True empowerment eludes common man

Anantapur: Noted human rights activist Prof Haragopal has rued that even after seven decades of independence, the national wealth controlled by 100 corporate companies could not be distributed to the people nor could political power be put in the hands of people. Even education is in the hands of a few corporates, with the result that the common man does not have access to quality education.

Addressing the 29th convention of AISF here on Saturday, Prof Haragopal blamed privatisation of education for the prevailing social disparities. For the first 3 decades after independence, the common people had access to quality education but after that the situation changed. The affluent sections got their education from corporate private schools and the poor from government schools. The latest threat to education is saffronisation of education by the ruling BJP.

Haragopal recalled that 50 per cent of national revenue was from agriculture but the same dwindled to 11 per cent at present. He said that those who study in corporate schools do not have social awareness, and on the other hand, those who study in government schools have immense general knowledge. All India Federation of University Teachers general secretary Arun Kumar, Doctors Association of Social Equality general secretary Dr G R Ravindranath and AISF president Valli Ullah Khadri were among those who spoke on the occasion.