Re: Umesh on Education

["Tiwari, Umesh K" <UKTiwari@pcgb.com>]

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http://www.indiapolicy.org/lists/india_policy/2000/Feb/msg00085.html

Vamsi,

The idea of free market controlling life is good, but you have to understand
that free market enterprise is for business, and that is always driven by
profit, which is not a bad thing. However, that also says that entrepreneurs
won't go where there are no opportunities to make any profit. When there are
no roads, transport is not possible, when there are people so poor all
around you who can't afford the basic livelihood, you don't expect to sell
them goods and services. Instead, what the free market is likely to do is
concentrate on the population that they can profit from, or go where there
are means to transport goods/services, or educated people to sell
information technology products to. 

I am sorry, this debate on free market capitalism versus education system is
so mixed up here that often times we don't even know whether we are
defending free market system, or advocating universal primary education for
all, or simply praising American Free Market economy without really getting
deep into what American Education System is doing and how far away that is
from its own free market economy.

The fact is, a good 30-40 % of population in India is illiterate. I am
obviously completely against talking pure free market economy or profit
driven system fixing our education problem. If majority in this forum
believes otherwise, I would be happy to accept being on the wrong side, and
let the proposals with which I don't quite agree, go through. Afterall,
that's democracy, and I firmly believe in democracy. Moreover, our goals and
concerns are the same. We all want to get a better working education system
for children in India. I have said all that I had to say in this subject. I
will be reading everything in this subject with interest only to educate
myself on this subject as Sanjeev had put correctly some time ago, while the
constructive debate goes on.

Thank You. 

Umesh Tiwari


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