Angry? Why?

It is true that India is being projected as such in foreign televisions. I can understand your anger. But you would have to admit that it is the truth. A large percentage of our population live in rural areas where education per se has no value at all. There is an ad going around in Indian TV channels showing a young girl (a Rajasthani or Gujarati girl) going for an eye checkup. The doctor (a lady) asks her to read the eyechart. The girl remains silent. The doctor once agains asks her to read. Yet the girl is silent. Then the girl's father says softly she cannot read. My first reaction on seeing the ad for the first time was rage (on the girl's father for not sending his daughter to the school.) The next couple of times I saw the ad, I noticed the dresses and the condition of the girl and her parents. They were poor people. The truth hit me. They do want to send thier daughter to school but they cannot afford it. You can see it in their eyes. Then my anger turned to pity. I can recall a similar incident told by my aunt. This happenned in Madurai, just opposite our MK University. My aunt, working in MKU school, says that she finds it difficult to get children to come to school from the nearby areas. A parent told this to her she asked him why he was not sending his son to school.

"I am a stone breaker. I get around x ruppees every day. My son if he works with will also earn around some x ruppees. We can use this money for our daily gruel. If my son goes to study, we will have to forgo a certain amount of money every day which we cannot. Additionally, we might also have to bear the education costs. So I will send my son to study if I am somehow assured of getting the same amount of money that my son will earn if he works."

How would you answer this question? The problem is that a majority of the people in India are poor. It is a truth that we Indians should accept first. Secondly, the cost of education is high, as you might have known. Thirdly, the cost of educating a student is also high. A government has to spend a lot in terms of infrastructure, salaries and other things. So what can be done? You cannot blame the people; you cannot blame the government. The least you can do is wring your hands in despair. Yet all is not lost. We can change things through several ways. How you can change things is best left to the individual to decide. But things have to be changed. Indian education is not the only thing that is shown in a bad light in foreign media. So what can be done on that? your thoughts... Here are a couple of quotes on education.

To prepare us for complete living is the function which education has to discharge. -- H. Spenser.

Education: That which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding.

Which of the above is more true? You decide...