Ashok Thakur
Feeling sheepish I read the article today very belatedly- ‘A narrower education: Moves to transfer polytechnic schemes and architecture institutions out of HRD ministry are disturbing signals’. Ashok, a serious thinking bureaucrat from the IAS, is an Ex-Secretary from the Higher Education Department and a dear friend of mine.
He starts by telling us about an order on this subject issued by the Cabinet Secretary. Weather the Cabinet Secretary had consulted Secretary Higher Education and other experts in the matter before passing this order is not clear. Nor does one know if the Secretary Higher Education took the file back to the Cabinet Secretary and requested him to take a re look at the implications. And that you and I, the so-called well read people, did not find time to discuss these vital issues completes the picture.
I have known Ashok since our days in France- 35 years back. And talking about France, one thing that had struck us on reaching France was the active involvement of the people in the issues of education, not only of higher education, but also and even more so, of the school education. And here we are that we let the important issues pass without having a public debate over it.
I would suggest all to read this very thought provoking article . I am sure some experts would present counter arguments to what Ashok has epoused, but then let us at least get into a debate.
And lastly, Happy birthday Ashok.
‘A narrower education: Moves to transfer polytechnic schemes and architecture institutions out of HRD ministry are disturbing signals’ by Ashok Thakur. http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/a-narrower-education/
