Need for a Common School System in India

Jammu, Aug. 2 -- Equal education for all is the foundation of an equitable and democratic society

Omkar Dattatray

From the very first day of India's Independence, the objective of successive governments has been to build a just, equitable, egalitarian and discrimination-free society. Unfortunately, despite decades of self-rule, this goal remains elusive.

The education system inherited from the British, based largely on Macaulay's model, was designed to produce clerks and serve colonial interests rather than nurture enlightened citizens. Although India gained Independence in 1947, our education system has undergone little structural change. In many ways, we continue to follow a model that encourages inequality rather than social justice....