I agree with Amartya Sen when he says that “reliance on the private sector for elementary education is very unfortunate”. Yes, the role of state-provided primary education is imperative for the success of literacy mission. However, having said that, I wish to say that a balanced relationship between government and private sectors can do wonders in neglected areas including primary education and basic health-care. In Rajasthan government and corporate sector are successfully working together to change the face of elementary education.
Amartya says that “We have to make it clear that politicians recognize there is something at stake for them in terms of their performance”. Amartya would be a lot now happier after the results of recent Assembly elections. Why? Because the results prove that people are now taking performance into consideration instead of being influenced by propaganda of various sorts. That’s indeed a good sign for a democracy like ours.