Volume 4, No. 8, August 2003

A left front government for the last twenty-six years is a record in Indian parliamentary democracy. The CPI (M) boasts of its pro-people’s policies behind this success. But, a general Marxist-Leninist overview is bound to interpret the phenomenon in a different way. In an exploitative system, a minority rule over the majority is by virtue of the bureaucracy, military and judiciary. They, in turn, are at the service/dictum of the dominant class, the ruling class. Parliament is an eyewash. Bogus delegates are displayed only to fool the people, while every aspect of administration is decided behind the veil by the ruling class. In every aspect, the CPM not only follows ruling class policies, but they also implement it in a more cunning way. They are like insidious poison, piercing through our society, left in colour, but right in essence. In one breath they protest against the anti-people ruling class policies and at the same time implement it. It is an art of deception.

Let’s see this with regard to the educational policy of the West Bengal government.

Though knowledge is socialized, its appropriation by few is very much existent since time immemorial. The lower rungs were forced to be deprived of education. The commoners were even prosecuted if they dared to have education. The story of ‘Ekalavya’ bears testimony to this.

It is during the era of capitalism that a demand of large trained manpower was needed to keep the wheels moving. Communist parties, since their inception, have been demanding mass education, or education for all. In a country like India, some were fortunate to have got educated at the expense of many, e.g. in the mid 60’s, by virtue of the second five year plan a huge demand for engineers, clerks etc. became evident. The economy was felt to expand. Hence a spurt in education/educated youth followed. Till then about 75% of the Indian population remained illiterate. A demand for mass education by the communist party explicitly implied a revolt against the then existing production relations.

In a backward country like India education for all is possible if and only if the balance of power is tilted in favour of the workers and peasants through revolution. Communist parties uphold this demand to expose the limitations of the system and the true nature of the ruling classes. The CPI(M), a self styled communist party, is also compelled to raise the demand in order to hoodwink the masses! Let’s assess the ground truths of the situation in West Bengal

The eradication of illiteracy was one of its main demands as stated in the 1977 Left Front’s election manifesto, para 24-27: "People should be made conscious that illiteracy is similar to the demand of food, dress and shelter and a direct consequence of class exploitation…… the right to education cannot be attained easily, nor will the rulers grant it out of kindness. The right will have to be snatched through movements and struggle". In the same article the way/path of struggle became clear: "good results in literacy can be achieved if the present political condition of West Bengal and various projects of the Central government are utilized". (source- page 63-65) Thus their entire talk of militant struggles ends in the mere parliamentary alternative within the system. And what’s the achievement ? In its election manifesto, released on 10th February 1996, the CPI(M) declared that it was well advanced relative to the all India literacy average. Yet, the Ashok Mitra Commission report spoke of the bottlenecks in the literacy campaign in West Bengal — "deficiency of minimum infrastructure, there are 30% schools with only one room, deficiency of teachers are eminent. More than 30% of schools are run by one or two teachers, there are a lack of commitment of teachers and also in their quality; teachers are engaged in many economic activities besides education etc…" The CPM story of achievements is not contradicted only by their own Commission. Let’s go through an independent survey conducted by the Indian Institute of Management sponsored by UNICEF regarding elementary/primary education. The report submitted in 1999 put forward a pains-taking report, exposing the bluff and betrayal of the CPM. Though 77% of the school going children between the age group of 5-9 years are said to go to school, the real percentage is merely 52.9%. In 25% villages there is no primary school. For each 4 classes the average number of teachers is 2.7% in the rural areas and 5.2% in the urban areas; free books do not reach 33% of rural students and 50% of their urban counterparts. Even the much proclaimed mid-day meal was stopped and students are said to receive three kilos of rice per head. The survey confirmed that 80% of the rural population and 94% of the urban population do not receive any grant. In the CAG report of 1998-99 it is stated that, since 1991-92, there have been no grants for primary school education. It is also alleged that though the government has shown the number of primary schools in Midnapore, Maldha, 24 Parganas and Nadia to be 18,284, but in reality it is only 15,662. West Bengal is also ahead in the number of drop-outs.

So, why this bluff? It is not only because they want the people to be in a make-believe world, but also they want to befool their foreign masters, the IMF and World Bank. Their main task has become to lure foreign investors. Investors will hesitate to invest in a state, which is illiterate. A study shows a literate farmer can increase the sale of fertilizers seeds or any other items of the multinational corporations by 25%. In real terms, this is the key to the left front’s slogan of halfhearted universal education. What a shame!

The open dominance of multinational corporations with regard to education has not been only confined to West Bengal. The State government, in real terms, follows Central policies. Rajiv Gandhi in 1986 promulgated the New Education policy at the behest of the IMF and the World Bank. The imperialists were keen to tap the vast educational Indian market, both in quantity and quality. A report named "Financing Education in Developing Countries" published by the Research Division of the World Bank’s Education and Training Department was the key to the present educational status of India. The paper shed crocodile tears for primary education. Higher education subsidy was proved to be the main culprit. True to their nature, they do not raise the question regarding the galloping expense on defence; one of the main areas of US operation. It argues "unless educational development becomes less dependent on public funds, developing countries will not be able to tap fully the profitability of further educational development". The report even suggested re-orienting the syllabus. It attacked even the existing limited access to education by expressing that, "the relatively few individuals who thus gain access to higher education receive more subsidies than those at lower levels." "Most of the very few who benefit from heavily subsidised higher education comes from relatively wealthy homes."

These pseudo pro-people arguments are used by the Left Front to put forward its agenda. In one breath it opposes the new education policy, as a surrender to the imperialists. Even rail rokos and students’ strikes are undertaken. In fact, even some members of the CPI(M)’s youth wing were martyred in Kerala, in the course of the struggle. But, on the other, it implements the same IMF/WB policies in education in West Bengal. In the Ashok Mitra’s Education Commission Report of 1992, the Front Government argued for the same World Bank plans to commercialise education. They oppose in order to propose.

In a report published in The Telegraph, dated 15th February 2003, Samik Lahiri, SFI’s All-India General Secretary, expressed in explicit terms, that the Federation welcomed positive participation of the private sector in education, but, it was against the new phenomenon — visible in many parts of the country, of transforming education into a commodity. Such is the type of bouble-speak of the CPM. To be precise, in CPM logic, there may be private universities set up by prominent persons, capital will be invested, but Shylocks will not demand their pound of flesh!

The Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, of late, has gone to the Rama Krishna Mission in West Bengal. According to Anandabazar Patrika he worshiped, chanted Gayatri mantras, and assured all help in the setting up of the first private universities by the Rama Krishna Mission in West Bengal. The writer was sure that there were many vested interests, with a handful of capital, waiting behind the screen to set up private universities in West Bengal.

In 1996, the first private engineering institute, the Haldia Institute, was established. Thereafter 22 private colleges were opened. The State government with the active co-operations from industrial houses has opened an institute, named the Indian Institute of Information Technology, even without any formal approval of the AICTE. The first year fee is Rs. 40,000/-.

This was followed by fee hikes. Commercialisation and fee hike is nothing but the marketisation of education. There was no way out! Consequently, the CPI(M) and its frontal organizations, have not only been suppressing any anti-fee hike movement, but have also been campaigning in favour of the hike. In ‘Chatra Sangram’ — the state committee organ of the SFI, October 2000 issue, one Tarun Banerjee argues the helplessness of the State government, as, while the central government is toeing the Fund/Bank policies, it is argued that the state government is facing a resource crunch. Hence there is no need to struggle, but to surrender. Banerjee goes on to state that a responsible student organization like SFI should not be attracted towards the slogan like "oppose fee hike even of one paise." On the contrary in should endeavor to run the educational institutions. Can you hear the footsteps of the World Bank/Fund policies in this statement! Of course, no questions are raised as to why the state police budget (involving modernization) is witnessing record hikes! On this all are silent! and any dissent is ‘welcomed’ with draconian measures.

The educational institutions were supposed to have been reformed during ‘left’ rule in West Bengal. This is now a joke. And ‘democracy’ in the universities is determined by ones attitude towards the CPM bodies. Let alone the high levels of corruption; let’s observe just the one case of Barun Bhattacharya, as an example. He was the leader of the university ‘staff unity center’. He was known for his anti establishment character. He was expelled from his service merely for voicing protest against irregularities in the Calcutta University accounts. The allegations against him was that he tried to defame the university authorities, nay, the CPI(M). Hence no proof was required. In a ‘left’ ruled state anything goes under the ‘democracy’ label; no need for proof.

Here, in West Bengal, on 11th May 1994, students were beaten black and blue by CPI(M) goons, inside Jadavpur University campus because they dared to gherao the Executive Council — Of course, for all such actions, excuses are routinely turned out. This is ‘democracy’, CPM-style.

Now the circle of privatization seems to be complete for the CPI(M). Self financing colleges are coming up at regular intervals. The Open Universities, like the Netaji Subash University, has come up with no basic infrastructure, giving degrees, without the State’s commitment. So, less costs, high returns is the ‘mantra’ of the day.

What the CPM shouts against, in other parts of the country, where it is in opposition, is diametrically opposed to what it implements in West Bengal. This is clearly to be seen in the field of education.

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