Smriti Irani Controversy: Forget Degrees; What We Need Is Vision

When Smriti Irani, the popular TV actor-turned-politician took oath as the HRD Minister in Narendra Modi’s Cabinet, controversies raged over her educational qualification. It is now known that Irani had made contradictory declarations in her affidavits in 2004 and later in 2014 when she contested the Lok Sabha polls from two different constituencies. During the 2004 elections, Irani declared that she held a BA degree from Delhi University (School of Correspondence, 1996). But in the same column of the affidavit filed in the 2014 elections from Amethi, Irani said she was a “Bachelor of Commerce Part-1, School of Open Learning (Correspondence), University of Delhi – 1994.”

According to a 2012 Supreme Court ruling, false disclosures in an affidavit can be a ground for rejection of a candidate’s nomination.

The controversy snowballed when academician and activist Madhu Kishwar tweeted about the same. When the Indian education system is in a shambles (whether it is research or primary education), it required someone experienced from the field of education.

The duties of the HRD minister partly involve meeting the heads of the IIT’s and the IIM’s. Considering the Hon’ble HRD Minister’s experience and exposure in the education space, the situation looks tricky and it is very uncertain what kind of results we will get.

However, it is definitely not about educational qualification but about skills and vision. It doesn’t really matter how many degrees one has but what you make of them makes all the difference. Therefore, it will be very important for Smriti Irani to understand the dichotomy between needs and interests; the difference between left, right and centre of influence, opinion and politics.

In the past we have had many qualified HRD ministers. Yet, a fare percentage of our youth is still languishing behind – either they are engaged in some menial work or working to save enough to enrol for further education. So it is time to see what Irani can do besides quoting excerpts from the Vedas.

For decades now, the condition of various government and MCD schools has been appalling in spite of fund allocations. And the quality of teaching, except in a few elite private schools, has much room for improvement.

Likewise, the Right to Education, which entitles children between 6 and 14 years free and compulsory education, proves to be a champion of all in being vague.

If you are an ordinary citizen, a 3-4 hour drive outside Delhi should be enough to tell you how that right has been implemented so far. Why is the school housed in just one room with broken walls? Where has all the money gone? Should we wait for the better days to arrive? Building schools and ensuring that they function properly should not take more than five years. All it takes is proper planning and of course, the willingness to implement.

In the previous terms, we have seen how distributing free laptops and mid-day meals captured the headlines. But it is important to note that there is still a gap that needs to be bridged because it is not even about making education free and compulsory. It is about providing proper infrastructure and teaching staff.

There is no doubt about the complexities of the HRD Ministry, but that is precisely what Irani has asked for through her comment on the controversy, two days later. Her biggest challenge will be to make the education system inclusive. The question is – will she be worth it or not? Her term will confirm whether the existing education system has done more damage than one could imagine.