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Racist Aussies and Crazy IndiansNew Type of Supari

New Indian Express, May 29, 2009 Prof.R.Vaidyanathan Prof of Finance IIM, Bangalore
It is estimated that one lakh Indian students are studying in Australia and most of them pay hefty fees for the courses. Assuming each student spends around Rs 20 lakhs for a two year course including all expenses as a conservative estimate---it comes to Rs 20,000 Crore being spent by Indian students in Australia. For that they are hit, maimed and killed by thugs in public places.The behavior of the Government of Australia is shameful in that they offer tips to the Indian students about behaving in public places. It is atrocious that the Government in Australia has not categorically and unequivocally and unambiguously condemned these racist attacks even after knowing that the gangs are celebrating what they call as Indian hunting month The Australian police maintain that these are Opportunistic Crimes whatever it means. In a crowded running train when thugs were hitting Indian students mercilessly none came to help the victims. When another student was hit mercilessly on a crowded railway platform none came to help him. The behavior of Australian public is reprehensible and gives an impression about the embedded racism in that society. Indian Government should have called the Australian Commissioner here to give him a mouthful. In case a single Australian student is hit in India then our entire TV and print media would have gone wild about it. They will have debates about how unsafe is India for foreigners and how much fascist groups are growing in Gandhian India and why the concerned chief minster should be punished etc. There would be a national hysteria at least in electronic media about the great Indo-Australian bondage which cannot be allowed to be spoilt etc. But interestingly the coverage at least initially by Australian print and electronic media is to say the least frugal. Later also the coverage is more concerned about the image of Australia as a destination for foreign students rather than on racist thugs in Australia. The reason for this is simple. Unlike India, Western [one can include Australia in this] nations are concerned about their interest primarily financial interest to the core. The educational institutions in Australia [as in the case of Britain and USA] are starved of funds and so they go around the world begging for funds but they call it Educational opportunities or Educational fairs and in this they are encouraged by Indian media in terms of coverage and Obeisance Due to our embedded colonial genes it is felt getting graduated from a third rate foreign University is much better than struggling to get degrees here.
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The problem is more deep rooted. Why do students go to these Universities to study? The full responsibility lies with our system. Many of our Universities have become dens of castesim and /or corruption. In many situations the appointment of Vice Chancellors are based on caste considerations or bribery. The Government still control higher education and the strangle hold is getting stronger. Another advantage in many of the foreign Universities is that there is no concept of failures once you pay the requisite fees. This is a major attraction and the foreign degrees whatever are the status of those Institutions is respected and dowry rates are also high. It is imperative that the Government throw open the entire higher education to the private sector particularly domestic private sector and create a SEBI type institution for transparent information provision and looking at major misdemeanor. Every institution in their web site should compulsorily provide information on faculty, facilities, course content, previous years placement etc. This exhaustive list can be prepared by the regulator. The rating system will be evolved by students themselves and the fees will adjust to the students choices. The entire process of approvals as practiced today is full of corruption and nepotism. The amount of Rs. 20,000 crore funded by Indians to Australian Universities is one part of the story. If we add all other countries --we feel at least two lakh Crore is spent by Indians to get themselves foreign educated. Our national income is around fifty lakh Crore. Other than this Government of India last year in an obscene gesture provided more than Rs 100 crore to Cambridge and Harvard the former to celebrate Nehru entering its portals and the later to study India. This is when domestic Institutions are crying for funds for buildings and class rooms. It is suggested that Education is a State subject. Then why have a Ministry of HRD at the central level and the whole idea of Government babus directing and regulating higher education is not a feasible proposition in the twenty first century. The new HRD minster who is a legal man should try to make his job redundant since that is a measure of his efficiency. It is always suggested that Government should focus on primary education and leave higher education in private hands. That will be like asking quacks to treat babies while as qualified surgeons take care of elderly. The better idea is the voucher systemif Government wants to help the needy- where in students can choose the institutions they want to learn. That will weed out the kirana stores masquerading as educational institutions. The idea of Government in education is as much dangerous as Government in business. Let Government be a facilitator and arms length distance regulator.

The ex-chief of Telstra told that Aussies are Racists and it has tonnes of truth in it. But why are we getting maimed and murdered in broad day light after spending Rs 20,000 crore to sustain the educational system of Australia including third rate schools. May be the embedded colonial genes suggest to us that we pay to get killed. New type of supari. ______________
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The author is Professor of Finance, Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore, and can be contacted at vaidya@iimb.ernet.in. The views are personal and do not reflect that of his organization.