Speech delivered by me on 12th August 2011 on Education related Bill

SHRI PRAMOD KUREEL (UTTAR PRADESH):

Thank you, Sir. First of all, I wish to support the views, the sentiments and the concerns expressed by Shri Balagopalji who has brought this Resolution before us for consideration.  Sir, education in our country is expanding very rapidly.  In our country, purely speaking, our educational system can be divided in three broad categories.  One is the Government sector; the second is the Aided sector and  the third is the Self-Ffinancing or Unaided sector.  In Government sector educational institutions everything is provided by the Government.  Aided institutions are run by various trusts, societies and private agencies that cater to the educational needs of the  people.  The Self-Financing institutions are not aided by the Government in any way and they have to fend for themselves and they have to  raise their resources and make arrangement for everything.  The way our education sector is expanding, the way the educational needs of the society and the country are expanding, we can understand that there is a need for the private sector to step in as a support to the Government.  We know because of the paucity of funds and many other considerations, it is almost impossible for the Government to provide for the educational need of the society which is expanding at a very fast pace.  Anybody who is starting an educational institution, especially an institution for higher learning, we understand and we accept that he cannot run an institution without money.  If somebody is investing crores and crores of  rupee,  it  is  but  natural  that  he  requires money.   He  requires money from various sources and ultimately when he is investing so much of money he needs to earn some profit also.  We are not saying that profit is not needed.  But the question is how much profit is needed; how  much  profit  is  required;  how  much  profit  is  just  and  how  much profit is unjust.  That  is the question before all of us.  Sir, Shri Balagopal has correctly outlined many problems being faced by studentsand their parents in the Self-Financing institutions in the country.  What we see today is the problem of capitation fees, which we all know.  Many of the institutions -- I am not saying all the institutions -- are charging very high tuition fee.  In the name of development charges, they are charging a lot of money every year. Many times, they don't even give receipt for that.  Most of the money they charge is under the table.  There are so many other charges also.  I am a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on HRD and I am attending many meetings on various Bills.  This January, as a part of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on HRD, I had a chance to visit the States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

(Contd. by 3j/KSK)

KSK/4.40/3J

SHRI PRAMOD KUREEL (CONTD):  My hon. colleague, Shri Balagopal, is from Kerala State.   Although I live in Uttar Pradesh or Delhi, during the last one-and-a-half years, I have spent most of the time in Kerala State as part of my  political duties given to me by my Party.  So, I can vouch for it; whatever Shri Balagopal has said is hundred per cent true.  Today, what we are witnessing in our country is a very serious matter.  In our  country, education has always been considered as a sacred thing.  After our religion, education was given the next status in terms of sanctity and sacredness.  This is how we have viewed education in our country.  But, what do we see today?  Education has been commercialised, and not only commercialised, it has fallen even below that.  Some people say that these private institutions are working like educational shops. In a shop, at least, you have a chance that if you don’t like a particular product or its price, you can go to the next shop.  You have an option.  But, you don’t have this kind of an option in the private institutions.  Once you enter an institution, you cannot change your institution very easily. 

So, this is the kind of predicament our people are facing, our students are facing and the parents are facing in this  country.  First,  they  are not able to get admission.  They have  to  pay  lot  of  fees.    And,  even after getting admission after paying lakhs and lakhs of rupees as capitation fees or high tuition fees, even during the course of their studies, they are made to pay lot of money regularly on the grounds of so many hidden charges also. 

Sir, I wish to highlight one important aspect of how these private institutions are working.  When I say private institutions, I mean both, the Self-Financing institutions and  the Aided ones.  Last year, when I was in Kerala State, I got some  information under the RTI Act, and through you, Sir, I want to draw the attention of this House to that piece of information.   Under RTI, it was asked as to how much money had been given to Aided colleges during the last thirty-forty years, and you will be surprised to know about the sum of money given.  In our country, for last many months, we have been discussing about the 2G scam involving Rs.1,00,000 crores or something like that.  From 1973 onwards, Sir, in Kerala State,  just one State, as per our rough calculation, more than Rs.2,50,000 crore have been given to Aided colleges and schools.  They get free land.  They get free building grants.  The pay for their faculty members and administrative staff and other expenses are paid by the Government.  And, what is happening?  Every year, almost Rs.10,000 crore are given to these institutions, schools and colleges in  the State of Kerala.  I am talking about one State only.  So, you can imagine the kind of money which is going into these Aided schools and colleges all over the country. In one State only, Rs.2,50,000 lakh crore have been given.  And, what is happening in these colleges?  How is the faculty appointed? Relatives, friends and acquaintances of the management join there as faculty.  There is no interview; just a sham interview is there. Either the relatives, friends of the management get the job as teachers, or, those who pay lakhs of rupees as bribe to the management get job as lecturers or teachers in those institutions. 

(continued by 3k – gsp)

GSP-HMS-3K-4.45

SHRI PRAMOD KUREEL (CONTD.):  Sir, a big scam is going on in these Aided colleges not only in the State of Kerala  but also in the entire country.  It is a serious matter, and, I wish to draw the attention of this august House to this big  scam, which is going on in this country.

Sir, during the HRD Committee visit to three States in the month of January this year, I had a chance to meet a lot of people.  I met the Vice-Chancellors, Professors, Bureaucrats, Students and Faculty members and all that.  In Bangalore, some teachers from aided colleges met me and told that they were getting an amount of five, six or seven thousand of rupees per month as salary for teaching work but they were made to sign on vouchers of fifteen to twenty thousand of rupees.  They said, if they raised their voice against all that, they would be  thrown out.   This  is  the kind of  fear which  they are having  in their minds, and, that is  why,  they  cannot  raise their voice anywhere. 

This is the problem, which they  are facing.  As Shri Balagopal  has already pointed out, same kind of  situation is there in the State of Kerala.  Sir, I am sure, this problem is there all over the country, and, it is not only confined to States like Kerala, Tamil Nadu or Karnataka.   The Government is paying money and these Aided institutions are misusing that money.  Just now, Mungekar ji, who is not sitting here now, was referring to increase in grants for education sector in this country.  It is a good thing.  We need to increase the grants for education because the education sector is expanding at a very fast pace.  Our requirements are increasing at a very fast pace.  But just pumping in money is not sufficient.  We need a strong check on things like how this money is being utilized or where this money is going on. 

That  is why,  I welcome  the Resolution moved by Shri Balagopal that we should have a strong law as well as strong rules and regulations to monitor all these things so that whatever money is given from the public exchequer to these aided schools and colleges is strictly monitored, goes in the desired direction only, and, is not wasted by the people having vested interests.

Our second question under the RTI was relating to reservation. The question was- “How much reservation is there in the aided schools and colleges in the State of Kerala, and, what is the percentage of SC, ST or OBC teachers in these institutions?”  You will be shocked to hear the  answer.  As per the answer provided by the Government of Kerala, the total number of teachers in Aided institutions, which got Rs. 2.5 lakh crores in the last forty years from the Government, the percentage of teachers belonging to Scheduled Castes was mere 1.5 per cent, and, in respect of Scheduled Tribes, it was less than 0.1 per cent. Sir, it is 1.5 per cent for Scheduled Castes, and, less than 0.1 per cent for Scheduled Tribes is the percentage in these institutions, which are getting a lot of money from the Government of India and the State Government.             

 Why is this happening?  This is happening because there is no monitoring or control over these institutions.  They are being run as private limited companies.  They can employ anybody.  They can give any money to anybody.  They are  free to do anything.  They are getting money from the Government, and, they are wasting the same for their private purposes or personal benefit.  There is  no such data with regard to the OBC category but I am sure that in the case of OBCs also, the situation is as dismal as it is in the case of SCs and STs.  Sir, I strongly feel  that the Government should look into this matter very seriously.  It is a serious matter.  It does not just pertain to the money factor that money is going waste but also to the fact that almost 70 to 80 per cent of students of this country are not getting any benefit of these Aided schools and  colleges.  I am not talking about Unaided or Self-Financing institutions.  Because they are not getting any money from the Government, there is no reservation for SCs, STs or OBCs but the people who are getting money from the Government to the tune of lakhs and crores of rupees, they are not providing even two to three per cent reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs.

(Contd. by 3L

-GSP/SK-KLG/3L/4.50

SHRI PRAMOD KUREEL (CONTD.):  It is a big fraud being perpetrated by these people on the people of this country, especially the SC, ST and OBC people of this country.  I hope the Government will look into it and do the needful.

Finally, Sir, I entirely agree and support  the views and sentiments expressed by Shri Balagopal and I urge upon the Government and the Minister who  is fortunately sitting here, to formulate a policy, to bring a Bill to put an effective  control over this kind of elements who are wasting public money, and not just for Aided institutions only, even for Self-Financed institutions and the Government institutions also.  There are some other kinds of malpractices going on in Government institutions also.  So, we should have a Bill, a strong and stringent Bill, to effectively control and monitor these institutions which are playing with the lives of our students.  That is why many times our students are forced to commit suicide.  Just last week there was a suicide case in IIT, Delhi.  It was a first year student of IIT, Delhi.  Many reports of incidents of suicides by our bright students are there in many newspapers and magazines.  It is a very dangerous trend, Sir.   So, I hope that the Government will look into it.  I fully support the Resolution put forward by Shri Balagopal and thank you for giving me this opportunity. 

Thank you

(Ends)

Maiden Speech delivered by me in the Rajya Sabha on 21-08-2010 on Nalanda University Bill-2010

Maiden Speech delivered by Sh. Pramod Kureel, Member Of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) on 21-08-2010 in Rajya Sabha


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SHRI PRAMOD KUREEL (UTTAR PRADESH): Honourable Mr. Deputy Chairman, Sir, I feel very privileged and honoured to be here making this my maiden speech in this House and that too, on such a subject like Nalanda University. I think, I cannot think of a better topic than speaking on this subject.

Sir, Dr. Karan Singh, my senior colleague in this House, has spoken very beautifully about history, art, culture and architecture of Nalanda University as it existed hundreds of years back. He was referring to Nalanda University and he was comparing it with Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard of today. He said that Nalanda was Oxford or Harvard of that time. I think, we should call it the other way round. Oxford, Harvard and Cambridge are Nalanda of today.

(Contd. By RSS/1j)

RSS/1J/11/40


SHRI PRAMOD KUREEL (CONTD.): There is a lot which has already been said by the earlier speakers, especially, Dr. Karan Singh ji, who is a very learned man, a man of high intellect. To my mind, Nalanda is not just a University in the normal sense of the word. To me, Nalanda encapsulates, epitomizes the universal values of global peace, brotherhood, fraternity and equality. Nalanda is not just another University, and I won't like to even compare it with Harvards or Oxfords. Maybe, they have their own value in the given time, in the present time. Nalanda was not just for imparting education to students from the world over. Its role was more in terms of creating a value system, and Dr. Karan Singh ji just pointed out a few minutes back that some miscreants, some people, they burnt it. The library of that University kept burning for almost six months or more. I do not want to go into the details as to who burnt it and why they burnt it. There can be many interpretations, many view-points on the subject. Whatever that may be, to my mind, the way again after hundreds of years, thousands of years, this Nalanda University is again going to become a reality, or, should I say, it is again going to rise like a phoenix from the ashes, literally and figuratively speaking, again, it is going to rise like a phoenix. In that sense, I congratulate the hon. Minister for introducing this Bill here in the Rajya Sabha. I thank him for the same.

Besides that, I would like to make a few points, a few suggestions. There are two aspects of the Nalanda University why it is famous the world over even today. One was, of course, the subjects which were taught there. It is very difficult to imagine that hundreds of years back, thousands of years back, subjects like Astronomy, Literature, Arts, Architecture, Management and what not, they were taught in that University when the Universities like Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard were not even born. Almost the whole of the world was living in dark ages, semi-civilized conditions. But here in India, in Nalanda, in the present day Bihar, we saw this University which came up, which attracted students from all over the world, specially, Asian countries. I think, it is something that we should all be very proud of, and in that sense, after hundreds of years, this University is again coming up. It should be a matter of great pride for all of us.

As it was pointed out by Dr. Karan Singh ji that this library was burnt, yes, it was burnt. We all know it. All the knowledge of hundreds of years perished in that fire. But my feeling is that one can burn a book or a library, but one cannot burn, one cannot perish the value system which has become a way of life for common masses.

(Contd. by 1k)
MKS-MCM/11.45/1K

SHRI PRAMOD KUREEL (CONTD.): That is why even though Nalanda University does not exist as it existed hundreds of years back, the values it propounded, the value systems it propounded, they still lay in our country, in our hearts, in our minds, and these values and these value systems have, again, ensured that the Nalanda University is coming up again after a gap of hundreds of years. It is a matter of great satisfaction for all of us.

Sir, I would like to make, here, a few suggestions. My first suggestion is that this Nalanda University, which is coming up again, should be modelled in terms of, both its academic curricula and its architecture, and should be based on the historic Nalanda City so that the image of Nalanda University could still be seen by us. The new building or the new campus should take into consideration the architecture of old Nalanda City or old Nalanda University. We do not say that the Nalanda University is being created. Instead, we should say that it is being recreated. So, it should be a continuation of the same values, same architecture, same planning and same thought which existed in yesteryears and which is again coming up today.

Secondly, today, we are seeing that the students, especially from India, they take great pride in going to Oxford or Cambridge. We proudly call them, when they come back, 'Oxford Returned', Howard Returned' or 'Cambridge Returned'. I think there was a time, hundreds of years back, when students from all over the world used to claim that they are 'Nalanda Returned' and they used to take pride in that. Today, a lot of our talent is going to other countries. First, they go there for studies. Then, they stay there. They do not come back. It is causing 'brain drain' as it is called. I think, with the coming up of this Nalanda University, in a few years' time, we can convert this 'brain drain' into 'brain gain'. The students from other countries will take pride in coming to India to study in the Nalanda University, and this will not only stop 'brain drain' but will also enrich our society, our country further where you can stop the 'brain drain' and we can call students from other countries to come and study here, and continue this work.

Thirdly, in the proposed Nalanda University, -- this is my humble submission and suggestion -- the Buddhist religion, Buddhist philosophy, Buddhist art, Buddhist architecture and Buddhist value system should be the focus of academic curricula. Since we are saying that it is coming up again after a gap of hundreds of years, there should be a continuity of those values. It should not seem as if only for namesake you are repeating the name 'Nalanda' and the course content, and that the academic curricula should be entirely different from the earlier one. Instead, there should be continuity in terms of courses to be offered and the central theme of that University in terms of academic curricula should be Buddhist religion, Buddhist philosophy etcetera, etcetera.

As you know, Sir, in every university, there is a tradition, there is a system of establishing Chairs in the name of eminent personalities.

(Contd. by TMV/1L)

-MKS-TMV-GS/1L/11.50

SHRI PRAMOD KUREEL (CONTD.): My suggestion is that in this University also Chairs should be established in the name of Dr. Ambedkar, Ashoka the Great, King Kanishka, Sariputta Moggalayan, Rahul Sankratyayan, Bhadant Anand Kosalyayan, etc., who were great exponents of Buddhism and who devoted their lives for the spread of Buddhism as a religion, not only just in India but also all over the world, especially for preservation and promotion of Buddhist arts, culture and literature. At the same time, when this University Campus comes up, various buildings like libraries, academic sections, hostels and gardens should be named after eminent personalities as it is a general tradition everywhere. Dr. Karan Singh has just referred to the Huen Tsang memorial at Nalanda. My suggestion is that important buildings in this Nalanda University should be named after important Buddhist personalities, both national and international, who were connected with this University in old times. Personalities like Fa Hien, Huen Tsang, Bodhi Dharma and many others were associated with this Nalanda University one way or the other. In their lifetimes they came to Nalanda, lived there, studied there, went back and spread Buddhist religion all over Asia. So, their contribution, especially, Fa Hien and Huen Tsang, is very important and, I think, we can only pay back a little bit for the work that they have done for the cause of Buddhism and the spread of Buddhism by naming a few buildings and structures in this University after them.

Another thing which comes to my mind is this. I have read in the newspaper reports that His Holiness Dalai Lama's name is not there in the panel. His name is missing from this University's panel. I can understand that the Government might have some problem because of certain reasons, because of certain neighbouring countries. But my humble suggestion is that His Holiness Dalai Lama should not be seen just as a head of Tibetan Government in exile or just as a religious leader. More importantly, he is a moral authority. He is not just a religious leader. He is a moral authority which is accepted and revered all over the world. My feeling is that he should be there as an important Member in the Governing Body. I hope that the Minister will try to see to it that His Holiness’ name is included in the list of Members of Governing Body of this University.

There is already a provision in this Bill -- it is a very good provision – that learned persons, who are exponents of Buddhism, religion, art, culture and architecture, from all over the world will be invited as guest teachers and professors. I think, it is a very good idea. The Nalanda University should truly be a global university and I welcome this step.

(Contd. by 1M/VK)
VK/1M/11.55

SHRI PRAMOD KUREEL (CONTD): Sir, again, I am taking a cue from Dr. Karan Singh's speech. He was referring to the architecture of the Nalanda University. Somehow, I am also an architect by profession. I was practising earlier as an architect, but now I am in Rajya Sabha. So architecture for me is a special thing. Dr. Karan Singhji rightly said that such a prestigious, global, important University should not be handed over to an agency like the PWD or anything like that. My suggestion is that there should be an international design competition for designing the campus of this University. Architects, from all over the world, should be invited and they should be given a chance to contribute their intellectual and design input in the designing of this University. This is also a very important aspect because when we talk of education, I think and I know from my experience, architecture( i.e. physical environment) of a university greatly affects the learning environment. So, the proposed building, my humble suggestion is, should not be just steel and glass boxes that we see everywhere today. The architecture of this University should be based on old Buddhist architecture. This is my humble suggestion.

Sir, as you know, Buddhism in this country, is followed by everybody, all sections of the society. But, especially the SCs, STs and OBCs of this country, have a special place for Buddhism in their hearts. They may not be practising Buddhists; they may not be having the label of Buddhist, but Buddhism, as a value system, has a special place in their hearts. My humble suggestion is, the reservation quota for SCs, STs and OBCs, both in faculty and for students should be ensured as per the policy of the Government of India. Why I am saying this thing is because, of late, there have been some instances when the Government or the Ministry put a tag of 'Centre of Excellence' on a particular university, and from that university the reservation quota for SCs, STs and OBCs was totally scrapped. I hope the reservation quota for SCs, STs and OBCs, both in the faculty as well as for students, will be ensured and it will not be scrapped in the name of 'Centre of Excellence' from this great University.

Sir, the Nalanda University is going to be funded by the Central Government with a budget of around Rs. 1,000 crores. I think many other countries are also contributing in this budget. But I would like to make one suggestion. As this University is going to be funded by the Government of India and some other countries, there should be a provision -- I am just giving an idea for the Minister to work out or the people connected with it to work out – that contribution from everybody, right from the common man to the richest man on the earth, would be welcomed for the construction, management and maintenance of this University. Why I am saying this is, this University is not an ordinary University. It is not just a historic University.

(Contd. By 1N)
RG/12.00/1N

SHRI PRAMOD KUREEL (contd.): It has a very important place. It is coming up for people all over the world. Everybody, all the citizens, the global citizens, should be made to involve through their monetary contribution, whatever little it may be. Maybe, the Government can put a cap, the minimum and the maximum limit. But there should be a provision that everybody, all the citizens of the world, from every country in the world, should be in a position to contribute a little bit from their pockets for the construction and management of this University. I think that will make them a real shareholder in the value system, which the Nalanda University is going to re-create. Then, this University, we can say, can be a project “of the global citizen, by the global citizen and for the global citizen”. In my view, that would epitomize the spirit of the historic Nalanda University, which is going to come up.

Finally, Sir, I congratulate the Minister for bringing this Bill in this august House. I hope that very soon, the Nalanda University will become a reality, will attract students from all over the world, and will regain its glory that existed hundreds of years back. And I hope that the spirit of historic Nalanda (University) will continue to flow in through this present day Nalanda. I can assure the hon. Minister that when this Bill comes for voting, you will get the loudest 'Ayes' from our side. And, I thank you, hon. Deputy Chairman, Sir, for giving me this opportunity.

Thank You

(Ends)