Education, Careers & Professional News
No Unesco Funds For India
Stung by criticism from Unesco and other foreign funding agencies at various platforms for failure to achieve targets and implement policies on education, the government today asked these agencies to disburse their resources to least developed countries, which needed it more. At the general body meeting of the Indian National Commission for Cooperation with Unesco today, the Union minister of human resource development, Mr Arjun Singh, made it clear that India could afford to spend Rs 60-70 lakh that Unesco funded them every year for various projects on education.
Unesco has been criticising India for its failure to implement the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, a nationwide campaign to promote education amongst children. Mr Singhs predecessor, Mr Murli Manohar Joshi, had stated that the government would take financial aid from Unesco, but without any condition.
The regional director, Unesco, Mr Taufiq, said after the meeting that it was for India to decide whether they needed funds from them. An HRD official said: We get meagre funds from Unesco, but there is a lot of paper-work attached to it. There are many formalities like audits and other obligations to it, which has to be fulfilled. Moreover, we are criticised by these bodies and they like to keep us guarded all the time.
Mr Singh, however, stated that they were on good terms with Unesco. We are good partners and will cooperate in all respects, he said, but emphasised that, India is fast emerging as a nation willing to contribute more and more for programmes of benefit to the country and to the entire world especially the developing countries. This statement holds importance as it could sent signals to other funding agencies that India is self-reliant and will not look for them for small needs. The minister said Indian institutions were emerging as centres of excellence in different fields.
Mr Singhs deputy, Mr MAA Fatmi, said that madrasas have come up only at those places where the Muslim population do not have any access to schools or were schools were unaffordable.