Ahead of the Chhattisgarh Assembly election, the Congress is hoping that its promise of free education from kindergarten to post-graduation level at government institutions, turns out to be a game-changer. However, experts have advised going through the fine print of the promise, which the party calls “KG to PG”.
From financial burden to fears that it would compromise on quality of education, the Opposition and independent experts have shared a range of issues regarding the programme.
“We are going to take a major step for you which we call ‘KG to PG’. Free education will be provided for students from kindergarten to post-graduation in government institutions. They will not have to pay a single penny,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said at a poll rally in Kanker on Saturday.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel followed it up with a social media post mentioning that the guarantee would usher in a “new revolution in education in Chhattisgarh” and mentioned engineering, medicine, ITI, and diploma as some of the courses for which no fee of any kind will be charged. Congress spokespersons further clarified that tuition fee will not be charged for any course – professional or otherwise – and nor will there be any distinction based on the paying capacity of the students and their families.
Former State Minister and senior leader of the Chhattisgarh BJP, Brijmohan Agrawal, says there is nothing new in the promise. “Now who will tell Rahul Gandhi that free education is already being given in government schools and colleges from ‘KG to PG’? Rahul Gandhi has said nothing new. If Congress and Rahul Gandhi have the courage, they should announce that fees of students in private schools and colleges will be waived,” he said.
“Education for students from the age of eight to 14 is constitutionally free. For higher classes, the Congress had made a promise [of free education] last time too but did not deliver. Now, when they are talking about extending it to the post-graduate level, how are people going to trust them,” asks Ajay Chandrakar, another senior BJP leader from the State and a former School Education Minister.
B.N. Sharma, a Durg-based educationist who has extensively worked on school and college education in Chhattisgarh, agrees that in schooling, it will be “status quo” and adds that even in college and university levels, there are many welfare schemes already present. He seeks better clarity on the road map.
“Other than in professional colleges, female students do not have to pay any fee already for education in government colleges. In nursing, the fees for tribal girls is reimbursed by the government. There are very few government medical and engineering colleges and the number of private colleges is far more,” he says. “What happens to semi-government colleges and self-financing specialised courses that State-run autonomous institutions introduce,” he further asks.
B.K.S. Ray, an educationist and former IAS officer who retired in the rank of Chief Secretary, feels that delivering on such a promise is “possible”. He even calls it “commendable”, but adds it will come at a heavy cost. “Financially, it is going to put an extreme burden on the exchequer and it will also impact the quality of education. The teachers who are teaching themselves need to be trained. Making it more accessible does not mean that you can compromise on quality,” says Mr. Ray.
Others said at the college level, the scheme would make a substantial difference. For example, a private college in Durg district charges ₹31,500 for Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) course and ₹20,500 for D.Ed. The corresponding fees for the courses in government colleges are ₹8,000-10,000 and ₹5,000 respectively. The principal of the private college expects students to “flock to the government colleges” in case the tuition fee is reduced to nil.
On the issue of quality taking a hit if access is expanded, Mr. Sharma says only a handful of Chhattisgarh government-run colleges have made it to the National Assessment and Accreditation Council rankings, and that schools and colleges in even cities lack good infrastructure and well-trained teachers. This, he says, is primarily due to lack of funds.
One of the highlights of the Congress government’s initiatives on education has been the setting up of Swami Atmanand English Medium schools and colleges, aimed at making quality education in English accessible. Mr. Sharma, a former Member Secretary of the State Literacy Mission and the State Coordinator for the Unicef-backed school education programme, Janshala, says that even many of those institutions lack in quality and in any case, are only a tiny part of the education system.
Asked if the Congress had deeply studied these implications before making the promise, party’s Chhattisgarh media in-charge Sushil Anand Shukla says, “We would not make that promise if we had not done that.”
