In the 1970s, the political slogans of the day were Garibi Hatao and Roti Kapada aur Makaan. In the 1990s and the 2000s, our politicians latched on to a new slogan – Bijli, Sadak aur Pani. But have you heard of Shiksha or Swasthya figuring in a popular political slogan yet? Think about it. Why hasn’t Shiksha figured in a slogan yet?

It is not because we don’t care about education. Every single one of us cares deeply about education and will do whatever it takes to get the best possible education for our own children. If we can afford it, we send our children to a private school. Only those who can’t afford to send their kids to private schools, resign themselves to sending them to Government schools.

Step back a minute to think about how we, the public, react to other problems we face in our daily lives. Faced with power cuts, water shortages or crumbling roads, we get angry and vocal about our unhappiness. The media are only too happy to amplify the discontent and the politicians take note and try to respond since that gives them an opportunity to talk about having done something to address the needs of the public when the next elections come by. Sadly, we don’t seem to get angry and vocal at all about the fact that we haven’t been able to ensure a quality education for every single child, even 60 years after independence. We try to find a way to give our own