APRIL 24 The National Agenda

There is no element of exaggeration in this. Man can become an aware person only through education. It enables him to come abreast of broader realities, to understand matters in depth and arrive at appropriate and realistic decisions. It pulls him out of his emotional shell so that he can see things in the light of pure reason. In short, the human creature becomes a man only with education. Without it he is nothing. The great virtue of education—scientific education in particular—is that it acquaints the beneficiaries with higher, universal realities; it raises the general level of their awareness; it instills in them the importance of taking a global view of humanity. In an educated society, thinking is on a higher plane; people are encouraged to rise above their own limited spheres and to start thinking along more humane and rational lines. Instead of immediate concerns, all-embracing interests become the foci of their attention. India, still obviously beset by backwardness and a lack of public awareness, must come to grips with the fact that it is largely educational shortcomings which are to blame for its failure to crystallize as a nation. Now the question arises as to what the solution should be. What plan of action will help us to emerge from this impasse? It is my firm belief that the time has come for concerted efforts to be made by all parties at all levels to remedy this state of affairs. But this is not something which can happen overnight, so that we shall have to content ourselves with a preparatory stage of comparatively slow progress until long term, comprehensive plans can be drawn up and implemented throughout the length and breadth of the country. This may require two phases of organization, the first to cover the initial period of transition, and the second more highly geared, to establish an improved pattern of education at all levels. In the present situation, it is almost certain that if another general election is precipitated by fissiparous elements, regional forces will once again come to the fore in the overall voting pattern. It would again be impossible for a single party to form a stable government. Therefore, for the time being, the greater interests of the nation will be served by giving continuing and unconditional support to the system of coalition government. If such a system can function successfully in European countries and also in Malaysia, why cannot it be equally effective in India? At all events, this is not the time to indulge in the kind of self-serving politicking which will undermine the powers that be. If, up to the present, we have not given due emphasis to education, it is because we have a long history of failing to get our priorities right. Prior to 1947