One of Gujarat Children’s University jobs is to send a functionary to the house of a pregnant woman to read out scriptures!

By Prof Rohit Shukla*
Gujarat is one of the fastest urbanising states. With increase in population and rising aspirations, a large number of young people are in search of good education. But this whole process is nipped in the bud with wrong policy set up, poor administration and prejudiced behaviour.
At the primary level there is a very high drop out rate. The infrastructure is poor and even many centrally sponsored schemes are not fully and properly utilised. According to a survey undertaken by the State Government, it is found that hardly 10 percent of the schools qualify for quality education.
There are ill‐conceived efforts at privatisation at all levels of education. The schools run by the private and ‘only for profit’ individuals or institutions charge exorbitant fees. There are many agitations by the parents, which remain unfruitful. The rumour has it that many of such institutions are run by the people who are in close proximity to the seats of power.
Higher education, which is to be viewed as a harbinger of the future of the country is under stress and is a worst victim of short‐sightedness and antipathy. Some of the main symptoms are as follows: o In most of the grant‐in‐colleges, the staff recruitment is under suspended animation for almost two decades. This has resulted in loss of quality education.
The mindset of the government is not forward looking as, in schools as well as colleges very little encouragement is provided for scientific way of thinking. There is an effort to homogenise the thought and disagreement or discourse is disallowed. Orthodoxy and exclusivity are used to divide the society.
While education is privatised and exorbitant fees are charged, appointment of faculty with good and commensurate salary is a day dream. There are many bright careers which are lingering either as part timers or daily wagers, despite possessing degrees and qualifications prescribed by the Universities Grant Commission (UGC).
While old and established colleges are feeling suffocated, the Government keeps on establishing newer universities. It is even hard to decipher the purpose of some such universities. For example, there is Children’s University, which is perhaps the only one of its kind in the entire world. Under the scheme of the things, a functionary of the university goes to the house of a pregnant woman and reads out from the scriptures! Such process of giving “Sanskaras” is continued till the child reaches the age of 18. Is this a process of creating some super race?
We also have yoga, petroleum and Sanskrit universities. Does one require special universities subject‐wise? This is an avoidable waste of resources. Function of the education is to equip the society and its members to become more productive. Education is expected to provide a framework and a perspective for future and balanced development of society. That way this sector is expected to generate externalities such that the dreams of our constitution are realised.
There is a feeling of nostalgia when one thinks of the decades of sixties and seventies. Education atmosphere was more democratic and progressive. Control of feudal mind set and influence of money bags was on the wane. A very large number of poor and deprived class students could take advantage of the inexpensive education.
Gujarat has lost the trail. It has become less and less democratic and more and more monolithic. People who work very closely in this field and have a long trail of experience behind them find that it requires an immediate course correction. Future of an entire generation is under siege.
---
*President, Save Education, Gujarat Chapter; Editor, “Abhidrashti”, a monthly journal devoted to education for the past almost 50 years; President, Gujarat Economic Association; formerly with the Sardar Patel Institute of Social and Economic Research, Ahmedabad

Comments

From Kerala to Bangladesh: Lynching highlights deep social faultlines

By A Representative The recent incidents of mob lynching—one in Bangladesh involving a Hindu citizen and another in Kerala where a man was killed after being mistaken for a “Bangladeshi”—have sparked outrage and calls for accountability.

What Sister Nivedita understood about India that we have forgotten

By Harasankar Adhikari In the idea of a “Vikshit Bharat,” many real problems—hunger, poverty, ill health, unemployment, and joblessness—are increasingly overshadowed by the religious contest between Hindu and Muslim fundamentalisms. This contest is often sponsored and patronised by political parties across the spectrum, whether openly Hindutva-oriented, Islamist, partisan, or self-proclaimed secular.

When a city rebuilt forgets its builders: Migrant workers’ struggle for sanitation in Bhuj

Khasra Ground site By Aseem Mishra* Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is not a privilege—it is a fundamental human right. This principle has been unequivocally recognised by the United Nations and repeatedly affirmed by the Supreme Court of India as intrinsic to the right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. Yet, for thousands of migrant workers living in Bhuj, this right remains elusive, exposing a troubling disconnect between constitutional guarantees, policy declarations, and lived reality.

Aravalli at the crossroads: Environment, democracy, and the crisis of justice

By Rajendra Singh* The functioning of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has undergone a troubling shift. Once mandated to safeguard forests and ecosystems, the Ministry now appears increasingly aligned with industrial interests. Its recent affidavit before the Supreme Court makes this drift unmistakably clear. An institution ostensibly created to protect the environment now seems to have strayed from that very purpose.

'Festive cheer fades': India’s housing market hits 17‑quarter slump, sales drop 16% in Q4 2025

By A Representative Housing sales across India’s nine major real estate markets fell to a 17‑quarter low in the October–December period of 2025, with overall absorption dropping 16% year‑on‑year to 98,019 units, according to NSE‑listed analytics firm PropEquity. This marks the weakest quarter since Q3 2021, despite the festive season that usually drives demand. On a sequential basis, sales slipped 2%, while new launches contracted by 4%.

'Structural sabotage': Concern over sector-limited job guarantee in new employment law

By A Representative The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has raised concerns over the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB–G RAM G), which was approved during the recently concluded session of Parliament amid protests by opposition members. The legislation is intended to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Safety, pay and job security drive Urban Company gig workers’ protest in Gurugram

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers associated with Urban Company have stepped up their protest against what they describe as exploitative and unsafe working conditions, submitting a detailed Memorandum of Demands at the company’s Udyog Vihar office in Gurugram. The action is being seen as part of a wider and growing wave of dissatisfaction among gig workers across India, many of whom have resorted to demonstrations, app log-outs and strikes in recent months to press for fair pay, job security and basic labour protections.

India’s universities lag global standards, pushing students overseas: NITI Aayog study

By Rajiv Shah A new Government of India study, Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations , prepared by NITI Aayog , regrets that India’s lag in this sector is the direct result of “several systemic challenges such as inadequate infrastructure to provide quality education and deliver world-class research, weak industry–academia collaboration, and outdated curricula.”

The rise of the civilizational state: Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta warns of new authoritarianism

By A Representative Noted political theorist and public intellectual Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta delivered a poignant reflection on the changing nature of the Indian state today, warning that the rise of a "civilizational state" poses a significant threat to the foundations of modern democracy and individual freedom. Delivering the Achyut Yagnik Memorial Lecture titled "The Idea of Civilization: Poison or Cure?" at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Mehta argued that India is currently witnessing a self-conscious political project that seeks to redefine the state not as a product of a modern constitution, but as an instrument of an ancient, authentic civilization.

Search This Blog