An appeal

Diwali (festival of lights) of this year is not bringing light in the lives of thousands of children in Karnataka. The decision of the state government to close down nearly 3000 schools officially unofficially the state has been doing it for several years in small numbers) in the pretext of low enrolment is going to deny the access to elementary education in the neighbourhood school as provided under right of the children to free and compulsory education act.

 On behalf of the state school development and monitoring committee coordination forum and teachers union I wrote an article in one of the leading Kannada dailies opposing the state move (See translation in English below). Followed by this many leading writers including recipients of Jnana peetha awardees camedown heavily on the state to oppose the barbaric move of the state to deny the access to access to education to the children coming from dalith, tribal, minority and other marginalised children by closing down the government schools .Various social movements are organising protests and adopting resolutions opposing the move

 The act of the Karnataka state need to be opposed at the national level before the other state follow the same rationale to close down the schools. I sincerely request and appeal to each one of you to write letter to the honourable chief minister and chief secretary to government of Karnataka to oppose the move by expressing your solidarity to save the government schools in the state. You can write and send the letter to the following address

 The Honourable Chief Minister

Government of Karnataka

Vidhana Soudha, Ambedkar Veedhi

Bangalore-560001

 

And

The Chief Secretary,

Government of Karnataka

Vidhana Soudha, Ambedkar Veedhi

Bangalore-560001

 The details are available in the enclosed write-ups   including the editorial published in the leading newspapers for your information.

 Niranjanaradhya.

Don’t Close the Schools

(Editorial in Prajavani, dated October 21, 2011, Translated from the Kannada.)

The step taken by the government to close down 3,174 government schools, on the pretext of lack of students, is grim. Children of the very poor in the villages and girls who cannot go to far away schools are the ones affected by this decision of BJP Government. Through this decision the government has denied the right of free and compulsory education to the children. After the implementation of Sarva Shikshana Abhiyan the central government is giving crores of rupees for primary education. The government of Karnataka has failed to properly utilize this money and now has decided to close down the schools. This is condemnable. This is an inhuman decision that withholds literacy from the children of the very poor. Those who are in power don’t seem to have any knowledge of ‘poor’ and ‘rural’ India. The same government that repeats the mantra of Kannada generously gives permission to private institutions to start English medium schools in each and every lane in the name of education through mother tongue. It is clear that the BJP government is eager to handover education to the private persons, and washes its hand clean of its social responsibility. This is clearly a thing not done by any government that works for the welfare of people.

There may be some truth in the argument that students are not enrolling in government schools. The government should think seriously and deeply why the parents are unwilling to send their children to government schools. Instead, what the government does now is akin to cutting the nose in order to cure common cold. It is true that English medium schools have become more attractive for the people these days. A strong illusion is created that there are more job opportunities in future for children who study in English medium during their primary school days. But, educationists all over the world opine that children who learn through their mother tongue gain better knowledge of subjects taught. Kannada writers, like the Jnanapeetha Award winners, U. R. Ananthamurthy and Chandrasekhar Kambar have said the same thing. The state government is unwilling to make this fact known to the people. Even with free books and free mid-day meals why the government schools have become unattractive—serious introspection should be conducted in this regard. The quality of government schools should improve. Closure of government schools will profit the English medium private schools. If the government doesn’t have this wicked intention should reconsider its foolish decision of closing government schools.