4th in English Elocution.Big deal...

At the Montfort Literary and Cultural Festival at Vijaywada this week, I...er...finished 4th in the English Elocution and 2nd in English Debate (I'll put up my script for that in a couple of days). Although I haven't been able to fathom the reason for the dismal result, I'd like to put on display my script for the final. The topic was 'Education For All:A Distant Dream In India' with 60 minutes to prepare. Look and judge for yourself:-

I know the location of the tea stall in the adjacent street. I know how many goals Cristiano Ronaldo scored for Manchester United last season. Therefore, am I educated?

I think not. I’d like to define education as the acquirement of those skills imparted by quality institutions which enable a person to earn a living. It was in the year 1962 at the Parliament Session at New Delhi that the policy of ‘Education For All’ first came into existence, with the ambitious objective of making every citizen of this country educated. Ever since then, it has featured prominently among the top goals of the nation. Even today, the Government allocates a whopping 7000 crores every year solely for the purpose of education, which in itself constitutes about 3.5% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

But is all this effort reflected in the literacy progress of India in the last few years? In 1981, the Literacy rate of the country stood at a paltry 41%, while in 1991 it rose steadily to about 52%. But it was in the year 2001 that our Literacy rate surged dramatically to an all time high of 65.38%. And what’s more, we’ve consistently managed to produce pioneers of the highest quality in every possible field you can think of. So what do we conclude then? All is well that ends well? India Shining?

Wait, before you commit yourself to that grave misconception, let me put before you a few plain facts. Even till today, there exist striking disparities in our educational system, almost giving it the image of an inconceivable paradox. Take the example of a state like Kerala, which flourishes on an excellent literacy rate of 90%. On the other hand, we have a state like Bihar with an abysmal literacy rate of 38%. Even today, only 35% of our women can read and write. But most shamefully, the term ‘caste’ has raised its murky head once again to govern the educational affairs of this country.

Hang on, let me not give you the impression as though the Governments have merely been folding their hands in hopelessness and doing nothing about all of this. The National Literacy Mission was set up in the year 1988 with a view to tackling these conundrums. The objective of Universal Primary Education was embraced by one and all and gained prominence. But most significantly, OBC reservations have been instituted in order to bestow educational opportunities to the people belonging to those castes which have endured oppression and hostility for ages. However, I see one vital ingredient missing from this ravishing cuisine. Perseverance, dedication and commitment are vital elements that will empower us in our pursuit of educational excellence. Wish that existed in today’s times.

I dream of an India shining. An India glistening in its glory. An India standing on its own feet and reverberating the 180 latitudes and 360 longitudes. However, as of now, standing here before you this afternoon, the best I can do is look longingly at the distant dream in hope and grunt to myself, “I miss you so much. It hurts.”