671 Demands for Grants.1992-93 Ministry of Human

[Sh. Arjun Singh]

implemented. I had assured the Hon. Members then that the Act would be brought into force and the Commission will be appointed, and it has been appointed and any doubts that are still persisting on what will happen to the Commissioner we have decided that this Commission that has been appointed will Itself give a thought to what has to be done and we will go by the opinion and advice of the Commission.

Didi is not here, Sir. She made a very eloquent intervention on this issue and said that this Commission perhaps will not function as it was supposed to have functioned. I would have told her in detail if she had been in the House, but this much I can say that whatever was said when this Act was being passed, shall be done; there is no question of trying to escape from the responsibility that the Government took upon itself to make this Commission an effective Commission.

Sir,there was another doubt raised about what we were trying to do for children who are being exploited and for whom, perhaps, there is no clear-cut policy framed or any programme. Child labour, destitution, drug abuse, these are all the misfortunes of a section of the flowers of India, who are our children, Even though my department does not deal with these issues directly, I can inform the Hon. House that this is a matter with which the Government is not only deeply concerned, but specific projects have been initiated by the Ministry of Welfare and by the Ministry of Labour.

SHRI SAIFUDDIN CHOUDHURY (Katwa): Sir, may I seek a

clarification? Our heads hang in shame when we come to know that India has not signed UN Covenant for Prevention of Child Labour.Can you give an assurance that you will take action to do that and take subsequent measures to really follow up that in reality?

SHRI ARJUN SINGH: Sir, as I said in the very beginning,this is not a matter which is under the charge of the Ministry of Human Resource Development 672

Resources Development. But, I am sure the issue raised by the Hon.

Member is very important and I will convey this fact to the Minister for Labour and I am sure he will react to this and the needful would be done.

The second point which I want to deal here is culture. I am giving it priority over education, because the House, I am sure, will agree with me that it is the cultural profile of a community or a nation which ultimately determines its total profile. It is our good fortune that in spite of many vicissitudes through which this country has passed through in the last many centuries, the cultural profile of this country has been protected, has been maintained and has even been promoted by the people of this country. Even when there were Governments which were hostile and even when there were Governments which were alien to the very concept of Indian culture, Indian culture was nurtured, protected and promoted by the people of this country.

Therefore, I think, the cultural profile of this country has an overriding significance over everything else and real education can only come from a true understanding of our own cultural profile. What has happened after we become free, whether it was this Government or that Government, I do not want to go into that. But, an effort was made that we should have a central idea about the cultural image of this country. We should have, at least, an agreed perception of how that image has to be protected and promoted. The richness of Indian culture, the streams that flow into it are so varied, so diverse and so far-reaching in their significance that in my view, it is not possible for any individual not in India, not abroad to really define what Indian culture is. It is the sum total of our plural society, it is the sum total of our beliefs, sometimes even of our superstitions, how they project on our lives, how they affect us and how we want to see that the human element in every individual either wilts or flowers according to the cultural background in which he happens to be.

Therefore, I would say that the cultural profile of India has to be one which cannot be sectarian, which cannot be parochial, which cannot be confined to any strait-jacket of

673 Demands for Grants,1992-93 Ministry of Human

thought and which essentially has to be humane, has to be secular and has to be forward-looking, has to be broad in it conception so that it not only encompasses all the good things that this country hat pos- sessed over the thousand years of its history but should also have the capacity to stand up for all that our culture represents. There is no room for fragmentation; there is no room for division. If any attempt is made or regressive social or political attitudes are projected, I think, anyone who is proud of his mother-land will have to stand up against these regressive tendencies and combat them if necessary, with all the might and all the will that he can summon.

Some points have been raised specifically, Therefore, I would like to a few words. It was said that the folk, tribal culture of this country is not getting the protection and is not getting the promotion that it deserves and the financial allocations here perhaps reflect this attitude of the Government. I have already said about the financial thing. I do not want to repeat it on every occasion. I would only like to inform the House that promotion of tribal and folk culture is not an entity by itself. It cannot be done in isolation.

/We cannot have one programme and that would be the end of it. Please do not judge the effort and the sincerity in this regard by the budgetary allocation under one head or the other. The fact is whichever area of activity you may take in the cultural field, unless that activity imbibes and projects the tribal and folk culture of this country, that activity is meaningless.

You have taken the name of Indira Gandhi Centre of Art. I know sometimes the very idea of the Centre is not to the linking of many people for extraneous reasons. I would only like to give you a very brief glimpse of the activities of this Centre and tell you how it has the direct bearing on what you yourself want that it should be done.

This Centre is not merely a Centre to promote the thought and life of Shrimati Indira Gandhi though it is named after her and rightly so.

It was Mrs.Indira Gandhi who was obviously the Prime Minister of this country. But apart from being

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the Prime Minister of this country, she embodied in herself the capacity of a human being of the true virtues of a true Indian.

Therefore, Sir,the mandate of this institution which is named after her is very wide.

I may only inform you that it has not only got the contemporary culture as part of its mandate to protect and promote it, I would request some hon. Members of this House who are really interested to see by themselves what the Centre is doing. We would request the Director - she herself of a person of great sensitivity-Shrimati Kamala Vatsyan to show you and if you go there,you will see for yourself that kind of heritage this institution is creating for the country.You will see the things which would have been lost to posterity 100 years later, perhaps none of us would know that India has at one point of time such excellence in music, in the art, in the visual art, all aspects of artistic endeavour. A library is being built up there, published library. Video of every kind of presen- tation that can happen any where in the world is being done by that institution. There is also documentation of folk and tribal art in this country. As succedding generation comes and goes away, perhaps the force of history,the force of time takes away from our current memory scale what has been with us in the immediate past.

19.00 hrs.

It has happened in this country. It has happened in every country.

By the documentation that this Centre is doing on folk and tribal art, it is preserving for posteity this rich cultural heritage of this country.

There fore, I would request you that when you make a value judgment, have a complete picture of what is happening and if there is still something wanting, I can assure you that it is not our intention to say that we have done everything and that nothing needs to be done.

A lot can be done. Your views and your suggestions will be of great importance. I will solve the problem. But first please make a visit.

675 Demands for Grants,1992-93 Ministry of Human

[Sh. Arjun Singh]

Now I corn to education which is obviously the subject matter in which every parent has a point of view. Therefore, when somebody says that there are so many points of view on education, so many points and suggestions made by so many people.

[Translation]

Sir, Shri Mohan Singh has stated that the question of bringing radical changes is being raised. Who is asking for radical changes?

The parents are saying, the common man is saying. We should not ignore this voice, Everyone is expressing his own views because his child is involved, his grant son or grant-daughter is involved. That is why, they also hold a view about education. It does not matter whether one is big or small and when we held such a point of view and express it. It is natural that a lot of things come forward and sometimes it becomes difficult what to accept and what not to accept.

Therefore, it becomes necessary that a national point of view should be formed form time to time and personal point of views should be included in it. It is our good luck that since independence great scholars have expressed their views on this important subject, which will be a boon to our coming generations.

Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad, Dr.

Kothari and other so many scholars had expressed their views from their own experiences about the education system in this country.

Those views are still with us and we can learn from them and can build a new system on the basis of these views,-This was done through the national policy for education in 1986. Late Shri Rajiv Gandhi had called for a debate in the entire country for making a national policy on education. A debate was held and it was said at that time also that the education policy has been formed and amended for several times and so, what new things Rajivji would say in his education policy.

I am only reminding you about the issue.

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but Shri Rajiv Gandhi had said that the education policy cannot remain stable, its purpose, utility and shape will change according to a changing society. The necessary is to fix standard norms by analysing these three aspects and these norms should be adhered to in the entire nation.

Sir, I would like to quote two-three paragraphs from the policy on education, so that we can further say about it in the relevant context. I quote:

[English]

I quote from "Policy on Education: Background context." :-

"Every country develops its system education to express and promote its unique socio-cultural identity and also to meet th. challenges of the times".

The National Policy of 1968 marked a significant step in the history of education in post-independence India. It aimed to promote national progress, a sense of common citizenship and culture, and to strengthen national integration.

The National System of Education will be based on a national curricular framework which containes a common core along with other components that are flexible. The common core will include the history of India's freedom movement, the constitutional obligations and togther content essential to nurture national identity. These elements will cut across subject areas and will be designed to promote values such as India's common cultural heritage, egalitarianism, democracy and secularism, equality of the sexes, protection of the environment, removal of social barriers, observance of the small family norm and inculcation of the scientific temper. All educational programmes will be carried on in strict

677 Demands for Grants,1992-93 Ministry of Human

conformity with secular values......."

This is the background in which the National Education Policy was enunciated. I will say one thing. I am not claiming that since then everything that needed to be done has been done faithfully. Only a braggart would say that. How can I say that? But this much I can say that since then every step that has been taken by the Congress Government has been in the light of this enunciation of the National Policy. It is an unfortunate fact - I am not making it a matter of politics-that in the two intervening years, simply because perhaps this was evolved by Shri Rajiv Gandhi, therefore, everything in this was sought to be negatived or sought to be termed improper. But I may inform the House that the Ramamurthy Commission that was set up giver) the Report and the Report is now with us and except for some minor changes here and there, Professor Ramamurthy has not only endorsed and underlined the basic precepts that govern this policy but has also said that this is the Policy which should be followed now in this country. He has made some departures and he was quite entitled to do so. I would like to inform the House that I do not want the Educational Policy of this country to be the subject of any controversy or politics. Therefore, whatever are the recommendations of the Ramamurthy Committee, a Committee of the CAB was appointed to see how they can be assimilated in a broader policy frame-work. That Committee has given its recommendations. I have drawn up a plan of action. My effort would be that before this House rises for the recess in this Session, 12th or 15th - whatever be the date - after having this matter discussed in the CAB, I will try to present a document in this august House which will outline the Policy that this country will keep on pursuing in the broader perspective and in the broader objectives to maintain our national identity and to give us the tools, as has been mentioned here, the tools for progress and modernity. There were some points raised about the Navodaya Vidhyalayas. The Navodaya Vidhayalayas were one of the items that was mentioned in this Policy and it was also one of the issues on Resource Development 678

which there was a lot of differing perceptions and perhaps still are there though those perceptions are now gradually coming to grips with the reality and the new perception is emerging. I am not taking any names: I am not mentioning any States. But that is a process which has now begun and I hopeful that in the very near future a scheme of the Navodaya Vidhyalayas will become a nationally-accepted scheme. We have decided that in the Eighth Five Year Plan, every district of this country will have one Navodaya Vidyalaya and for that objective, we will provide the facilities, the finances and we will see that this concept of Shri Rajiv Gandhi is not only fulfilled, fully implemented but it becomes a very useful instrument for the weaker sections of the society, the poorer section of the society to acquire the skills which are denied to them because of other factors.

Some of the points are raised about non-functioning or the wrong functioning of the schools. We will try to amend them and whatever has been said here it will receive our attention and if there are shortcomings or any lapses, that will be attended to.

Then the question of elementary education was raised. I cannot but share with this House the sense of regret and to a little extent,frustration which all of us feel that this goal of universal elementary education could not be fulfilled within the time frame in which it was envisaged immediately after India achieved freedom.

Though we have advanced a lot, yet a lot needs to be done. But I am sure, the manner in which all political parties, all Governments, of whichever political hue they may belong to, now that they have made a firm commitment that this national objective has to be achieved basing my views on their commitment, their perception, I feel that by the end of this century, it would be possible to achieve universalisation of elementary education in this country.At least our effort should be that all our resources should be geared all our efforts should be in that direction. I am sure when the nation like India takes up certain decision. it will be implemented. I am encour-

679 Demands for Grants,1992-93 Ministry of Human

[Sh. Arjun Singh]

aged also, Sir, by the I act that we have seen in what dramatic manner the National Literacy Mission has come to acquire a central position in the entire efforts for literacy in the country. There were doubts, there were suspicions, there were certain inhibitions. But now with Kerala having shown the way, with Pondicherry having shown the way, with Maharashtra having shown the way, with West Bengal having taken a lead, there is no State in the country except, and I have to say with great regret, some States, in the heartland of India, to which I also belong to one of them, have not yet been able to take off in the manner that they should. But I am sure that even there a beginning will be made and a real beginning will be made. My interaction with the Chief Ministers, the Ministers of Education encourage me to say this. I am sure that according to the norms set by the UNESCO, India would be able to achieve universal literacy by the turn of ths century. I am not making a bold declaration, neither am I saying something which I think, is a dream worth nurturing. I am saying this because Literacy Mission now in this country has become a people's movement. When the people of India, rise, awake and march, I have no doubt that we shall reach our goals.

There has been something about the secondary education and about the vocational education. Whatever else may be the opinion of some Members about certain new policy initiatives that this Government has taken, I Would beg with you that at least so far as equipping the youth of this country with the skills that will be in great demand, as the nation geared itself to take advantage of initiatives for economic revival, is concerned, all of us should try to provide those skills, provide those tools to the people and the youth of this country. And in my opinion that will come only by a very imaginative and bold programme of vocationalisation of the education throughout the length and breadth of this country. I have been encouraged also by the fact that many public sector undertakings, many private undertakings, they have responded very positively to the request