ONE PRIVATE SCHOOL IN RAJASTHAN TRIES TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 001976

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/INS, DRL, INR/B

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/25/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL PINR KDEM SOCI IN
SUBJECT: ONE PRIVATE SCHOOL IN RAJASTHAN TRIES TO
COMPENSATE FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S FAILURES


NEW DELHI 00001976 001.2 OF 003


Classified By: PolCouns Ted Osius for reasons 1.4 (B,D)



1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On an April 10-14 trip through Rajasthan,
PolOff discussed Indian public education with politicians,
school directors, and journalists. They confirmed that the
poor quality of public schools compels parents to rely on
private options to ensure their children receive a good
education. Private education is only a partial solution,
however, as the cost of such education is prohibitive for the
majority of Indians, whose children remain trapped in
substandard government schools. One educator is attempting
to bridge the gap by subsidizing students from poor families
at his private school. While other private schools might
adopt this model, India's poor will not have genuine access
to quality education until the government system is
overhauled. This cable is part of the POL and ECON
bellwether series and focuses on education in the sick states
of the Hindi cow belt. END SUMMARY.

TEXTBOOKS, TEACHERS, AND TOILETS: INDIA,S EDUCATION
CHALLENGES
--------------


2. (SBU) Interviews with educators, politicians, and
journalists during an April 10-14 trip through Rajasthan
confirmed that the Indian public school system is in a
shambles. Though the Indian higher education system produces
thousands of talented young professionals, the foundation of
its education system is in crisis. Most primary and
secondary level public schools are in abysmal condition.
They lack the most basic resources, including quality
textbooks, teachers, and toilets. Assured of a job, teachers
often do not show up for classes and are unqualified to
teach. Some teachers have less than a primary school
education themselves. The student/teacher ratio varies from
state to state, but can be as high as 100 students per
teacher. Additionally, there are schools throughout the
country without proper infrastructure, including buildings
and toilets for students. Some schools operate in the open
air or in tents. The District Information System for
Education, a government body established by the Indian
Ministry of Human Resources and Development, reports that
boys and girls must share toilets in over half of India's
schools. Ensuring the safety and security of girls in
schools is a major concern, especially when girls are not
provided separate toilets. With the public education system
in disrepute, private schools of varying quality have been
established to fill the gap. However, access is usually
limited to the economically fortunate. Rajasthan is no
different than the rest of India in this regard. With a
population over 56 million, Rajasthan's families are
struggling to secure propoer education for their children.

NEW SOLUTIONS
--------------


3. (SBU) One private school which seeks to give back to the
community by offering a special program to below pverty level
girls is the Neerja Modi School (NMS),a private institution
for grades 1-12 located in Jaipur. Only three years old, the
school is clean, air-conditioned, and offers a range of
courses to graduate well rounded students, including music
and arts. NMS hopes to establish joint ventures with U.S.

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schools and plans to set up additional branches in Jaipur,
Ajmer, and Mumbai.


4. (SBU) On April 11, PolOff met with NMS Director Saurabh
Modi who described his objectives for the campus of 1900
students. NMS is affiliated with the Central Board of
Secondary Education (CBSE) which prepares the syllabus for
students from Kindergarten to 12th grade and conducts two
board examinations in 10th grade and 12th grade These exams
are necessary to gain entrance into higher education
institutions in India. Modi, whose father Vishnu is a BJP
MLA, noted that the CBSE syllabus does not make students
competitive for an increasingly global world, so he simply
uses it as a baseline. His school also offers an
International Baccalaureate program, for which it provides
accreditation training to its teachers. To retain talented
teachers, NMS offers professional development and free
tuition for their children. Modi believes in personalized
attention, so in Kindergarten the student/teacher ration is
eight to one and the ratio in grades 1-12 is 25 students per
teacher (Note: This is low by Indian standards. Most Indian
private schools have around 40 students per class, while in
public school classes can exceed 100. End Note.).
Furthermore, teaching is based on encouraging creativity and
open thinking.

NISCHAY: A SCHOOL FOR BELOW POVERTY LEVEL GIRLS
--------------


5. (SBU) Walking across the soccer field and down a flight of
steps to the classrooms where the below poverty level girls
are being taught, Modi described the great opportunity NMS
provides them, including free uniforms and lunches. Modi
emphasized that he is fighting against Rajasthan's &real
brain drain," which he defined as the state's failure to tap
the potential of its "600,000" below poverty level children.
He lamented the lack of buy in from the girl,s parents, who
continue to force them to work in the evenings, making
products that will be sold the next day, and the resulting
high rate of absenteeism. Modi emphasized that it is hard to
convince parents that a long term investment like education
will reap great benefits in the future.


6. (C) The contrast between the two schools however, is
stark. The building reserved for the subsidized students is
still under construction, with no sign of continuing work.
It would appear to be vacant if there were not 500 girls
sitting in classrooms, separated by brick walls that do not
meet the ceiling. The entire space is open air, with fans
running to keep the air circulating. After the girls learn
to read and write, the focus shifts to vocational studies.
Among many vocational skills, they learn to cook, make
handicrafts, and cut and style hair. The below poverty level
girls are kept separate from the rest of the school and only
integrated into particular activities, like sports, Modi
explains. They are also only allowed to use the computer
room at the other campus building after the regular students
have gone home.

POLITICIZING EDUCATION
--------------


7. (SBU) Modi expressed dismay at what he described as the
politicization of Rajasthan's education system. In 1998,

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when the BJP came to power at the Center, it prescribed
"Hindutva" (Hindu cultural nationalism) to be included in
education curriculums. Based on the RSS philosophy calling
for the Hindu nation to rid itself of the &blemish8 of
foreign rule (both Mughal and British),the BJP recommended
that primary and secondary education be "Indianized,
nationalized and spiritualized," and that courses at all
levels, incorporate the "essentials of Indian culture." Modi
commented that such &culturalized8 material most often
appears in history and social studies classes, though it can
pervade all courses. Pointedly separating himself from his
father,s political party, Modi criticized the BJP for
pushing education in the wrong direction. Modi indicated
that teaching should incorporating various perspectives, not
just one, and he described himself as an advocate of
&religion neutral8 education. He explained that an
independent body established by the central government is
needed to evaluate educational curricula and provide
recommendations to meet the needs of a rapidly changing
world. &Education is not static, but ever-changing," Modi
declared, and education in India needs to evolve if it
intends to keep up with the world.

COMMENTS: BAND-AIDS DON'T STOP A GUSHING WOUND
--------------


8. (C) The Modi school is a stopgap measure to address the
growing crisis of education in India. It seeks to provide
progressive education and the resources students need to be
productive citizens in a global world. Modi also tries to
provide an education to below poverty level girls, which at
first glance seems like innovative work. However, it does
little to break down the all-pervasive class differences that
keep children in poverty. The physical placement that
separates the two schools symbolize the difference between
the economically fortunate and less fortunate. While the
below poverty level girls learn basic English and math, they
are also learning their place in society. Their unfinished,
open building and course material indirectly tell them that
they should not strive for more beyond vocational jobs, and
can, at most, aspire to be a secretary. While this might be
a step up, these girls are learning that there is a ceiling
to their success. Most of India's less fortunate students
will never have the option of attending a school like NMS.
For them, the only way to receive a proper education is via a
thorough overhaul of the Indian public education system.

(C) BIO NOTE: Saurabh Modi is eloquent, handsome, and thinks
progressively. Though he might like to stay out of politics,
his father is grooming him for office. Vishnu Modi, though a
current member of the BJP, has been with Congress before and
could flip back to stay in power. Therefore, it is uncertain
whether Saurabh would be BJP or Congress; in any case, he
appears to be a rising star. His father intends for him to
be actively campaigning during the next elections in
Rajasthan in November, 2008.
KAESTNER