The appeal of this letter is to request the Prime Minister to (i) create a national fund for school education, donations to which are 100% exempt from Income tax, (ii) mandate that a certain percentage of the CSR money to be given by big corporates be allocated to the development of great schools, and (ii) make the recruitment of teachers to schools totally independent of the politicians in all the states. This will ensure that every school is a Navodaya school or a Kendriya Vidyalaya, which will ensure a future India that Abdul Kalam wanted and Narendra Modiji is working for.

The future of India is in the hands of today’s children and how we educate them to be great leaders, artists, managers, scientists and engineers. So, it is really important to have schools that are excellent, which prepare our children for the future. It is well known that not as much importance is given to schools as is done for higher education, such as IITs, IIMs and AIIMS. However, unless the foundation is laid sufficiently strong, the beautiful building that we build on top of it is not safe. It is because of the quality of schools that we have, that in spite of the fact that 70 years have passed by since our independence, the real educational status of the so-called deprived classes of people has not really improved. When the elementary and high schools have failed to impart quality education to these children, no amount of reservation in IITs, IIMs and AIIMS is going to make any difference. The faculty in all these institutions are over-worked and have no additional time left to give extra attention to these students with relatively poorer background. On the other hand, if they are provided extraordinary education at the school level, then they will be equal to other children and will not need any additional care in the higher educational institutions.

This requires (i) great schools, (ii) great teachers who are paid well and (iii) teachers recruited purely on merit. In some states in India, the positions of school teachers are bought by paying huge bribes. So, I request each and every one of you to sign this petition and forward it to as many of your friends as possible, so that we can ensure a glorious education to all our children, which will make India the most educated, productive and happy nation in the world.