Page 8 - EducationWorld May 2021

Editorial

HEAVY PRICE OF PETTY BARGAINING Rs.3,000 crore for SII and Rs.1,500
crore for Bharat Biotech (another
private vaccines manufacturing com-
he sharp spurt in numbers of gests a public sector company, but an pany) to urgently augment production
Covid-19 positive cases, fatali- entirely privately promoted business capacity. Simultaneously, distribution
Tties, sudden shortage of vaccines, enterprise. In June 2020, SII signed of vaccines has been decentralised to
hospital beds and associated equip- a contract with the UK-based pharma state governments and private hospi-
ment threatens to reverse the limping company AstraZeneca to manufacture tals to enable all citizens over 18 years
recovery of the Indian economy from one billion doses of Covishield, an of age to be vaccinated. However, be-
a year ago when a total lockdown was anti-Coronavirus vaccine developed cause it was compelled to give priority
imposed by the Central government. in record time by AstraZeneca in col- to Union government needs, SII has
Although politicians tend to blame laboration with Oxford University. damaged its relationship with Astra-
the people, the second wave of the Typically, instead of signing a me- Zeneca by not meeting its contracted
pandemic has gained momentum not ga-bucks contract with SII and pay- supply obligations.
so much because of reluctance of the ing the customary advance, the BJP/ Such delay because of petty bar-
general populace to wear masks and NDA government signed its first con- gaining, bullying private enterprises
maintain hygiene and social distanc- tract with SII for 110 million vaccine while reposing over-confidence in the
ing, as by mass political rallies — legis- doses at a concessional price as late capabilities of the neta-babu broth-
lative assembly elections have recently as end April. On the other hand, the erhood and government monopolies
concluded in five states — and reli- US signed with AstraZeneca for 300 combined with contempt for contracts
gious festivals including the Kumbh million doses in April 2020 and 100 has ruined the Indian economy. Re-
Mela which attracted 9 million people million doses with Pfizer last July. grettably, the so-called educated
to the holy city of Haridwar in April. Similarly, Britain signed a contract middle class is complicit. The world
Less than six months ago the Indi- for 90 million doses with AstraZen- over governments have promptly paid
an economy began the process of re- eca in April 2020. The outcome of market prices for vaccines so that cor-
covery from the world’s most stringent India’s foolish penny-pinching is that porates with capability and reputation
industry and business lockdown hur- SII didn’t have the capital required can ramp up production as fast as pos-
riedly decreed by the Centre on March to ramp up production, and was re- sible. It’s India’s tragedy that foolish,
25, 2020. The future looked bright be- duced to begging the government for time agnostic neta-babus persist with
cause the country accidently hosts the a loan of a “few thousand crores”. Be- negotiating while the citizenry is be-
Pune-based Serum Institute of India latedly in April this year, the Centre ing decimated by the Coronavirus
(SII) — which is not as the name sug- sanctioned urgent suppliers credit of pandemic.
SUSTAINED EDUCATION NEGLECT OUTCOME self-serving politicians tend to blame
the partying middle class for irrespon-
sible pandemic behaviour, the fault is
with themselves that the second Covid
olitical pundits, academics, the pandemic. It is continuous neglect surge has attained monstrous propor-
sociologists and media pundits of public education since the dawn tions. The plain truth is that there is
Phave offered numerous expla- of independence. It’s shameful that a direct cause-effect linkage between
nations for the second tsunami of the contemporary India hosts over 300 the political rallies called by all party
Coronavirus pandemic. It is several million comprehensively illiterate leaders (including prime minister
times worse than the first wave which adult citizens — a cohort equal to the Modi), the Kumbh Mela and congru-
forced the lockdown of industry and entire population of the United States ent spike in Covid positive cases and
business for over six weeks from of America. In the circumstances, it’s fatalities. In short, the nation is pay-
March 25, 2020. Education institu- unsurprising that the logic of mask- ing a deadly price for sustained under-
tions including preschools, schools ing, social distancing and observing investment in education and human
and colleges have been under strict elementary rules of hygiene is widely capital development.
closure for over a year and school- ignored. It’s also a measure of the In the Spanish flu pandemic of
leaving exams have been postponed cognitive and logical capabilities of 1915-20 when 75 percent of the Indian
indefinitely. The devastation inflicted the country’s political class that it is subcontinent’s 300 million population
by way of children’s learning loss for unable to discern the inherent contra- was illiterate, the death toll was six-
over 12 months, damage of the coun- diction in asking the public to social 14 million. This time around when
try’s already severely under-developed distance while simultaneously ad- one-third of the 1.5 billion population
human capital and its implications for dressing mammoth election rallies in is illiterate and another third only
national productivity in years to come, which Covid safety rules are flouted functionally literate, the loss of lives
can only be speculated upon. with impunity. and livelihoods may be less because
Yet while expert analyses have cor- Likewise in defiance of all reason of advances in medical science, but is
rectly diagnosed the proximate causes and common sense, the Kumbh Mela still likely to be very heavy by contem-
of the second wave which is likely to which reportedly attracted 13 million porary standards. The writing on the
undo all the gains of the national lock- Hindu devotees to the temple town wall is very clear: Pull out all stops to
down of last year, there is negligible of Haridwar since February, was per- provide quality education for all. Or
acknowledgement of the root cause of mitted to be held. Therefore although perish.

8 EDUCATIONWORLD MAY 2021