Second, for students from the underprivileged sections of society, we need to provide free lodging and boarding in school hostels so that they have a congenial environment for learning. Gujarat’s Ashram Shala schools are a good example of this kind of school.

Third, we need to revise curricula and textbooks at all levels so as to make education more relevant to the needs of the present generation. The same curriculum should be followed all over the country in all schools, as is done in all the developed countries of the world.

If the first three suggestions are implemented effectively, all the students will have equal access and equal opportunity to quality education of the same standard all over the country, and there will not be any need to claim reservation on the basis of caste, class or creed. Only merit should then be the basis for admission into undergraduate and post-graduate level courses, with the income of the parents deciding whether or not the student should be entitled to financial assistance.

The money — estimated at Rs 8,000 crore — required for increasing the number of seats in institutes of higher learning, could be better spent in building and strengthening basic infrastructure in primary, secondary, and higher secondary schools in the country, and in the training of teachers.

I know almost all developed countries, including China, provide free quality education up to the higher secondary level to all students irrespective of caste, creed, ethnic and economic background. Admission to institutes of higher learning, however, is based on merit only. In fact most of the students terminate their education after the 12th standard and are self-employed, or take up jobs suitable to their qualification and aptitude. In the US, UK, Canada and other developed countries most of the students pursuing higher education are foreigners. Unlike us in India, they do not produce graduates and post-graduates who are not fit for employment.

... contd.