Education system still not in proper shape: Ex-DGP

Updated on: Saturday, December 24, 2011

Former state DGP D N Gautam said here on Friday if something seemingly as innocuous an information as culled from Vedic scriptures that the world emerged out of 'nothing' could inspire one to the discovery of Higgs boson or 'God Particle' by a US-based team of scientists led by a physicist of Bihar origin, Vivek Sharma, then it only points to the incalculable harm that was being done to school children by depriving them of the knowledge about ancient scriptures.

Gautam, who was giving Dr Madan Mohan Jha Memorial Lecture, said Sharma, at some moment in his school days, was told by his mother that the world emerged out of 'nothing', and it inspired him to lead a team of physicists to research and discover Higgs boson or 'God Particle'.

"It shows that a society does incalculable harm not only to itself, but to its children by keeping them aloof and insulated from ancient scriptures, despite the fact they constitute the spiritual and cultural foundation of our society," Gautam said.

Insisting that education should be imparted in one's "mother tongue", Gautam said that right to education (RTE) has made it mandatory to give education to all children, but the educational system was not in proper shape, even as much headway had been made to improve it. "Students are left directionless as they don't learn what they have to make out of their life," he said.

The lecture had been organized by a voluntary group, Shikshansh. Jha was a senior bureaucrat who was entrusted by CM Nitish Kumar, after he came to power in 2005, with the task of putting back on the rails the state's educational system, specially primary education.

In the two years that he headed the education department as its principal secretary till his death, he created the blueprint for the appointment of 1.25 lakh primary school teachers in the state. Jha believed that Bihar's revival would occur only if the educational system reached the poor and deprived sections of society.

After his death, Jha's wife Nisha Jha, chairperson of the state's Bal Adhikar Sanrakshan Ayog, and their daughter Niharika Jha have taken on themselves the task of fulfilling the unfinished work of Jha through the voluntary group, Shikshansh.

Among others who also spoke on the occasion were the retired Patna high court justice Mridula Mishra and Kedar Nath Pandey (MLC). Mishra said that quality of teachers in primary, middle and high schools should be improved, since many of them were not in a position to write even petitions properly.

Times of India

Education system still not in proper shape: Ex-DGP

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