The Supreme Court has expressed its deep concern over the education scenario in the nation as per a recent verdict. The bench comprising of justices B S Chauhan and F M Ibrahim Kalifulla have said that “the nation’s education system has indeed failed to achieve its prime objectives”. They even went further to sate that it also “needs immediate reforms for the betterment of the system for the nation’s interest”.
“Unfortunately today’s education system no longer aims to reform the human society and behaviour and thus appears to have failed its objective. The society at present lies in troubled waters with disarray in all sectors which need immediate reforms through cooperated efforts”, said the bench of the judges presiding over the case.
The court expressed its thoughts and passed the order in response to a petition filed by Maharishi Mahesh Jogi Vishwavidyalaya of Madhya Pradesh which challenged the state’s decision to bring an amendment to the state law under which the said university was set up.
“In the earlier years in spite of the literacy rate being poor compared to the present day, human values related to education, values and ethics had their own revered status in the Indian society,” further added the bench. They expressed their concern that of what use is literacy when people do not exhibit the minimalist amount of positive literate behaviour that they should. It obviously puts into doubt the very state of the nation’s education system as to whether it has created any positive impact on the masses or not.
The apex court is concerned that still there are millions of illiterates present in the nation and a serious crisis is looming at large on the nation. Individuals like students, teachers and parents as well as the educational institutes bear a responsibility in changing the system. Based on this thought, the apex court has also asked for increased diligence on their part for the betterment of the society at large.
“Even thought the literacy rate during the British Era during independence was a mere 12%, it now stands at more than 70%. But compared to the dynamic social, economic and global changes that India has witnessed, this scenario indeed represents a demure state of educational development in India,” thus spoke the bench.
“It may seem that achieving a literacy rate of over 70% is a great feat by itself but it is still concerning enough that still so many people in India cannot even read or write at all. A high percentage of children belonging to rural regions are still devoid of education,” wondered the ruling bench.
Speaking about the Right to Education Act they said, “Though the government has done a commendable duty of providing free education to all children till age 14, still the problem of illiteracy is plaguing the nation”.
The words thus spoken by the division bench were really concerning enough for the nation for the fact that it comes in the form of a verdict form the apex court of the nation itself. The Supreme Court conclusively expressed its wish that it expects that the necessary reforms are carried out with the help of one and all to make India a totally literate state.