But the big question still looms: Will all this work? A Pre-School Regulation of Admission Act, meant to inject a dose of regulation in admissions to pre-primary classes -- riddled now with donations and interviews -- remains `suspended'. No action has been taken on it, either positive or negative. Just before stepping down, the education minister in the Sena-BJP government, Sudhir Joshi had stated that thegovernment would need five more years to make its otherwise-successful Universal Education For All by 2000 scheme `foolproof'. So much for setting targets.

Even now, the current education minister's response to fee hikes by unaided institutions -- to raise enough resources for implementing the Fifth Pay Commission scales -- has been singularly vague. More insists that no institution can increase fees for the time being, but is unclear as to how schools can implement the pay commission scales. Perhaps what was needed was a monitoring device to ensure that unaided schools do not increase fees at random, and definitely not before getting the parents' permission. Instead, there is a blanket statement disallowing fee hikes. Unless the government tackles the issues at hand -- in a clear-cut and definite manner -- promises for a better tomorrow are going to hold no meaning.