Isn't education critical to a nation's growth?

The mighty USA is grappling with falling standards in education and the Gates Foundation is taking a keen interest in fixing this problem. You can learn more through this article written by Mr. Bob Herbert:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/opinion/29herbert.html?em

Why are Indians ignoring such a critical issue? How do we expect to develop if 15% of 10th standard students reportedly cannot even write a simple letter?

Online Petition created

To make it easier for those who have little time to write postcards or send email, we have created an online petition at:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/cepe/

Please sign it. Also let your friends, who are also concerned about primary education, know.

Postcard campaign continues

 More students from engineering, dental and basic degree colleges in Visakhapatnam have started attending the Saturday evening meetings. One of them has even challenged herself to get a 1000 postcards written. A few more BPO employees have also joined us.

 The dedication of these young Indians is admirable for two reasons - they are spending a Saturday evening in a meeting instead of being out somewhere partying or relaxing; they are talking to their parents and neighbours about these efforts. So what? Well, they are putting paid to the perception that the average Indian does not care about anything in their country. They are doing this for someone else - for primary school children who are much younger than them and who cannot make their voices heard. All this with no expectation of any personal gain.

 One question keeps cropping up since the postcard campaign was suggested - how will my one postcard make a difference? For the benefit of those readers following this blog and wondering the same, here are a few reasons why it is important to write the postcard:

•  First and foremost, writing the postcard is better than accepting the current pathetic situation and not doing anything.
• Our one postcard may not do much but when many thousands and lakhs of postcards (and emails) start arriving at the PM and CMs offices as well as the press, they are bound to notice.
• Even if they do not read the content of every postcard (or email), they will sit up and notice that citizens are clamouring for effective primary education.
• If no one in the government or press responds, we can ask them why they are not doing anything about a pressing issue. They may or may not be doing their job, but if they don't do what is right for the children and the nation, it is our right to ask them why.
• The press has been in the forefront lately in highlighting many important issues. We can also ask them why they seem to be ignoring this urgent issue.
  

Direct Taxes Code - action required

This is something that would affect any organization that is a registered non-profit in India and also people who contribute to such organizations. So I wanted to draw your attention to this important petition that I recently signed.

"Provisions regarding Non-Profit Organizations in Direct Tax Code Bill 2009"
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/DraftDirectTaxCodeBill2009?e

I really think this is an important cause, and I'd like to encourage you to add your signature, too. It's free and takes less than a minute of your time.

Thank you.

Dr. Parameswara Rao's email and another sample letter

Dr. Parameswara Rao is sending this letter asking others to participate in our efforts:

Friends:

I am forwarding you our thoughts on the present situation in the Primary Education. We hope you will agree that it is pretty serious. We would you urge you to send your telegrams to the PM for his personal intervention in setting the primary education on a firm footing.

With warm regards,

Parameswara Rao.

PRIMARY EDUCATION

1. Primary Education concerns itself in teaching 6 to 14 years olds in classes 1 to 8. Needless to say that it is the foundation education for every child going to school. This moulds their habits and attitudes. Thus it is the place where you can also mould the nation.
2. Presently 82-85% of student’s classes 2^nd – 9^th are NOT reaching the minimum levels learning; 87% of students are dropping out of school by 10^th and 60% by 6^th. What is further alarming is that 10-15% students in 10^th class are not able to read and write in vernaculars.
3. One more disheartening feature is that boys in 3^rd class are taking to stealing, boys in 5^th to chewing tobacco, boys in 9^th to drinking. The waywardness of the children going to primary & high school has gone much beyond our imagination. It is high time, the community takes cognizance of the total scenario.
4. Added to this dismal situation, the Government of India has passed “The Right of Children to Free & Compulsory Education Act, 2009; No.35 of 2009 on 26, August 2009. This is to say that primary education has been made compulsory to every child. The task is to make primary education more effective.
5. The insufficient funds, lack of appropriate supervision, the truant teaching community, interference by the politician in the administrative set up, ignorance of the parents and above all the intransigence of the public and more particularly the parent community is playing havoc with the primary education.

The gigantic problem thus is to see that the public particularly the parents are made aware of this dismal situation. The intellectuals have to take lively and active interest in the primary education. The governments, both at the state and the central level, have to be pressurized by the public to deliver effective primary education.

6. A few senior citizens, retired professors, engineers’ young and old et al have come together under the banner “Citizens for Effective Primary Education” with BCT as the convening agency, getting to discuss the sorry state of the primary education.

In our last meeting we passed a resolution to take the problem to the public and request them to convey their concern through post cards to the Chief Ministers in the State and the Prime Minister at the Centre.

7. I am now sending appeals to all our friends to send e-mails at least to the Prime Minster, requesting his personal attention. You know how well Japan is managing their country, just because of its care & attention to the children in the primary school.
8. A model of your mail to the PM may run as follows :

Dear Prime Minister:

We congratulate you for getting “Right to Education Act” after 6 ½ years of hibernation. But we learn with dismay that the primary education is in shambles all over the country with 80 of the children not reaching the MLL, 60% dropping out of school by 6^th and 87% out of the high school. The problem could well be retrieved if you make parents committees supervise daily operation of schools and local authorities manage the schools. Your government could release per head grant to them while governmental machinery takes to overall supervision. We urge with all sincerity for your personal involvement in the primary education. Thanks a lot.

                                                                                                            Signature:

                                                                                                            Address:

Address it to: Prime Minister                     

                         Prime Minister Office

                         New Delhi.

Or email him: manmohan AT sansad.nic.in (please replace ' AT ' with '@' removing any spaces in between)

Great news - TV channels are willing to help us; We need to do our part

It has been brought to our notice that at least one regional channel and one national channel have come forward to help us raise the awareness among the public as well as the politicians. So, all of you who wish to join our postcard campaign, please send your postcards (even though they are addressed to the PM) to:
NDTV,
Greater Kailash - 1,
New Delhi-48

Emails and faxes are probably also ok.

Postcard campaign

The Right to Education bill has been passed although education groups have been unhappy that many lacunae have been overlooked. It is a good sign that the HRD ministry is seriously considering wide-ranging changes to high school education and higher education. It is also nice to hear the PM say that they want to achieve 100% female literacy within 5 years through their 'Saakshar Bharat Mission'. Even though past history does make one a little cynical about one more political 'mission', we hope that serious efforts are going to be made to achieve success.

In the meantime, we are very concerned that primary education is not being given the urgent priority that it deserves. After all, it is the foundation for every child before they can blossom into a productive adult. So, we are writing postcards to the prime minister and the chief minister requesting and pleading and urging them to focus on making primary education effective.

A sample letter is shown below.

To,
The Prime Minister,
New Delhi

Dear Sir,
 May we congratulate your government for getting the "Right to Education Act" passed. We also congratulate you for planning to set up seven more IIMs. However, the need of the hour is to strengthen primary education as more than 80% of the children in 2nd to 9th standard are NOT reaching minimum levels of learning (MLL) while 87% of children are not reaching college. Let us take care of the paise before we take care of the rupees.

Place:                                                                                                                     Truly,

Date:                                                                                      Address: