big farce. Mere degrees have failed to provide security to the youths of today. Engineers, Graduates, Doctors have all been engulfed by this storm. A whopping 3.5 crores of our educated population is still unemployed. And why should it not be? Farmer's children are being taught Pythagoras theorem, Fishermen's children need to study Costing and BookKeeping. What is required is being given the boot while the most undesired things are being forcibly taught. The youth of today, just like their earlier generation, have been forced to gulp down things that have no reference to their professions. Theoretical aspects are being stressed while the Practical aspects of education are being largely ignored. And this is what is the root cause of all our miseries….

The bureaucracy, which is at the helm of things, is responsible for all this. Corruption, indifference has so much entered our skins that the cry of the nation is seldom heard. China is surging ahead of us in all fields. Countries like Korea and Japan are gathering pace in their strides. The USA has been trying to wrest its muscles in the Indian subcontinent all along. Things have to change, NOW…