Women’s security: What do the people of India want? People want employment, equality and security. I read interview of a grosser from Meghalaya who says why isn’t the Government making the nation secure for women?  What is so called progress that our nation has made, what is the great deal that we have achieved? Our women are not secured in their own motherland. The induction of women pilots in air force, induction of women in armed forces are optimistic steps the government has taken, yet, the security of women in India has always been a matter of concern. The situation has become more ironical because there have been various kind of programmes initiated by the Government for women, like the ‘ Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’, ‘ Ladli Laxmi Yojana’ and ‘ Sukanya Samridhi Yojna’. What is the great deal of all those schemes, where a woman’s identity is at stake, can they really celebrate on being a woman?

Unemployment: The demographics of the nation are such that nearly 1.3 crore Indians leave the workforce every year because they cross 65 years of age, or die. On the other hand, over 2.5 crore citizens celebrate their 15th birthdays every year. This means 1.2 crore people effectively join the workforce every year. According to the World Bank estimates the number is closer to 1.56 crore, or 13 lakh per month. Ironically, this is what we call India’s demographic dividend. Normally, economic growth comes from higher per capita productivity, that is, the same workforce produces more, or a larger workforce, which ensures growth even with flat productivity. A bulge at the lower end of workforce pyramid (younger people at the bottom of the pyramid) guarantees strong growth for decades, subject to, of course, to the workforce being productively employed. In India’s case, the economy needs to create employment for roughly 10 lakh people a month to cash in on the demographic dividend. This pathetic reality exits after seven decades of its independence.

The available data indicates that, four years into the BJP’s term, unemployment remains a big concern. In 2017, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimated that 30% of Indians aged 18 to 29 was unemployed and looking for work.

Standard of living: The idea of a “fully unified nation” in the Indian context refers to only vagueness: be it economic, gender, caste, religion we are far from it. Equality per say remains open ended question unless we spell out in what context we are mentioning it. Economic equality refers to an imaginary situation in which all the inhabitants of a country or region are equally wealthy. Whether the proposition is feasible and sensible has been a major point of contention between free market supporters and socialist thinkers. But the questions involved are really very simple. People are longing for better living conditions instead of looking for economic equality. For many people the concept of freedom is vague. They feel what freedom is all about; they don’t have the basics of food, shelter and clothing. BJP promised improved standard of living to crores of Indians. The situation has not improved for the down trodden.

Reservation quotas: The clamor for ‘reserved quotas’ is only growing which is highly politicized; government does not want to change it for vote bank politics. Is reservation legitimate after 72 years of independence? Does a ‘democratic’ country still need it? Do we still need to divide the country on caste, creed and religion? The laws can be changed to suit the people of our country by passing a bill in the parliament. Yes, we can indeed change the “reservation system” in our country. Till such time we don’t alter the bill of reservation, we will never experience what equality means. Whether it is education, employment or any benefits, the chances are given to the ‘reserved classes.’  Reservation has become a roadblock in progress of this country. This is the reason the deserving are leaving the country and settling down in advanced countries.

Four years of BJP Government: In past four years the Modi Government has failed on issues of Jobs, inflation, basic necessities and security of women mainly. The BJP Government had promised to bring back black money stashed in overseas banks. However, this remains only verbal, no actions taken. Among other promises, the manifesto talked about ensuring a minimum of 50 per cent profits over the cost of production for the farmers, reforming Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act 2003, implementing farm insurance and adopting a ‘National Land Use Policy’, which remains only on papers. Farmers are distressed in most parts of the country. Suicides are still taking place. The Lokpal bill is also sidelined.

Conclusion of exit polls: The masses in nation need to experience the benefits. Big manifestoes, tall promises during the canvassing of elections need to be implemented and delivered. It’s the mass pes who     they go out in majority and vote. The poor mostly vote because they feel vote is their right and the fresh new government will give them livable environment. The poor voters turn up to booths in a hope that they will not be mistreated and ignored; when they feel cheated, they easily cast out a government, hope BJP picks the clues.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley had announced in the 2016 budget that the government would enable regulatory architecture to provide 10 public and 10 private institutions to emerge as world-class teaching and research institutions. While description like Institutes of excellence and possible use of the term National were considered, finally, it was agreed to rename them as ‘Institutes of Eminence.’

The HRD ministry of India set a high-powered committee under former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami to select 20 top educational institutes that will be given the ‘Institute of Eminence’ status. The committee seems to have had a tough time to select the institutions as per the UGC (University Grants Commission) guidelines and had to tweak down the key criterion:  multi-disciplinary initiatives, high quality research, global best practices and international collaborations. One of the key changes, however, was the  corpus fund requirement. It was originally proposed that a private institute must have a corpus of Rs 500 crore to be eligible to be declared a world class institute. However, after the PMO’s intervention, this was said to be reworked to keep it at Rs 200 crore instead. The HRD ministry brought this down to just Rs 60 crore- to be raised to Rs 150 crore in ten years’ time. It is argued that corpus fund is set aside as locked up money, so there may not be enough rationale for prescribing such a high amount is kept immobile.

The draft regulations had also said that the institutions must ensure a 1:10 faculty-student ratio, enrol 20,000 students in 15 years. These criteria also got tweaked and revised with a proposal instead to start with 1:20 Faculty Student ratio, to be improved to 1:10 in five years’ times and a total enrolment of 15,000 students in 15 years (?)

Following this, the University Grants Commission announced the names of the six institutions on Monday, July 9^th 2018; three in public sector and three in private sector. The HRD Minister Mr. Prakash Javadekar said that selection of institutions of eminence will not only improve the quality of education but also propel competition in the entire education sector. The three public institutions will receive Rs 1,000-crore funding while the three private institutions will be given academic and administrative autonomy.

Reliance Foundation’s Jio Institute is among the six colleges that have been selected as Institutions of Eminence – a status that will ensure complete autonomy and facilitate them to make a mark in global rankings. Apart from Jio – which is yet to established, other five institutions are Indian Institute of Science- Bangalore, IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi, Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences (known as BITS-Pilani) and Manipal Academy of Higher Education. All these institutions are running and doing well. But, why Jio Institute, which does not even exist yet, finds its place in the list? This is the question that has raised anguish among the academicians and public ever since the government announced its decision.  The HRD ministry said the committee found that only Jio Institute had fulfilled all the parameters. Mind you, it was competing with another eleven private existing institutes.

People of India are not dumb and numb to take this hurried selection of Jio Institute lightly. The Ministry of Human Resource Development sensed that their decision is not accepted by the people of the nation; hence they came out with an explanation on how Jio Institute was accorded such coveted status despite having no physical infrastructure in place.  According to the government, Jio Institute has been given this tag under Greenfield Project – purpose of which is to allow responsible private investment to build global class educational infrastructure. There were four parameters on which all applications were judged. The parameters were: (a) availability of land for construction of the institution, (b) putting in place a core team with very high qualification and wide experience, (c) making available funding for setting up the institution and (d) a strategic vision plan with clear annual milestone and action plan. The Selection Committee has come to a conclusion that out of the 11 shortlisted private institution applications, only Jio Institute satisfied all the four parameters, and hence was recommended for issuing a letter of intent for setting up an Institute of Eminence. The Ministry also clarified that the private institutions under the project will not get funding from the government. The Ministry had received 114 applications – 74 from public sector and 40 from private sector – for selection of IoEs.

Jio Institute, an institution proposed to be set up by Reliance Foundation, is led by Nita Ambani backed by Mukesh Ambani. The foundation is the philanthropic arm of Reliance Industries, the largest private company in India. With this, the Jio Institute gets exceptional freedom from the government’s higher education regulations from its very birth.

Ironically, the selection committee ignored these important criterions: an Institution of Eminence should offer interdisciplinary courses and conduct research in “areas of emerging technology”. It must have a mix of foreign and Indian students and faculty, with “student amenities comparable with that of globally reputed institutions”. The Jio Institute has none of these. It is yet to be born. How then it has been declared an “Institution of Eminence”, at par with the Indian Institutes of Technology at Delhi and Bombay, the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, the Birla Institute of Technology at Pilani, Rajasthan, which was set up in 1964, and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education, which began with Kasturba Medical College in 1953???

Jio Institute is proposed to be established in Navi Mumbai. Soon after the ministry made the list public, it received thumbs down by the people of the country and opposition political parties. News flashed in media all over “The BJP Govt favours Mukesh and Nita Ambani yet again”. The illusionary JIO Institute which is yet to see the light of day; it takes long years to establish an eminent educational institution. Autonomy in education does not always work well in India: placements, teachings, fests, extracurricular activities, research, collaborations are misconstrued. By the way, Jio is trending on Twitter, with many tagging Education Minister Prakash Javadekar, asking him about the institute’s location and credentials. The HRD ministry has made a sham of the “eminence” tag.

Today when we see politicians investing and running educational institutions which don’t make any sense; when we are witnessing business made out of educational institutions; and we are also seeing lacs of educated youth struggling to get jobs……..in this scenario there is one unique institution in Rajasthan, India which is an extraordinary school called ‘’Barefoot College’’ which teaches rural women and men to earn their living with dignity. Some of these students are illiterate but they are becoming good solar engineers, artisans, dentists and doctors in their own villages. The founder Bunker Roy is an astonishing human who has changed lives of so many poor, illiterate people for the better and empowered them poor to gain access to a bright future. In a country where countless people live below the poverty line, this college is transforming lives of countless people.

Established in 1972, the Barefoot College is a non-government organisation that has been providing basic services and solutions to problems in rural communities, with an objective of making them self-sufficient and sustainable. These ‘Barefoot solutions’ can be broadly categorised into solar energy, water, education, health care, rural handicrafts, people’s action, communication, women’s empowerment and wasteland development. The College believes that for any rural development activity to be successful and sustainable, it must be based in the village as well as managed and owned by those whom it serves. Therefore, all barefoot initiatives whether social, political or economic, are planned and implemented by a network of rural men and women who are known as ‘Barefoot Professionals’.

The Barefoot founder Prof. Sanjit  Roy more famously known as ‘Bunker’ Roy completed his formal education in The Doon School (1956-62) and St. Stephens College Delhi University (1962-1967). He was the Indian National Squash Champion in 1965, 1967 and 1971. His “real” education started when he dug open wells for drinking water as an unskilled labourer for 5 years (1967-1971). He saw how the most extraordinary knowledge and skills the rural poor have and they need to challenge unexpected situations in daily lives; this inspired Bunker to establish the only fully solar electrified Barefoot College in the deserts of Rajasthan in India 40 years ago. It is the only College in India built by the poor and managed by the rural poor who earn less than $ 1/day. Almost the only College left in India that respects and practices the work style and life style of Mahatma Gandhi. It is a College where the teacher is the learner and the learner the teacher. It is the only College in India where traditional knowledge and practical skills of the poor are given more importance and priority than paper degrees or qualifications.  Prof. Roy is a great believer in Mark Twain who said, “Never Let School Interfere with your Education.”

In fact knowledge often corrupts our creative instincts.

Rural men and women irrespective of age, educational backgrounds cannot imagine to get the lowest government job, hence are being trained to work as day and night school teachers, doctors, midwives, dentists, health workers, balsevikas, solar engineers, solar cooker engineers, water drillers, hand pump mechanics, architects, artisans, designers, masons, communicators, water testers, phone operators, blacksmiths, carpenters, computer instructors, accountants and kabaad-se-jugaad (creating functional things from rags) professionals. With little guidance, encouragement and space these people grow and exhibit their talent and abilities, people who have been considered ‘very ordinary’ and written off by society, are doing extraordinary things which sounds most unbelievable until you see this with your eyes.

The College has adopted the Gandhian ideas into its lifestyle and work ethics, holding it true and relevant universally even in the 21st Century. Because it is a Centre for learning, with a difference:

• It’s a centre of learning and unlearning
• Where the teacher is the learner and the learner a teacher; that’s the real essence of teaching-learning process.
• Where everyone is expected to keep an open mind, try new and crazy ideas, make mistakes but never give up and try again.
• The college welcomes even those who have no degrees are welcome to come, work and learn.
• Where those are accepted who are not eligible for even the lowest government jobs.
• Here tremendous value is placed on the dignity of labour, of sharing and those are willing to work with their hands;
• The best thing – no certificates, degrees or diplomas are given; so nobody’s ego is inflated.

The Barefoot College is viewed as a success story because it is shown as an example of what is possible when a very ordinary person is allowed to develop by himself. It is a new concept that has stood the test of time. What the College has effectively demonstrated is how sustainable the combination of traditional knowledge (barefoot) and demystified modern skills can be, when the tools are in the hands of those who are considered ‘very ordinary’ ‘illiterate’ and are written off by urban society.

The Barefoot College represents and decentralises sophisticated technology by handing its control to poor communities in rural India. It believes that even the poorest of poor cannot be denied the right to use, manage and own technology to improve their own lives. The aim has been to develop the capacity and competence of communities to take decisions and responsibilities and improve their management capabilities. The Barefoot College augments their self-confidence by providing them access to learning to harness their ability to serve their own community, thus making them more confidently self-reliant.

This college encourages a hands-on learning-by-doing process of gaining practical knowledge and skills rather than written tests and paper based qualifications. It promotes and strengthens the kind of education one absorbs from family, community, and personal experience. It applies the knowledge and skills that the poor already possess for their own development thus making them independent and letting them live with self respect and dignity. Very ordinary people who are ignored by society are doing extraordinary things that challenge description.

It’s worth knowing that in a village, for instance, a shopkeeper is more that just an outlet for provisions; he keeps seeds and fertilisers for distribution, he sells contraceptive, he reads newspapers and disseminates information, and sometimes he is also a member of the village council. He in fact is the last word in integration. This applies also to the school teacher.

No project plan was designed in advance, no clear time schedule, no detailed programme activities, no organisational and administrative arrangements, project staff or physical inputs, etc. Tilonia (name of the village) where Barefoot is established let the organisation grow as a process where human beings and their development, their confidence and personal growth meant more and mattered more.

The investment was more in people than in projects. This has been the first priority. No recruitment through advertisement but by word of mouth, by trial and error.

Barefoot College started with a groundwater survey and gradually built in a health and education programme (1974) when they managed to attract two well-trained and highly motivated women from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. In 1975-96, when the Barefoot Collage managed to locate the right person, it started the Rural Industries Section and the Agricultural Extension Programme (1975). Other programmes followed until 1979, when the BC changed its way of functioning and decision-making. No longer did it depend on the director, but group was formed which took all the major decisions. The BC could not possibly plan and implement programmes from Tilonia for a territory of 500 square miles; the block was sub-divided into field centres, each looking after 6-25 villages depending on the staff and their capacity.

What makes the barefoot approach essentially different is that it does not give certificates, diplomas or degrees to its students. They have to learn things practically. The certification is done by the community they serve. The issuing of certificates is one major reason why migration takes places from the villages to the cities. I think today every developing nation in the world requires many Barefoot Colleges.