Today, almost all indians agree that positioning the State (i.e. government) at commanding heights of the economy was a colossal mistake. Yet, these very same people believe that its alright if the State occupies the commanding heights of education. It is because every mainstream newspaper editor subscribes to such views that Indians are now saddled with an education cess.One argument repeatedly advanced in favour of a role for the State in education is that of maintaining standards. Even today there are people who believe that without a commanding role for the State, nonsense will be taught in the nations classrooms. This will result in academic anarchy with each teacher and professor teaching what he deems fit. Therefore, the State must have a role. The ministry of education must play the role of ministry of truth.
The champions of State domination of education should note that Indias vibrant press — the ‘fourth estate — works perfectly fine without a ‘ministry of truth. Each newspaper/magazine publi-shes its own version of political, economic and social news and events and its own opinions — some of which may be ‘wrong. However, because of intense compet-ition within the fourth estate, errors are quickly found out. Further, every newspaper acquires its own reputation — one is deemed free market, another socialist, and another pro-BJP and so on. Why shouldnt a free educational system be established along the same lines, with professors, departments, colleges and universities acquiring and maintaining their own reputations, including their ideological and other biases?
Some years ago, Barun Mitra of the Liberty Institute and I visited the National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie to deliver lectures on population (as an asset) and urbanisation (as a goal). This is the academy where our elite corps of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) receive their training. We were taken to meet the academys professor of economics. All the shelves of his office were filled with communist literature. And Karl Marxs Das Kapital lay open on his desk. And at that time India had been ‘liberalising its economy for more than a decade!
Its pertinent to note that IAS recruits come from a variety of backgrounds. Engineers, botanists, zoologists and even veterinary doctors are inducted into the IAS. They need to be familiar with basic theories about man, society, the economy and State before they are entrusted with the task of administering the country. Therefore, its important they are taught liberal politics and economics as well. This would give IAS recruits an idea of how markets work and why they should be left free. A liberal administrator would have a view of man, society, economy and State, that would envision a small role for the State in a largely free society. However, what is actually taught is Marxist propaganda. The State is guilty of peddling propaganda to its own elite personnel! What will they peddle if they are allowed to teach the whole of society? Obviously, more of the same.
Therefore its in the public interest that differing views are freely allowed and academics can express their misgivings. In a free education system, there should be many differing schools of thought. And the brightest minds would gravitate towards the schools which are widely perceived to be teaching the right stuff. In such a free environment, even universities and academics would acquire ‘brand equity.
As the great classical liberal, thomas paine, put it in the opening paragraph of Common Sense, a pamphlet written in 1776: Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The first is a patron, the last a punisher.
This was ‘common sense 250 years ago. We need to regain such balanced common sense today. Well into the 21st century, Indias problem is that we have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them. The role of government is to punish the wicked, the role of society is to teach. Unfortunately as a society we have handed over the important privilege to teach to the socialist State. As my experience at the IAS Academy indicates the socialist State is in dire need of education; it cannot impart it.
Actually Indias socialist experiment has been a miserable failure. The State started off wanting to make steel and failed at this simple task. We are lucky that it was not given the task of cultivating fields and that farms were not collectivised. Therefore its unthinkable that this failed State should be given the task of cultivating minds, and that the nations minds should be collectivised. Regretably this is the direction in which mainstream media, egged on by arch-socialist Amartya Sen and his protege Manmohan Singh, is leading us. If we are to save our minds, and the minds of our youth, right thinking people must champion a free education system.
(Sauvik Chakraverti is a columnist and author of Antidote: Essays Against the Socialist Indian State)