Volume 43 No. 2 Organ of the SOCIALIST UNITY CENTRE OF INDIA September 1, 2009 Founder Editor-in-Chief : COMRADE SHIBDAS GHOSH Price : Rs. 2.00 Yashpal Committee — HRD Minister on education reform Cunning design to destroy people’s education for unfettered trade in education Outcry for a reform of responsibility of judging these new countries. Mortally afraid of Their policy turned out to be education system in the country has proposals and measures threadbare. revolution and the revolutionary curtailment of education, which once more taken the centre-stage. In a class-divided society as ours, class consciousness of people, the came out clearly, for instance, from On 24 June 2009 the Yashpal no policy of a government can be exploitative ruling class thus always the pronouncements of the first Committee or the ‘Committee to judged properly without considering wanted to keep people deprived of chairman of the University Grants Advise on Renovation and how it stands vis-a-vis the class education and knowledge. The Commission (UGC) when he Rejuvenation of Higher division and class alignment in the Indian capitalists also did not fail to declared “We want to restrict Education’(hereafter to be referred society, economic-political-social follow this same path. Right from higher education in order to as the Committee), formed by the conditions prevailing and the beginning of their own class rule, minimize the number of educated HRD ministry of the Union contradictions operating within it. In they took up such a policy on unemployed ”. government, submitted its final this case too, the report and the education which was driven by this As an inalienable part of the report. Immediately following it, package must be judged from that class motive that effectively crisis-ridden world capitalist- Kapil Sibal, the HRD Minister class angularity. curtailed education from common imperialist system, which had (hereafter to be referred as the poorer section of the masses, the brought about even two world wars, minister) announced a ‘do-it- in 100 Brief retrospection exploited people and gradually made the Indian capitalism, too, was days’ agenda for reform of higher Now, if we look back at the education a concern of only the rich. Contd. on page 2 education. The very next day, 25 Indian society in its present form, June, Sibal added that, not just higher we would find that the Indian SUCI declares 3rd September, 2009 as education, he would include school capitalist state and society were education too, in his 100 day established firmly when the Indian All-India Protest Day to oppose holding of package. In face of immediate capitalist class assumed power with stringent criticisms, the minister had independence from the rule of the WTO ministerial conference in New Delhi to retreat, denying his ‘doing it in 100 British imperialists. Right from that Comrade Nihar Mukherjee, General Secretary, SUCI, in course of a days’ commitment and assuring time, the ruling class took it upon statement issued on 29 August, 2009 vehemently protested against wider discussions. But the proposals itself to remould the existing reported hosting of ministerial conference of WTO in New Delhi on 3rd have not been withdrawn. In fact, education system according to their and 4 September, 2009. WTO, said Comrade Mukherjee, is a forum of with a view to garnering support in own class interest. History had the imperialists-capitalists to decide upon the brazenly anti-people favour of his proposals, the minister made them aware of the fact that economic policies in keeping with the ulterior prescripts of capitalist is already dashing across the education creates consciousness globalization which is wreaking havoc in people’s life throughout the world. country, holding ‘interactive among people, which in turn guides To the toiling people round the globe, WTO as the wicked face of sessions’ with selective audience of them to identify the root cause of wrecking globalization symbolizes increasing poverty, hunger, rising price, ‘stakeholders’, teachers, students, the plight in their life, to recognize retrenchment, closure of industries — in a word, a breeding centre of all- guardians etc., with a section of that it is the class rule and class round devastation. Hence, there is surging protest of the oppressed people media highlighting it. He is also exploitation that stands as the against the imperialist machination operative through WTO and angry announcing newer and newer stumbling block to the progress and demonstrations marked every venue of WTO conferences, added measures one after another. well being of the society and its Comrade Mukherjee. Perhaps for that reason, the Government of India Educating its people is a vital task people. And this is the very serving the class interest of the ruling Indian monopolists who are part before the state and its government consciousness that also leads and parcel of global imperialism-capitalism and of late are frantically and how they rise up to that task is people to take up revolutionary striving for fulfilling their aspiration to emerge as a regional superpower a matter of great concern to people struggle to overthrow the with the backing of US imperialism, has been so secretive in arranging themselves. The Committee report exploitative class rule and do away the proposed ministerial conference of WTO in the Indian capital so that and the minister’s package have with class exploitation. Soviet Union the entire initiative could be hidden from the seething toiling people of already caused grave concern accomplishing socialist revolution India, observed Comrade Mukherjee. Comrade Mukherjee called upon among people of all sections about under the leadership of the the people to observe 3 September, 2009 as “All India Protest Day” where these will lead education of communist party provided the latest through organization of massive demonstrations round the country the country to. So, education-loving glaring instance before the world demanding immediate calling off the proposed meet and quitting of WTO persons cannot avoid the and the ruling class of different by India. PAGE TWO SEPTEMBER 1, 2009 PROLETARIAN ERA Yashpal Committee — HRD Minister on education reform Curtailment of education for masses — basic design of capitalists Contd. from page 1 educated personnel for which the responsibility of parents to comprehensive design to facilitate enmeshed in insurmountable crisis. country could boast of, gradually provide for education of their implementation of the GATS Capitalist exploitation was leading became matters of the rich. children’; ‘students should pay directives in higher education. Thus to increasing impoverishment of vast With crisis of the capitalist- for the education they seek for’; all these attempts at educational masses of common people and to imperialist system still mounting all education should be ‘job-oriented’ reforms follow the same game-plan, market crisis; crisis of market was over the world, the capitalists- with close link with the market being promulgated and promoted by bringing about industrial recession; imperialists tried to pounce upon demand, vast masses of common the GATS. recession giving way to lock-out, newer and newer measures. students may be provided with Both the Committee and the closure of industries, retrenchment Debacle of the socialist camp in the vocational education to train them up minister offer a number of pledges, of workers, adding threateningly to eighties of the last century handed for market or job, and so on. All like setting up of National Literacy already mounting unemployment. over to them an added advantage the commissions and committees set Mission for female literacy, This was also generating and made them more aggressive. up by the union or different state enactment of Right of Children to tremendous social unrest, dissension There came the panacea of governments in the following years Free and Compulsory Education among people. Hence was the globalization-privatization- liberaliza- worked upon this central theme of Bill, Broadband connectivity for policy of curtailment of education tion, with a view to establishing a privatizing and commercializing 5000 colleges and university for the masses, the policy of total grip of the capitalists- education. In result, floodgates departments; government assistance restriction of higher education to imperialists and their corporates were opened for unbridled fee-hike to found polytechnics and new limit the number of educated over the entire global market. But at all stages of formal education, for NITs; hostels for girl students of unemployed. There was no dearth even this could not help them avert introduction of self-financing ‘weaker sections’ and ‘minorities’ of pleas. Making use of peoples’ industrial recession and market courses and institutions, thus making and direct crediting of scholarships genuine concern about fast-falling crisis. They looked for further a smooth way to private capitals. to the bank account of 41000 boys standard of education and its other escape routes and searched it out in Parallel to them, government and 41000 girls every year (without problems, there were slogans raised bringing the service sectors into the participation and grants were any indication what meager like “Our educational system is a firm grip of their profit-hunting reduced which, in turn, led to closure percentages of total needy student pyramid turned upside down; here spree. There came the GATS or of many institutions from resource- populations will these figures make) higher education gets undue the General Agreement on Trade in crunch, or to handing over of the etc., But the real intents lie emphasis with primary education of Services. sick educational institutions to elsewhere and need be read vast poorer masses left neglected”, private investors. Reform was thus critically and carefully. Along with “ Standard of education is going NPE ’86 sets in privatization equated with all-out privatisation- these, the Yashpal Committee down” “ so, only the best should go In India the National Policy on commercialisation of education.