Re: Umesh on Education

[kvprao@igidr.ac.in]

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On Wed, 16 Feb 2000, Tiwari, Umesh K wrote:
>Vamsi,
>
>You are mixing up education policy reform with market reform, and I >prefer 
>to stay focused on one subject when talking about a subject.
Apples and Oranges.

In what way is Education different from Nutrition (or Teaching different 
from Farming or again, Knowledge different from Paddy)??? Please elaborate.

A consistent reason towards treating Education (knowledge) as different from 
Nutrition (Paddy) would have to be rooted in the VALUATION of both these 
goods....is there a tao that informs an absolute (even if only relative to 
the human mind) valuation through reason...EXCEPT from EXPERIENCE? 
Philosophie?! But that's exactly the philosophie for abstracting "market 
reform" and not being distracted by "education reform" or "power reform" or 
"water reform" or "electoral reform", etc.. Integrity cannot be piece meal.

A society, having noted this would "try to institutionalise" the superior 
value of education through INCENTIVES. The means are of course many; an 
example, and this one happens to leave every last decision to the 
individual/community, would be the one proposed in the IPI draft.  I am not 
sure of the american voucher system, but if it works just like those Times 
of India classifieds gift vouchers (which is thoroughly useful only for 
someone who wants a place in the classified listings), then that would be 
another fine means by which a society might choose to "try to 
institutionalise" the superior value of education (superior, in the longer 
run and to every human mind; but let me add, even this relation is without 
an absolute basis). The 'uneducated' still functions in the free-market 
economy and if s_he chooses to remain away from the school, despite the 
genuinely expensive freebie, well s_he is happy and doing his/her own thing. 
The society should only concern itself with ensuring a genuinely expensive 
school, expensive implying full of worth (worthwhile)  to every actor in the 
economy.

Pray, tell what differentiates knowledge from paddy. (I think only and
only I can tell that...for me and only me.)

/rao (speaking for Mr. Vamsi?)

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