In my country, educational facilities are developing rapidly. (You can give a brief account of past facilities, a much larger account of those now existing and then finish with a glance at future requirements.)
It cannot be gainsaid that education is the sine qua non (=without which nothing) in the life of a nation, yes even more indispensable than food in a sense. I begin with this odd truism because often our political bosses feel that enough loaves and fishes (= material fruits) keeps a nation going. Poverty is, indeed, a great handicap and of primary importance. A callousness on this front is not tolerated for long. But ignorance and illiteracy are more deadly in as much as the hunger/thirst for knowledge is not a palpable (= which can be touched) feeling. History bears out how centuries of ignorance dulled even the urge to know in our nation. Thanks to those great persons who awakened our nation to this urge for knowledge.
Since Independence, our nation has shown commendable progress in education. At all levels from Primary to Higher 1 Education – the curricula have been reformed to expand the horizon of knowledge. Introduction of mixed streams’ in schools, and the proportional representation of regional languages in the constitution have lifted education and teaching out of the ruts (-grooved tracks) of the traditional bookish knowledge. The scope of knowledge has been broadened; our boys learn facts about many of our countries which lay hidden from them.
The above is a panoramic picture of the state of affairs. Mass Literacy Campaigns, Operation Blackboard and similar other movements have been launched to educate people of all ages. The UGC has masterminded policies that would be conducive to a healthy education; the NCERT has been instrumental in bringing out well-thought-out texts to stimulate the intelligence of our boys.
There are dropouts among learners in schools that impart education to all illiterates, old or young. But their ratio, definitely, shows an improvement. In addition to these centrally planned projects, there are merit-cum-poverty stipends, and loan-scholarships that offer remove the hurdles of poverty for willing scholars.
In higher education, also, there are various kinds of fellowships, including research fellowships in the Humanities and the Sciences. The foreign fellowship of the U.S.A. under PL-480 in the past, the Fullbright, the Rhodes, British Council and Commonwealth fellowships have benefitted scores of our boys who have travelled abroad. Now the open universities and the media-monitored educational opportunities have an assured impact on our countrymen.
In addition to the above liberalisations, in recent times the computer and the Internet have impinged on (= made a powerful impact) us with a bang. The government’s policy to flood the remotest part of the country with these facilities is a laudable (=praiseworthy) posture. The initial results, as obtained from newspaper reports, definitely show promise.
‘But wishes are not horses’ (= targets are not obtained by merely desiring it). Planning that is oriented towards the liberalisation of education has to be executed with due stress on its quality. -And to maintain quality in India, which is still a developing country, the overlords of her administration have to guard against foreign intrusions. Education is no abstract concept. It is as real a phenomenon of a nation’s body politic as a defence. These days foreign universities seek to steal away our talents (= a metonymic use, meaning the talented boys) as our national institutions are in sheer neglect. Our government treats this subject slightingly (=attaching less importance), as is evident from her allocation of funds. One ex-prime minister had once alleged, teachers do not teach, and boys do not read. Have we ever endeavoured to assess, and how the rot started? Who-politics or teachers – are when primarily at fault? Is it not a fact that even today we seek to get our History written by foreign universities by opening endowed (-financially assisted) Chairs, and even that in Indology? It is, indeed, a. deplorable step, I must say. In fact, the History of a nation should be the exclusive privilege of her children to write. But it must be thought by scholars of proven worth. Dr Ramesh Chandra Mazumdar, for ought we know, had volunteered out of a panel designed to write for the nation’s history.
Lastly, although a truth too bitter to swallow, it looks too glaringly (= unpleasantly dazzling) on us to be ignored. It is this: the politics of our nation that freed us from the stranglehold of foreign rule is, today, not even the ghost of its past. Today politics is above the national interest; parties become splintered causing instability; party ideology runs amuck (= spoils) norms of conduct or ground conditions. The little ray of hope one sees is in the voluntary organizations that are inspired by a genuine reformist urge. But, alas, the purse strings are with the leaders! Only a self-conscious electorate – which, however, seems to be a growing phenomenon now – can save us.
