Make school education up to higher secondary level free: Nathwani to centre/state govts

Ahmedabad, DeshGujarat

Though education is a state subject, centre’s intervention is essential to ensure that education spreads and every single child across the country has to have ‘an ease of educating’ himself. The Schooling is becoming costly day by day; ‘Right to Education (RTE), Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) etc notwithstanding. In remote countryside with meager infrastructure and resources, completing school education up to 12th is also a difficult dream. This is why Member of Parliament from Rajyasabha Shri Parimal Nathwani has requested the central and the state governments to make education upto 12th standard completely free across the country.

Shri Nathwani has written letters to Prime Minister Shri Narendrabhai Modi, Union Human Resource Development Minister Smt. Smriti Irani, Chief Minister of Gujarat Smt. Anandiben Patel and the state education minister Shri Bhupendrasinh Chudasma to consider the request and make it a reality.

Mr. Nathawani also stated that even though school education is free up to 8th standard in the country at present, students in the rural area have to wade through waist-high river waters, walk up to several kilometers in rough terrains etc. for going to school; availability of curriculum books, mistakes in printing, etc apart. Difficulties like this and financial problems compel them to abandon study half-way.

Minimum education of 12th standard is a breakthrough which provide even a poor student to some standing in society; with the help of which he or she can begin life to acquire some skill or further education or earn a bit and support his or her further education, he added.

According to Mr. Nathwani, the government of India included 8th standard in the primary education system to fulfill its constitutional commitment of providing free and compulsory education to children in age group of 6 to 14 years. Mr. Nathwani praised the government’s efforts for fulfilling constitutional commitment but added that the true goal will be achieved only when entire schooling is made completely free of cost.

Mr. Nathwani also added that there is hardly any professional/vocational course available after completing school education up to 8th standard. So the government’s decision to make primary education free and compulsory serves only one purpose that is improving literacy rate in the country. This is why there is an urgent need for the government to make entire school education up to Higher Secondary free of cost, which will enable the students to opt for professional/vocational courses, he said.

Mr. Nathwani said that it will increase financial burden on the governments but it will at least help narrowing down the gap between ‘haves’ and ‘haves not’. Mr. Nathwani also plans to raise the issue in the parliament.

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