BANK P.O. SPECIAL

914 ■ MAY 2002 ■ THE COMPETITION MASTER

Descriptive Questions

Privatisation of non-performing governmentschools

Q. There is a proposal thatnon-performing governmentschools should be privatised forquali ty education and betterresults. In the light of the proposal,express your views based on yourexperience, knowledge and groundrealities.

Ans. Irrespective of the politics andpolemics that the Indian political classespractise, the polity stands committed toproviding universal education to allupto the age of fourteen. Since‘education for all’ is a constitutionalobligation, no government worth its saltcan retrace its steps on the road to givingeducation to one and all. In theory, thiscommitment appears highlycommendable, but in practice the picturethat emerges is equally depressing. Withmost government schools lacking inbasic facilities, and the staff too not verymuch committed to performing its dutyconsciously and conscientiously, thedrop-out rate continues to remain thebane of the problem of illiteracy. In orderto break the scourge of wilful wastageof men, material and money, it has beenproposed that some non-performinggovernment schools should beprivatised and the resources thus savedcould be better used on other schoolsunder the State patronage.

The crying need of the hour is thatmany more government-aided/financed schools are opened across thelength and breadth of the country.Equally urgent is the need to providequality education to all those who seekadmission in such schools. Theexperience so far has been rather sad, asfar as the working and performance of

most government-run schools isconcerned. The remedy suggested bysome persons that non-performinggovernment schools should beprivatised is worse than the malady. Themoment such schools are privatised, feesand other charges would go up and amajority of students unable to foot thebill, would naturally go out of theportals of these privatised schools. If thishappens under the so-called umbrellaof a welfare State like India, the goal ofuniversal education will remain a pipedream.

The proposal to privatise non-performing government school ispreposterous, to say the least. Theremedy lies in making these schools thelight-houses of knowledge throughquality education. When the teachersworking in these schools are paid fullsalaries, there is no reason why theyshould not put their hearts and souls inthe job of making their wards fullyequipped and prepared to face the worldwith confidence.

Accelerating economicgrowth

Q. Suggest three effectivemeasures to enable the Indianeconomy to become buoyant andregister faster growth in the years tocome. Elucidate or explain how thesteps suggested by you would producethe desired results.

Ans. In the latest CompetitivenessIndex ranking, India is ranked 36among 75 countries. This speaksvolumes of India’s economy in thecontext of global slow-down. Theauthors of “Global CompetitivenessReport 2002” make an important pointon competitiveness, which under newdispensation of globalisation means:

“At low levels of development,economic growth is determinedprimarily by the mobilisation ofprimary factors of production: land,primary commodities, and unskilledlabour. As economies move from lowto middle-income status, globalcompetitiveness becomes investment-driven, as economic growth isincreasingly achieved by harnessingglobal technologies to localproduction.”

Bad politics leads to worseeconomies. With political parties stillholding on to populist policies, it isan uphill task to rein in the mountingfiscal deficit and public debt/borrowings. It is time now that somehard decisions are taken, because badpolitics has already ruined manycountries. A political party thatadheres to certain values andprinciples, and does not allow casteand other considerations to colour itsperceptions and practices, cancontribute to the revival of economythat is in a shambles now, both at theCentre as well as in most States.

The current economic situationdemands that non-merit subsidies arephased out. Downsizing of thegovernment, pruning of over-sizedministries, closing down loss- makingState-owned enterprises, judicious andefficient use of available limitedresources, coupled with bringing abouta buoyancy in revenues by expandingthe tax base would enable the economyto pick up momentum and achieve thetarget of economic growth asstipulated. Though there are certainreservations on the measures taken incurrent year ’s budget, there areindications enough to show that effortsare afoot to bring the economy back onthe rails.

BANK P.O. SPECIAL

915 ■ MAY 2002 ■ THE COMPETITION MASTER

For big investment the governmentneeds big money. Slicing off subsidies,disinvestment in public sectorundertakings, mobilisation of resourcesby resorting to VRS/Winding up ofredundant departments and similarother steps aimed at austerity andoptimum utilisation of funds, can go along way in creating a climate that canstimulate economic growth. Somedislocations or distortions that mayresult from some harsh decisions, wouldbe off set or taken care of, once theeconomy begins to register growth orrevival.

Reliability of opinion/exitpolls?

Q. Some persons strongly feel thatthe conclusions drawn from opinion/exit polls are not reliable and hencethey should be banned till the wholeelection process minus the results isofficially completed. Express yourwell- considered views on the subject.

Ans. Once the election scene startshotting up, persons with someknowledge of ‘psephology’ set out toread the minds of the voters, and comeout with the results of their reliable orotherwise opinion/exit polls. More thanonce, these so-called scientificconclusions of election surveys, or exitpolls, have belied their own authenticity,but still the tribe of psephologists (somegenuine while others biased orsponsored) keeps increasing, no matterhow wide off the mark their conclusionsprove. In view of the very unreliablenature of opinion/exit poll results, thereis a growing feeling among somepersons that these enigmatic exercisesshould be banned, or at least theirfindings not allowed, both in print andelectronic media, till the voting processis fully completed.

Unlike in the West, where lastminute swings/sways are not aspalpable and probable as in India, it isa bit risky to put much credence onwhat the psephologists present asprojections or possible outcome of thevoters’ choice. Since the subject ormedium of psephology has not

acquired the status of a science, itsfindings are likely to go haywire.Though the conclusions of opinion/exitpolls are based on data collected atrandom, yet the reach and range ofthose engaged on the job is limitedbecause of the vast number of votersand an extensive area of a constituency.In view of these constraints, if there isa demand to ban the publication ofopinion/exit poll results, it should notbe construed that freedom of the pressor fairness of pollsters’ findings arebeing questioned. Only the reliabilityof the exercise and its fall-out are beingbrought to light.

It has been observed that in acountry like India, where voters are stillinfluenced by ‘waves’, real or imaginary,the opinion/exit poll results caninfluence the choice of the voters to acertain extent. Unwittingly, the pollstersinterfere with the process of free and fairelections when their findings, highlysuspect and unreliable, give a messagenot free from errors and unscientificconclusions. Since it is the right of thevoter to have the last genuine laugh/choice, it is nobody’s business to affectit, least of all by the pollster. Thecharitable and academic explanation putforward by pollsters may be any, theuncharitable version is that votersregard pollsters as meddlesome busybodies.

Contempt of Court

Q. The subject of “Contempt ofCourt” has evoked conflicting viewsamong legal luminaries and commoncitizens. Express your views on theissue as best and unbiased as youcan.

Ans. The issue of what constitutes‘the contempt of court’ has become thetalking point, both among legal eaglesand common citizen, ever since theBooker Prize winner writer wassentenced for a day and fined for herutterances against the judgement of theApex Court. It was but natural thatCourt’s ‘symbolic’ judgementsentencing the writer would trigger adebate on the issues of contempt, vis-

a-vis the Court’s dignity and thefreedom of expression and dissent,within and outside the judicial context.Since the subject under discussion isboth delicate and sensitive in natureand nuance, one should show enoughsensitivity while deliberating anddilating on the subject. Those who tendto disagree with some of the Courtjudgements on issues pertaining to thepeople at large, like the tribals/localsaffected by the Sardar Sarovar Dam,feel inclined to expect a moremagnanimous view to be taken by theCourt on their dissent or even criticismof the Court’s judgement. Some haveeven argued that the contempt lawitself needs a fresh look, while othershave suggested its codification.Certainly, the debate should helpimprove the scope for public dissent,while upholding the sanctity of thejudiciary.

If political pundits advocatefreedom of speech and expression inan unequivocal language, the judgeshave their own reasons to punish thosewho try to ‘scandalise the Court’ andsensationalise the issue or the cause.One of the judges of the SuppremeCourt echoed his reasons emphatically:“If the judiciary is to perform its dutiesand functions effectively and true tothe spirit with which they are sacredlyentrusted to it, the dignity andauthority of the courts have to berespected and protected at all costs,...The power to punish for contempt ofcourt is a safeguard not for judges aspersons but for the function which theyperform.”

Since the right to speech is notabsolute, it is tampered by restrictionsconstitutionally deemed to bereasonable in nature. In England thecontempt of court provision has not beenused for many decades now. In thewords of Lord Denning: “We will neveruse this jurisdiction as a means touphold our dignity.” In the same spiritthe public men at large should notindulge in strong reactions that may beconstrued as casting aspersions on theimpartiality/integrity of judges, becauseof their judgements.