Re: Umesh on Education

[Vamsi Musunuru <vamsi@siliconcorp.com>]

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    Take roads, for example, toll system is especially useful in India
where the
Government lacks the capital and experience in road construction.  A toll
system
would encourage private players to build and maintain world class roads.
It is
not like people are forced to pay for these roads through taxes!!

    As for the "poor" people, they can't buy things because they don't have
jobs.  So, remove the obstacles for creating jobs.  How many jobs would be
created if the private sector is encouraged to construct roads through the
toll
system.

    Private sector likes to profit but there is a check on its power through
competition. Isn't the Government not out to take advantage of the poor
through
corruption, etc.?  Then, where is the check on its power?

    Institutions, private or public, will always look to better their position
and power through profiteering and corruption.  What is important is that we
check the power of these institutions through various mechanisms.  In a
free-market model companies are checked through competition but such a
mechanism
doesn't exist for the Government.  Hence, it should stay out of the market
completely so as to keep it from abusing its "special" institutional status
with
unchecked power!!

Sincerely,
Vamsi M.

"Tiwari, Umesh K" wrote:

> 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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> This is the National Debate on System Reform.       debate@indiapolicy.org
> Rules, Procedures, Archives:            http://www.indiapolicy.org/debate/
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This is the National Debate on System Reform.       debate@indiapolicy.org
Rules, Procedures, Archives:            http://www.indiapolicy.org/debate/
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